Editorial:

There's been a certain amount of criticism recently that Salient has tended to be dull, boring and lifeless. But apart from that there has not been very much feedback at all this year.

Feedback is always a problem for a Salient editor because most of the time I am too busy working on Salient to get down to lectures and tuts and the cafe and half the time I find myself working instead of playing on Saturday night. So I tend to rely on readers using their intiative and telling me what they do think of Salient 'cause otherwise I just don't know.

What I would like is for Salient readers to write [unclear: do hat] hat they think of Salient and to send [unclear: a] Its not too late to get me to change my ways and anyway it will soon be time to elect a new editor for 1976 and the members of Publications Board (six being SRC reps) would like some indication of what sort of set-up you would prefer.

As for the complaints of Salient being dull and boring — they're probably true. Thing is, its pretty hard to get consistently exciting copy and layout when you're understaffed and struggling just to get from one issue to another. If a few more people came in and gave us a hand it would at least give us a chance to liven up the pages of Salient. It would also help if people wrote articles for us. After everyone wrote in complaining of the style of our Exec and SRC reports we decided that would bow to public opinion and find someone else to write them — which was all well and good but we couldn't find anyone who was willing to take it on. Thats why we've had so few Exec and SRC reports recently.

The final point is that if you want an exciting and dynamic newspaper then you you've got to have a reasonably exciting and dynamic campus. At the moment Salient's dullness is an accurate reflection of the state of affairs on this campus.

But we're not retreating. Salient has decided to make a few changes recently. The layout has been handed over to John Henderson so that it will be more imaginative and for those of you who want to help it will be more organised. We've created and filled several other positions but we still still need someone to take on the job of chief campus reporter. We also have an equally desparate need for photographers (you get payment for all these jobs).

Finally, round about the time that next year's Salient editor(s) is/are selected there should be a Salient Forum where people can come and harangue the present staff and suggest alternatives — see you there.

— Bruce Robinson