Anyone may submit letters to the editor of The Observer. Items submitted by members of the Notre Dame and Saint Mary's community will be given preference for publication.

     All letters submitted to The Observer must include the author's signature and phone number. Letters may not exceed 350 words. The Viewpoint editor may shorten any letter regardless of length.

     The Observer has no obligation to publish submitted letters. Such works will not be published if they are libelous, unintelli-gible or irrelevant.

     Relevance will be determined with respect to interest of a particular issue on a local, national, or world level, extension of existing issues on the Viewpoint pages, and/or role in fostering spirited and intelligent discussion.

     A disclaimer will appear with any letter deemed highly graphic, profane or discriminatory, yet nonetheless relevant. The disclaimer will appear at the beginning of the letter and will alert readers to the serious nature of the piece in question.

    Commentaries submitted as letters to the editor may not exceed three in number from the same individual or organization within the same academic semester.

     All letters to the editor must be verified before publication. Authors of letters must be notified before their work is published in The Observer.

     Paid employees of The Observer are not permitted to have their commentaries appear in the Viewpoint section as letters to the editor. Regular columnists and members of the Viewpoint staff also are not eligible to have their commentaries appear in the Viewpoint section as letters to the editor. The status of such individuals is determined by the Viewpoint editor.