Northeast
Brown University student angers non-faculty employees by asking 'what do you do all day,' faces punishment
A sophomore at Brown University is facing the school’s wrath after he sent a DOGE-like email to non-faculty employees asking them what they do all day to try to figure out why the elite school’s tuition has gotten so expensive.
“The inspiration for this is the rising cost of tuition,” Alex Shieh told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“Next year, it’s set to be $93,064 to go to Brown,” Shieh said of the Ivy League university. Brown’s website estimates the total charges to attend the school for the 2025-2026 school year is even higher at $95,984.
“‘And I think that’s crazy,” he added. “I don’t understand why it costs that much. And I never understood why it cost that much, but then I did some digging and I discovered that the reason why the price of college in general across the nation, but also particularly at Brown, has been rising over the past few decades. Far outpacing inflation is because we’re adding on administrative staff faster than we’re adding students, faster than we’re having professors, administrators.”
IVY LEAGUE STUDENT ACCUSED OF CAUSING ‘EMOTIONAL HARM’ TO NON-FACULTY STAFF FOR SENDING DOGE-LIKE EMAIL
Alex Shieh, a sophomore at Brown University, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that he sent a DOGE-like email to non-faculty employees asking them what they do all day to try to figure out why tuition has gotten so expensive. (Photo: Zoom screenshot)
The total cost of attending Brown University for the 2019-2020 school year was $78,706.00, a 3.62% increase from the previous year. It’s risen steadily since then and is projected to be nearly $96,000 in the 2025-26 school year.
Using AI during some free weekends in March from a common room in his dorm’s basement that routinely floods whenever it rains – making plastic tarps for the shared work and leisure space a necessity for a school that charges students around $90,000 per year -Shieh set out to determine what Brown employees did and why the school was so expensive.
He formatted his site to identify three particular jobs: “DEI jobs, redundant jobs, and bulls–t jobs.”
Shieh said he wanted to look into DEI because of President Donald Trump’s executive orders and his administration threatening to withhold federal funds to universities with DEI policies.
Shieh created a database of the 3,805 non-faculty employees of Brown University. He also emailed them asking them, “What do you do all day?” Shieh wrote that he identified myself as a journalist for The Brown Spectator, a dormant on-campus libertarian journal that a group of students is planning to relaunch.
“I used AI to sort of give them rankings to see how useful or not useful they might be,” Shieh said.
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President Donald Trump has made targeting DEI an early priority of his second administration. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
“But the thing about AI is that it always works better when you have more data,” Shieh said. “So I decided to email all these administrators so that I could get more data, in their words, about what they do, what their job is. Simple questions like that, because I thought that could just help make my model even more accurate.”
The response to his query was not what he expected.
“People seemed to get very upset,” Shieh said. “Brown told the administrators not to respond to my email. And instead, I just got a lot of hostile replies.”
In an op-ed published Tuesday in Pirate Wire, Shieh said that only 20 of the 3,805 people emailed responded, with some replies allegedly saying, “f–k you,” and another directing Shieh to “stick an entire cactus up [his] a–.”
“I had my social security number leaked by somebody who I imagine is probably a rogue administrator, because I don’t know who else would have my social security number,” Shieh said.
Shieh said he is facing several possible disciplinary charges as part of a preliminary review from the school, including claims of emotional and psychological harm, invasion of privacy, misrepresentation, and violation of operational rules.
Just the News published a redacted version of the Preliminary Review Notification, which accused Shieh of accessing “proprietary University data system which maintains confidential human resources, financial, and student information and used this information to produce a publicly available website, resulting in emotional distress for several University employees.”
Dominic Coletti, student press program officer at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), is working with Shieh on the matter.
Sayles Hall and Campus, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“There is not yet a clear allegation the firm has given of exactly what the information is, that is, confidential,” Coletti added. “There’s not a clear allegation of exactly how these emails or this database invade an employee’s privacy or inflicted emotional or psychological harm.”
Coletti said the charges of psychological harm are unclear.
