As a postdoctoral researcher at the University, my salary is provided by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. As far as I know, the NIH has not implemented furloughs or pay cuts for researchers paid with NIH grants. Why, then, is the University forcing those of us paid with outside funds to take a pay cut? A major portion of these grants are indirect funds that go to the University itself to cover the costs of providing resources like electricity, water and facilities management. When we take a pay cut, the University will still require that all of the grant funds be spent. This means that part of my salary will now have to be used to purchase lab supplies so the University can still get its cut of the funds that we all work so hard to obtain. Cutting the salaries of the research staff that brings so much money into the University will only serve to generate resentment among employees that are highly-educated, have many other employment options and are the workforce responsible for making the University the highly regarded research institution it is. It would serve the University to retain these employees instead of losing them to institutions that seem to place a higher value on hard work and dedication. The University will not save any money by cutting our salaries, but it will prove that no thought was given to retaining employees who pay their own way by obtaining outside funding. Laura Breshears, University faculty