Goodbye
Well, that’s it. After 29 issues, 700 pages and something like three quarters of a million words, the Felix year comes to an end.
I first wrote for Felix back in 2000, 142 issues ago, and I’m pleased to have been a regular contributor ever since. The newspaper has been a big part of my life and I’m going to miss it. Working here has taught me a huge amount, not only about putting publications together, but also about managing teams, understanding Union politics and staying up until stupid hours of the morning.
I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with Felix this year. We made a lot of changes, most notably the change from magazine to newsprint which could have backfired horribly, but I think we’ve been successful. I believe Felix has become a well-respected, well-written and well-read student newspaper. Preliminary results from our survey suggest that you agree.
Everyone here is pleased to have been given the President’s Award – it’s an honour to be singled out of Imperial’s 250 fantastic student-run clubs and societies.
I would like to thank every single person who has contributed to Felix in any way over the past year. The newspaper could not exist without the time, effort and enthusiasm of our excellent team of volunteers.There is no way I can list them all, because there are too many, but I must mention my eight regular section editors – Numaan, Darius, Andy, Simon, Paola, Martin, Alan and Shaun – who were a pleasure to work with, week after week.
Thanks to the other sabbaticals and the Union staff for their help throughout the year. Thanks to everyone who helped produce the Union Handbook 2004 and our new magazine I, Science. Thanks to Alisdair Wren for running and revamping our website. And thanks to everyone who has kept me company on a long Tuesday night.
Whoever you are, and whatever you think of Felix, I hope we’ve managed to provide you with some combination of information and entertainment during your studies. If you’re leaving Imperial, best of luck for the future.
Finally, just to create a bit of symmetry with my first editorial and to prove that we don’t always learn from our mistakes, guess what time it is. Yes, it’s 5am again. Thanks for reading.
