Student penalized by Brown University for DOGE-like email
A sophomore at Brown University is currently facing disciplinary action after sending a DOGE-like email to non-faculty employees in an attempt to understand why the tuition at the Ivy League school has become so expensive.
Alex Shieh, the student in question, explained to Fox News Digital that he is being charged for misrepresentation and violating IT policies by the university. He mentioned that he did not violate any IT policy and that he identified himself as a journalist for the Brown Spectator, an independent non-profit organization.
Shieh took it upon himself to investigate the reasons behind the high tuition fees at Brown University. Using AI technology, he created a database of the 3,805 non-faculty employees at the school and sent them an email asking, “What do you do all day?” He categorized the responses into “DEI jobs, redundant jobs, and bulls–t jobs” to analyze the data.
His investigation was sparked by President Trump’s executive orders regarding DEI policies in universities. Shieh wanted to gather accurate data to understand how the university’s funds were being allocated. However, only 20 out of the 3,805 employees responded, with many replies being hostile.
Shieh also claimed that his Social Security number was leaked during this process. He believes that the university is retaliating against him for shedding light on the excessive administrative costs at Brown, which are driving up tuition fees.
Despite the controversy surrounding the case, Brown University administrators have clarified that the issue is not related to free speech. Brian Clark, the vice president for news and strategic campus communications, stated that the investigation is focused on the use of non-public data systems and targeting individual employees, rather than restricting free speech.
Shieh, on the other hand, plans to expand his initiative to other Ivy League institutions to expose wasteful expenditures and demand an end to DEI policies. He has released an online tool for the public to use and has already seen significant engagement with the database.
Overall, the situation at Brown University highlights the complexities of addressing financial transparency and administrative costs in higher education institutions. Shieh’s actions have sparked a debate on the allocation of funds and the impact of DEI policies on tuition fees. It remains to be seen how the university will handle the disciplinary action against the student and whether it will lead to further discussions on cost-saving measures in academia.