“The misrepresentation charge is actually particularly galling from FIRE’s perspective as advocates for free speech and free press because the allegation there is maybe the most substantiated, but it’s also the most specious in my opinion, which is that by requesting or by representing himself as a reporter for the Brown Spectator, Alex was misrepresenting himself because Brown doesn’t recognize the paper, which is absurd on its face, right?” Coletti said.
Similarly, Coletti said, the claim of misrepresentation doesn’t make sense. It’s related to The Brown Spectator no longer being a student group.
“Brown doesn’t recognize the New York Times or Fox News or any number of other outlets because they’re not student groups, but that doesn’t make a student who reports for those outlets any less legitimate a reporter than Alex was here,” Coletti said.
For Shieh, he just hopes that his story will help bring reform to the education system.
“I would say that I think the charges are ridiculous. And I think people agree. I mean, like, Elon Musk just reposted this,” Shieh said. “I think people across the country realize that the price of education is out of control. And I think the fact that Brown is telling people not to respond, that they’re doing all this other action against me, shows they’re trying to hide something, and I think that people can see right through that.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the university about whether Shieh is facing any punishment, but did not immediately receive a response.
The Van Wickle Gates stand at the edge of the main campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., August 16, 2022. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, an university spokesperson said, “In the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 18, emails were sent to approximately 3,800 Brown staff members noting the launch of a website that appeared to improperly use data accessed through a University technology platform to target individual employees by name and position description.
They added, “The website included derogatory descriptions of job functions of named individuals at every job level. While the emails were framed as a journalistic inquiry, the supposed news organization identified in the email has had no active status at Brown for more than a decade, and no news article resulted. We advised employees, many of whom expressed concerns, not to respond, and evaluated the situation from a policy standpoint. That review has informed the steps we’ve taken since. Due to federal law protecting student privacy, the University cannot provide additional details, even to refute the inaccuracies and mischaracterizations that have been made public. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.”
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BOSTON – Fox News embedded exclusively with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the greater Boston area this week, when agents were carrying out the arrests of hundreds of egregious criminal migrants in what the agency said is the largest operation it has undertaken since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The sweeping operation is expected to net hundreds of arrests and is targeting immigrants like a Salvadoran illegal immigrant convicted of child rape who went to prison and was deported in 2017. He was nabbed by ICE living right next to a children’s playground.
ICE also swooped on another illegal migrant who is on El Salvador’s most wanted list and has an Interpol Red Notice for aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping and robbery.
A Salvadoran illegal immigrant convicted of child rape who went to prison and was deported in 2017. He was nabbed living right next to a children’s playground. (Fox News)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SETS NEW GOAL OF 3,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS DAILY
Both arrests were captured exclusively on camera by Fox News, with ICE Boston telling Fox News that local anti-ICE activists have been interfering in their operations this week.
ICE deployed dozens of teams across Massachusetts this week, and the agency brought in ICE teams from other parts of the country to assist.
A children’s play area near where a convicted child rapist was arrested. (Fox News)
ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS
Patricia Hyde, the head of ICE Boston, said it is not uncommon to see immigrants convicted of child rape roaming public streets close to where children play.
“It’s not unusual. Due to the open border policies, we are finding that plenty of people who have been previously deported and committed heinous crimes and were removed from the country are now back here, just living among us,” Hyde said. “And now that’s our job to go round them up.”
ICE agents arrested hundreds of criminal migrants wanted for egregious crimes like child rape and murder. (Fox News)
Fox News also joined ICE as they arrested a Colombian illegal immigrant facing pending charges for sexual assault of a child, as well as a Dominican illegal immigrant with a drug trafficking conviction who is now facing local charges for fentanyl distribution.
Meanwhile, other arrests included a Guatemalan illegal immigrant who’s facing charges in Massachusetts for aggravated child rape but was released from state custody. They also arrested a Honduran immigrant who is facing local charges for rape and was also released from local custody.
An illegal immigrant on El Salvador’s most wanted list is arrested. He has an Interpol Red Notice for aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping and robbery. (Fox News)
Hyde said sanctuary jurisdictions are starting to escalate against ICE.
On Thursday, activists tried to grab onto an illegal immigrant who had been handcuffed by ICE. In another incident, agents were staking out an illegal immigrant murderer’s home and a crowd gathered and blew their cover.
