A brewing controversy over a "DOGE-like" email at one of America’s top universities has gotten the attention of Capitol Hill. Per reports, Alex Sheih, a student at Brown University, engaged in a journalistic act of contacting university administrative employees to inquire about their roles and responsibilities. In return, the student wrote on X, that he had been given a disciplinary hearing after being "charged with misrepresentation and violating the IT policy."
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Sat May 03 2025
A brewing controversy over a "DOGE-like" email at one of America’s top universities has gotten the attention of Capitol Hill, FOX NEWS reported.
Rep Troy Nehls, R-Texas, wrote to Brown University on Friday morning urging the school to reconsider any disciplinary action against Alex Shieh, a sophomore who sent an email mirroring the style of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that asked non-faculty university workers what they did "all day."
"Reports indicate that Mr Shieh engaged in a journalistic act of contacting university administrative employees to inquire about their roles and responsibilities. This action, it appears, stemmed from his perspective as a student paying a substantial tuition fee and experiencing concerns regarding university facilities, leading him to question the allocation of administrative resources," Nehls wrote.
"Penalizing a student for what appears to be an attempt to understand the university's administrative structure raises serious questions about the institution's commitment to open inquiry and the tolerance of dissenting viewpoints."
He also demanded more information on how Brown uses its $7.2 billion endowment to lower tuition and better the lives of students.
It comes at a time when American Ivy Leagues have been thrust under the microscope by the Trump administration, both for their soaring tuition rates and controversies surrounding antisemitism on campus.
Shieh had created a database of the 3,805 non-faculty employees who worked at Brown University and emailed them to ask, "What do you do all day?"
He wrote on X that he had been given a disciplinary hearing after being "charged with misrepresentation and violating the IT policy."
Tuition alone at Brown University for the 2025-2026 academic year is $71,700. Fees, food, and housing charges bring that up to about $93,000 per year, according to the school’s website — and with indirect charges, annual costs are estimated at nearly $96,000.
"I urge you to reconsider any disciplinary action taken against Mr Shieh and to reaffirm Brown University's commitment to protecting the free expression of all its students," Nehls wrote.
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