I can understand and appreciate the reasons for the hiring freeze. However, as several other posters have commented, I would question the way money is spent at BU. We seem to spend an awful lot of money on making the place look pretty (the ludicrous amount of money that goes into Commencement being the most egregious example) while skimping on more substantive matters (like getting the heating/air conditioning systems in the various buildings to actually work properly).