Last week, Jill Laster reported that President Todd has not made up his mind about his forthcoming bonus. Incidentally, Ali Cicerchi also wrote about the impact of the 4 percent budget cuts for this upcoming year. From reading these two articles, I was struck by the apparent obliviousness of President Todd. In April, Todd recommended that faculty and staff not receive a salary increase for the 2008-09 fiscal year, yet he has not made up his mind about trimming back part of his exorbitant salary/bonus.

So I ask you this: President Todd, do you really need $600,000 a year while up to 150 positions could be cut here at UK and students struggle to pay tuition? Do you really have the students’ best interests in mind like you say you do? To anyone who has read the articles and seen the figures, the answer is clearly no, you do not. How about sacrificing your outrageous bonus so we can keep some of our excellent professors employed?

Now, I know, I’m asking a lot— $600,000 doesn’t go very far these days. Obviously anyone on the street can attest to that, but perhaps we should take a closer look at the schools we wish to emulate. The president of UNC-Chapel Hill doesn’t even come close to touching your earnings. Maybe the key to becoming a top-20 university isn’t just espousing meaningless rhetoric, but sacrificing just as much as everyone else.

Michael Miller

English junior