We’ve received several letters criticizing the Clarion and the work that this staff produces. With comments like “pointless articles published by the Clarion,” “the repugnant treatment the Clarion newspaper continually offers the DU community,” and “It’s always hit or miss when I pick up the Clarion,” we feel the need to respond to this criticism.

First and foremost, this staff is dedicated and strives to produce the best newspaper possible every week. We attempt to find stories that will inform and entertain.

This is not always easy considering the atmosphere on campus. This is a small university and it is impossible to have earth-shattering stories in every issue. Sometimes the only news for a week is the new staging of “The Vagina Monologues” or a rash of bicycle thefts, or another false fire alarm in the dorms. Even if we do not have hard, riveting news, we still must fill 12 or 16 pages.

The small size of DU also puts restraints on spending and limits the size of the staff. We only have 15 people on staff. Often, editors must write their own stories to fill their page because we don’t have enough reporters or reporters don’t turn in their assigned stories. As a matter of fact, the number of regular and dependable photographers and reporters can be counted on one hand. Each staff member spends anywhere from four to nine hours a week on an issue. It is common for the staff to still be working at 1 a.m. on production night.

We do make mistakes, but considering what we have to work with sometimes it’s amazing there is a paper at all. Don’t mistake this as complaining or whining. We are simply responding to criticisms that are made about the Clarion by those who know little about what goes on behind the scenes. We enjoy what we do, and choose to work here. Next time you think about criticizing, stop to think about everything that went into making the Clarion, and think about how much of that work you did.