I understand the need to address the budget shortfall. I can accept the mandatory three-day furlough as a means to compensate for the shortfall. However, why is the University of Minnesota continuing to hire staff? I thought we were in a hiring freeze. Also, there are other items that should be addressed as well. For example, why do we have to provide lunch for meetings? How much could we save if we eliminated that expense? Why not temporarily eliminate annual staff conferences? Every college and department needs to look at ways to save money by eliminating frivolous spending. Elaine Greenfield, University staff