This qualifies as an opinion statement. I want to commend the Provost for the forthright and well-reasoned editorial he published in yesterday's Times-Free Press. I saw little to disagree with in what he wrote. What got my attention the most was his comment that the current share of the university budget represented by academics is 43.4%. This contradicts what I was led to believe last semester. I still want to know why it is not 50% or more.

Mike Russell