Brown University clears student of wrongdoing after he sent campus employees DOGE-like email

Brown University has cleared pupil Alex Shieh arsenic good arsenic the committee of The Brown Spectator of allegations that they violated Brown University’s name, licensing, and trademark policies. 

"Elite academia is successful situation due to the fact that of a refusal to accommodate mean Americans and an unaccountable people of bureaucrats who dainty universities arsenic firm brands alternatively than institutions of learning," Shieh told Fox News Digital successful a statement. "I deliberation we request to rethink what it means to beryllium elite. Today, elite schools are elitist. I’m warring for them to beryllium elite successful a meritocratic sense, wherever they are filled with the champion and the brightest, not the richest and astir well-connected."

Shieh, a rising inferior who was cleared of wrongdoing by the assemblage connected May 14, 2025, had antecedently angered schoolhouse officials by sending a DOGE-like email to non-faculty employees identifying himself arsenic a writer for The Brown Spectator and asking them what they bash each time to effort to find wherefore the school's tuition has gotten truthful expensive.

BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT WHO ANGERED NON-FACULTY EMPLOYEES FOR DOGE-LIKE EMAIL FACES PUNISHMENT FROM SCHOOL

Alex Shieh, a sophomore astatine Brown University, told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interrogation that helium sent a DOGE-like email to non-faculty employees asking them what they bash each time to effort to fig retired wherefore tuition has gotten truthful expensive.  (Photo: Zoom screenshot)

The Brown Spectator, which has a committee of 3 people, including Shieh, was revived this twelvemonth aft it ceased work successful 2014. 

The committee members faced a disciplinary proceeding connected May 7 implicit allegations that they violated Brown University’s name, licensing and trademark policies. 

Shieh told Fox News Digital that different field publications besides usage the school’s name, including "The Brown Daily Herald," different student-run nonprofit newspaper. 

Shieh and the Spectator faced scrutiny from the assemblage aft Shieh began investigating positions helium deemed redundant aft reviewing 3,805 non-faculty employees who worked astatine Brown and emailing them to ask, "What bash you bash each day?" 

In March, during escaped weekends, Shieh utilized AI to effort to find what Brown employees did and wherefore the school, which costs nearly $96,000 a year, was truthful expensive.  

When creating his database, helium formatted it to place 3 peculiar jobs: "DEI jobs, redundant jobs, and bulls--t jobs." 

Shieh said helium wanted to analyse DEI due to the fact that of President Donald Trump's enforcement orders addressing DEI policies, and his medication threatening to withhold national funds to universities who employment them. The extremity was to get arsenic overmuch information arsenic imaginable to amended his research.

Only 20 of the 3,805 radical emailed responded, and galore of the responses were profane and hostile. 

IVY LEAGUE STUDENT ACCUSED OF CAUSING 'EMOTIONAL HARM' TO NON-FACULTY STAFF FOR SENDING DOGE-LIKE EMAIL

Sayles Hall and Campus, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.  (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Shieh sent a follow-up email, featured below, to Brown administrators which Shieh said was "one past accidental to warrant their roles": 

Dear {recipient_name},

I’m a newsman for the Brown Spectator, and connected June 4, I volition attest earlier Congress regarding imaginable antitrust violations astatine Brown, including price-fixing and unlawful tying arrangements, driven by Brown’s unsustainable maturation successful non-academic staffing and putting the outgo of the American Dream retired of scope for countless students who merit a just shot.

As portion of my testimony, I volition taxable a database of Brown employees whose positions look perchance redundant, unnecessary, oregon successful usurpation of national civilian rights laws, to beryllium preserved permanently successful the Congressional Record. In the involvement of fairness and accuracy, I americium offering you a 2nd accidental to explicate your relation to Brown students and the American public.

Please respond to the following:

1. What are your superior responsibilities?

2. What tasks did you implicit successful the past 7 days?

3. How would Brown students beryllium affected if your presumption were eliminated?

Those incapable oregon unwilling to picture their occupation volition beryllium noted arsenic specified successful the Congressional Record, and their roles volition beryllium evaluated without the payment of their input.

Responses received by Wednesday, May 28 astatine 5:00 PM volition beryllium cautiously considered earlier last materials are submitted to Congress. Thank you for your punctual attraction to this matter.

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The Van Wickle Gates basal astatine the borderline of the main field of Brown University successful Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., August 16, 2022. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

In a connection to Fox News Digital, Shieh said, "Today’s follow-up email is astir accountability. If Brown University tin complaint families $93,000 a year, it should astatine slightest beryllium capable to explicate what its administrators bash each day. This enquiry is simply a motivation basal against the corruption of the American Dream by bloated, unaccountable bureaucracies that enactment diverseness statements supra pupil success." 

He is scheduled to attest connected June 4 earlier the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee connected the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust for a proceeding entitled, "The Elite Universities Cartel: A History of Anticompetitive Collusion Inflating the Cost of Higher Education."

"Brown whitethorn beryllium attempting to fell antitrust violations that the House Judiciary Committee is seeking to uncover," Shieh told Fox News Digital. "Brown had to settee a national suit past twelvemonth related to amerciable collusion successful its fiscal assistance packages, and this contented should beryllium looked into further by the committee." 

In a connection to Fox News Digital, Brian E. Clark, vice president for quality and strategical field communications astatine Brown University, said that Shieh’s lawsuit was not astir First Amendment issues. 

"Despite continued nationalist reporting framing this arsenic a escaped code issue, it perfectly is not," Clark said. "Since the initiation of Brown’s review, that reappraisal has centered connected investigating whether improper usage of non-public Brown information oregon non-public information systems violated instrumentality oregon policy; whether deliberate targeting of idiosyncratic employees violated instrumentality oregon policy; and whether violations to Brown’s misrepresentation oregon sanction usage policies took place."

Clark added that the assemblage "has detailed student behaviour procedures successful spot to analyse alleged behaviour codification violations, resoluteness them and — successful instances erstwhile students are recovered liable — instrumentality discipline. They are publically disposable and outline successful item however disciplinary procedures and hearings are conducted, the rights and responsibilities students have, what outcomes mightiness beryllium expected, and however students tin entreaty decisions." 

He besides said their "Student Conduct Procedures" person "guided our actions since this contented originated. Students person ample accidental to supply accusation and enactment straight successful that process to guarantee that each decisions are made with a implicit knowing of circumstances. As Brown’s procedures marque abundantly clear, students are not presumed to beryllium liable for alleged violations unless truthful recovered done the due behaviour proceedings." 

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Clark added that "Since the commencement of this matter, Brown has proceeded successful implicit accordance with escaped look guarantees and due procedural safeguards nether University policies and applicable law."