Life of Pi

Photography by Daria Mosolova

Elly Chaw delves into the Pi Media archives and charts our progress from 1946 to the present day.

No, this will not retell Yann Martel’s fictional award-winning novel with Bengal tigers. This will, for the very first time, tell the non-fiction history of something much tamer, and closer to us – the comprehensive life of Pi Media. Instead of “Pi” Patel, the narrative starts with UCL medic alumni Richard Lubback, who founded Pi in 1946, in his very first year at university. He named the newspaper after then-Provost Sir David Pye, and so, Pi was conceived. The paper was part of a community project to bind fellow U.C.-ites (yes, this was what we were called) together especially in the post-War period, when people were searching for a sense of belonging, and a yearning for solidarity and identity. 

In this piece, the decades of well-preserved archives that date all the way back to the 1940s will come together to trace how Pi Media has changed, restructured, shaped, and ‘bricolaged’ itself over the past 75 years to become UCL’s oldest and largest student publication and journalism society today. 

1940s and 50s

Originally launched as a fortnightly newspaper that was circulated and sold for a minimal sum around campus, Pi branded themselves as ‘The Newspaper of University College’. Founding editor Lubback spearheaded a small team of contributors, in-house student cartoonists, and graphic designers. There was a more distinct focus on campus affairs – think of a pre-modern version of the UCLove page we have today. In a column called “Through the Letter-Box,” students reported brick accidents on campus, complained at lengths about the inefficiency of The Refectory in serving hot meals, and reported celebrity headline news, such as Constance Cummings attending lectures at the Department of Anthropology in 1948.

Just like any other newspaper, Pi was also a platform for advertisements, many of which were interestingly related to hair – vegetable oil for hair by NUFIX, Marc the College Barber whose prices always remained the same, and it goes on. Pi’s presence on campus was evidently very well-received by the student body, with one article (published in 1954) praising how it “fulfil(s) a very important function in the life of the College, particularly at the present time and under present conditions”.

1960s and 70s

During this period, Pi newspapers slowly expanded and lengthened to integrate more arts and sports coverage, with the addition of film photography, art exhibition reviews, and crossword puzzles. Sports clubs were given more of a spotlight too, with the ever-rife Varsity rivalry between University College and King’s. In the sports section that would always dominate the final page of each newspaper, King’s would be mentioned at least once. 

The 1970s was also marked by a period of prolonged economic recession and rising inflation for Britain. This was reflected in the newspaper’s sharp shift in focus towards student finance and monetary concerns, with one of the front pages aptly comparing UCLU bar prices with those of other London Student Unions. Back in 1977 at a UCLU bar, a pint of Guinness would cost 34p, IPA 27p, and Carling Lager 32p. Students also called for lower accommodation fees in the midst of this financial crisis. 

1980s and 90s

Apart from Margaret Thatcher, Pi also welcomed a new face in the 1980s with a fresh layout similar to magazines – with page-by-page articles instead of their typical newspaper layout. Pi Diary was also introduced and functioned like a modern-day Facebook Event Calendar where clubs and societies were able to advertise their events to the rest of the student body. Unsurprisingly, political articles dominated this decade of the Thatcherite era, giving a more liberal and even rebellious tone to the newspaper-magazine.

Not only was there a resurgence of appetite for Pi’s original newspaper layout in the 1990s but the decade also opened avenues of discourse pertaining to ever-relevant campus politics that need to be addressed – sexual assault, rape, racism, discrimination, and LGBT-related topics. Moving away from reporting issues of relative triviality (such as The Refectory’s incompetence), this decade can be seen as a trailblazer in steering Pi’s direction towards being an opinionated publication challenging social norms.

2000s and 2010s

A new millennium, a better Pi. This century finally marked the start of glossy colour-printed Pi magazines with more distinct and organised sections within such as Opinion, Features, Travel, Fashion, and Science – some of which still prevail today. 

This century is also where Pi really sought to adapt and modernise to evolving technologies. In 2011, Pi introduced Pi Online, where the majority of their content was posted regularly on their website to increase online readership. In 2012, PiTV, Pi’s broadcasting arm, produced their first video project. Instead of the weekly newspapers Lubback started out with, Pi publications are now known as Pi Magazine, a bi-anual feature publication, revolving around a specific, carefully chosen theme. 

This expansion into a diverse range of media platforms further cemented Pi’s presence on campus. After many changes and some continuities, today, Pi is collectively known as Pi Media, with the three branching arms of Pi Online, PiTV, and Pi Magazine. With close to 160 contributors this year and more than a 2000 readership base on Facebook alone, we can see how over the decades, Pi Media has pieced, unpieced, and built upon itself according to the changing times to become the perfect embodiment of the theme of this issue. What the future of the Life of Pi will bring us is yet unknown, but we know one thing will always be constant – bricolage. 

This article was originally published in Issue 725 of Pi Magazine.