We’re all excited about bringing a more open and student-orientated Salient to the student masses this year without skimping on quality… well, for the first few issues anyway… but some of us might get bored and just start copy-pasting “lol cats” in instead of, you know, “words”, but we’ll do our best for the most part.

And, of course, if you want to contribute, or you know somebody who’s got a knack for writing/drawing/reviewing – maybe even a first year, god forbid – then flick an e-mail in the direction of jackson@salient.org.nz (subject = volunteer).We’re eager to bring as many new faces into the world of student media this year as we can because, after all, this is the student magazine, written for the windswept masses of Victoria University. We’re here to write for you, and that’s all.

There’s a place for everyone at the Salient pool table this year, so bring your ideas, your creative genius and a desire to entertain and inform your classmates, and the rest will take care of itself.

Don’t be shy – we may look like a bunch of busy douchebags (and, well, we are), but it’s our wish that every volunteer and every new face feels welcome and that their energy and efforts will be appreciated. You may even grow to like us (except for Dr. Peter Manglethwaite, who is barely able to maintain a conversation with a stranger without blurting out some racial/gender/anti-animal jibe with little or no prompt).

It’s been great to see that so many people care about the livelihood of this tasty piece of student media real estate. I can only hope we’ll be able to repay that interest by producing a magazine worth kicking a fuss up about. God knows we’re gonna try.

Thanks again, everybody.
- Michael (News Ed, 2009)

= defamation lawsuit = salient more broke than ever

= Bloody brilliant!

Geez though, 25%? Is this decision coming from the people we elected to represent our views? Woo for demo-fucking-ocracy…

It seems to me that the previous troll infestation has mildly subsided, which can only mean one thing of course it must be that darn recession.

Ms Williams, I found your statements empowering and somewhat heroic. What a voice, what an avatar of hope, acts that require prestige. The acts in which I refer to are of course the two amazing feats that follow; A, Setting feminism back twenty years and B, Solidifying the stereotype of the “whining maori”. I could not have done better in my lifetime, perhaps we could have a spot of tea one eve?

Salient, my old friend, oh how the mighty have fallen. We once basked beneath a mid summers rays, enjoying ourselves. Do you remember that time we eloped too the meadows of Motueka? It was beautiful Salient, beautiful.

I remember you as an accepting androgynous beast, how wrong I was.
Though Ms Williams is obviously ignorant to the “door” that you have open to her minority group and has obviously formed an attempt at targeting an issue that targets said groups advocacy in a manner that screams “fail” from the first line to the end, in a way that can only be described as a banshee committing atrocious forms of sexual abuse upon a poor lost Gentleman.

Perhaps she was trying to highlight the fact that a minority class of a minority group are obviously failing to advocate for and of course voice to the wider population that they represent. Her wail holds merit.

Why back when I was but a young squire, I recall taking a stroll up Kelburn parade with a chap who went by the name of Franklin. Not much of a man yet he had a keen eye for game and had flawless aim. Not to mention of course that he also hailed from the prestigious Motueka, the land of rolling plains and the true home of the Gentleman.
( Bel air )
We were approached by a group of indigenous fellows, apparently we came across as young men looking lost within a new land. It also seemed that I held a familiar posture and they seemed to feel that my dashing appearance coupled by my olive skin made me their kin, who am I to argue with the natives of this land.

I quickly left poor Franklin behind and attended the banquet they had prepared for those just like me, they named it a ‘hangy’. I was asked a few questions like, ‘What is your ee wee?” and “Cay tear, pear for your queer?”. I quickly told them that I didn’t understand, and attempted to shrug off their jungle mind trickery. I found their goading incredibly elitist at first and not at all the way one would treat another gentlemen, what tipped the iceberg was when they led my ignorant soul towards a pit, and I put two and two together. Was this to be my grave?

To my suprise they had actually used this hole as an underground oven, what ingenuity! The feast was fantastic. We conversed over our food, which led to a lengthly debate regarding the structure of our nation. It seemed that no matter what angle I attempted to attack the words of their president he would make a sub par attempt at belittling my argument which would be followed by the heckling guffaws of his tribe, it was not only offensive but plain rude.

This was my first experience with their way and frankly, I must say I was not impressed.

I have since met many, a number that far out weighs the group that had in my eyes represented a culture. I will at once admit fault in my prior conclusion and humble myself by apologising.

My thoughts for you Ms Williams are as follows,

Do you feel that you are being advocated well?
Are you willing to become the peoples champion?
Do you know Dwayne The rock Johnson?
Are you attractive?
If yes, would you mind a spot of tea?
but in all seriousness, Do you think a group of pretentious students from middle class families actually care about what you say?

inb4 bitches don’t know about ma lazar~raaaar

25 per-fucking-cent? Damn personified Salient, that’s one Hell of a crappy amputation. Particularly when Salient is really the only thing I approve of my VUWSA money going towards; well, that and the VUWSA Tramping Club since I did attend a meeting of it once. I have to say that there’s a fuck-load else we could shave a few bucks off in order to get the full 100% that Salient enjoyed and deserved in 2008.

Gotta be that damn recession.

Anyway, sice I’ve thoroughly enjoyed flaunting my ego in the pages of Salient during 2008 and fully plan to enjoy the same next year if there’s anything I can do, including handing over the loose change in my wallet, (which I’m afraid to say consists of twenty cents and two guitar picks,) or giving you my Subway rewards money I will be more than happy to.

The fact of the matter is that Salient is not a “racist white publication” (whatever the hell that means) and has made tangible efforts to cater to a wide range of Maori issues. The incoming editor himself has indicated that there will be an upswing in the amount of Maori content in addition to Ngai Tauira’s current level of contribution.

I’m not too sure if any of the editors have been Maori, race really doesn’t matter to me too much, but we definitely have had many many Maori contributors over the years and for at least the past 10 years there has always been a Te Reo issue.

In fact VUWSA and Salient value Maori input into the magazine so much that Ngai Tauira has a seat on the selection panel for the new editor and the publications committee which governs the magazine.

Salient is not, has never been and will hopefully continue well into the future to not be a “racist white publication like the Dom post”

I suggest you get your facts straight before commenting on my website and, regardless of race, making yourself look like a fool.