“I think the lack of cooperation is getting worse and worse, and it’s putting law enforcement lives in danger,” Hyde said.
ICE also arrested a Honduran immigrant who is facing local charges for rape and was released from local custody. (Fox News)
Hyde said that ICE agents will continue to round up dangerous criminal illegal migrants, despite pushback from local lawmakers and activists.
“We’re not going away. It might take us longer. It might be harder, but we’re not going away, we’re here,” Hyde said. “We know what the American people voted for. We understand that we work for the American people and we’re going to be here until we send everyone home.”
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George Clooney is making his Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of his 2005 film “Good Night, and Good Luck.” In 1994, he had his big break on the popular medical ensemble drama “ER.” Which other “ER” actor also starred in a Broadway show this season?
WELLESLEY — In the very back of Chelmsford ace Matt Stuart’s mind is that each of the program’s last three state tournament runs have ended in games he started.
Yet another gem from the senior Gardner-Webb University-commit on Sunday instead has the Lions reaching a new height.
With a complete-game shutout, in which the four-year starter allowed just three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts, Stuart won a true pitchers duel to lift 14th-seeded Chelmsford (17-8) over No. 11 Wellesley, 1-0, in the Div. 1 state quarterfinals to secure the program’s first trip to the Final Four.
Evan Kobrenski’s RBI double in the fifth inning proved the game-winner, getting just enough against Raiders sophomore Max Boehm (complete game, one run, four hits, four strikeouts) in a 74-pitch gem.
“It’s amazing, it’s what we’ve been working for all year,” Stuart said. “Every year so far, we’ve been knocked out when I’ve been pitching. I was 0-for-3 coming into this (tournament). So that first game (in the first round) was a big step for me, and to win this one is just amazing.”
“We’re crazy excited,” added Chelmsford head coach Lou DiStasi. “This team has been building for several years. We challenged ourselves with a really tough schedule because we knew that we wanted to compete for the state title. … To get this, into the Final Four, I think it means so much to the town and to the community.”
Batters had trouble all game producing much of any real opportunities against either pitcher, both of whom each set down seven straight batters at one point. And when chances with runners in scoring position came up, the two combined to force a 1-for-7 mark at the plate.
Boehm efficiently forced a slew of routine plays for his defense by pounding the strike zone, while Stuart’s mix of pitches did the same and produced at least one strikeout in every inning but the third.
“I knew coming in he was a good pitcher,” Stuart said. “But I knew if we got one, I knew I wasn’t going to let up a run. So just get that run, and it was over.”
It wasn’t until the fifth inning that a run was scored, in which Boehm nearly got out of the jam prior. John Latham’s leadoff double was advanced to third on a Keegan Briere (2-for-2) sacrifice bunt. Boehm answered by taking away a squeeze opportunity with a lineout.
On the next pitch, Kobrenski tucked a grounder just inside the first-base line for a two-out double and the 1-0 lead.
“That’s been our team all year,” DiStasi said. “(Kobrenski) has been unbelievable for two consecutive years. … To get that double for us to win, couldn’t have gone to a better kid.”
That’s the only damage Boehm allowed, but Stuart held up his promise.
Will Goggin (2-for-2) and Cole DeFina hit two-out singles to put runners on first and third in the fifth, only for Stuart to force a lineout to shortstop to end the threat. Only one runner reached in the sixth and seventh innings, and it came on a dropped routine fly in the outfield.
Stuart, whopitched well in those three previous state tournament losses, closed the door in the program’s biggest win to date.
“It was like he always does,” said DiStasi. “He pitches every single one of the big games that we ever get. … It’s the way he’s been his entire career. We expect him to do something like that, even though every time he does it, you just smile and say, ‘Wow, you’re an amazement.’ He’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever coached.”
There’s quite a history with this Chelmsford group, as many of the players were on the Cal Ripken 11-year-old team for DiStasi back in 2019, which qualified for the 2020 World Series as 12-year-old representatives.
COVID cancelled it, and they never had the chance for that glory.
“Our 12-year-old team that was destined to go to the World Series … never had the chance to do it,” DiStasi said. “This might be a nice little alternative, so we’ll take it.”
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