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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 25. 3rd October 1973

Swan Song ~ Till Next Year

Swan Song ~ Till Next Year

Drawing of a priest holding a compass

This is the twenty-fifth and last issue of Salient for 1973. For the past few weeks I've been trying to write an analysis of Salient's performance this year and of our readers' reactions, both as a worthwhile exercise in itself and to give some pointers for next year.

But its impossible to analyse the effect of this year's Salient. The reactions we receive are diverse. Some people grumble about the paper, but few have told us why. And everybody still grabs their copy off the piles, and reads substantial parts of it. One tangible reaction we do get is the letters, which are overwhelming, and the many positive responses we have had, often from unexpected sources, have been very gratifying.

We like to believe that we're open to criticism, so if you have restrained yourself this year in the hope that the revolutionary tide will ebb, then be warned that it may not. Salient next year will be continuing the line it has developed during 1973, so if you have criticisms or suggestions it will be no use to anybody to keep them to yourself.

Of course a very useful way to criticise is to suggest areas of interest that we should be covering, even if you don't write articles yourself. I hope that our readers do spend a minute or two in the coming holidays thinking about the content and direction of Salient, and what they can suggest or do to alter it.

A couple of areas that we have delved into and that we'd like to go further in, are course criticism within the university, and specialised reporting beyond it. We would like to help students make whatever attacks they think are appropriate on departments they feel need shaking up. Beyond the university one area we have begun reporting is the courts. But we have been hampered by a shortage of staff. If we could get a few concerned, responsible people to spend one or two mornings a week on the reporters' bench in court we could extend what has become one of our most worthwhile and effective preoccupations.

There are many more areas that any or all of our readers could get involved with — too many to enumerate here. These holidays, look back over the pages of Salient 1973, have a bit of a think about the future, and maybe start to do something about it.

— R. W. Steele