(I find this letter disappointing. It is disappointing because I have no idea what comic strip is being talked about. Upon receving this letter I hunted around and found that we did have one comic strip in our original graphics file that had been there for some time. I assume that this is the comic strip Brent Ellis refers to.

If this is in fact the comic strip in question there are several things Brent Ellis has failed to mention in his letter. Firstly he gave me the comic strip asking if we wanted it. I said we did — I did not say it would definitely appear in Salient or not. Secondly, I was given no phone number or address to contact to discuss publication of the comic strip, Thirdly, I was not asked that it should appear immediately and there is no reason that it should — it is of no news/topical interest and could usefully appear in any issue of Salient. Fourthly, no-one has contacted me about the comic strip since it was intially handed in to me. Instead all I get is a fetter based on no facts at alt. Fifthly, how does Brent Ellis know that I consign to the dustbin anything I feel doesn't' come up to my personal standards? Have I ever stated that to be my policy? In fact I have printed articles of quite varying standards in Salient this year because I believe that students should feel free to write what they like for Salient without fear of an editorial sledgehammer.

However, Brent Ellis raises the question of whether or not people feel confident to submit material to Salient. I must agree with him that many students still feel too intimidated towrite for Salient or to become involved in Salient in other ways. The idea of Open Day was one of many I have tried out to get more student involvement in Salient. I would suggest that Brent Ellis's comments do not help these efforts.

Lastly the comic strip I assume to be the object of Bent Ellis's letter is reprinted opposite — it was neither thrown in the rubbish bin nor rejected due to my personal 'standards'. —Ed.)