Brown University is backing down from its threat to discipline a student who took a page from the Department of Government Efficiency and asked thousands of administrators to explain what they do in their jobs.

The university initiated disciplinary action against Alex Shieh as it accused him of misrepresenting himself by saying he was working on a report for the Brown Spectator, which had been inactive for years until Mr. Shieh rebooted it on Substack, accessing confidential information and causing emotional harm. A spokesman for Brown, Brian Clark, previously told the Sun that Mr. Shieh’s website, Bloat@Brown, where he compiled a list of administrators and offered coarse commentary about their performances, had “derogatory descriptions of job functions.”

Yet the university concluded its investigation this week and decided against disciplining Mr. Shieh. 

“The Brown administration tried to silence me because they were upset I exposed their bloat and waste,” Mr. Shieh said in a statement. “The charges against me were pure retaliation, and so flimsy not even their own reviewers could find me guilty. This ruling is a win for free speech at Brown, but this fight should never have been started.”

A free speech advocacy organization that defended Mr. Shieh during the investigation, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, also weighed in on the decision not to discipline the student.

“Brown University formally found student journalist Alex Shieh not responsible for all charges. While FIRE is grateful Brown eventually reached the correct conclusion in this case, the process by which it investigated Shieh was wholly unacceptable,” a FIRE program officer, Dominic Coletti, said. “Today’s decision affirms that student journalists can continue to boldly report on Brown’s affairs and should confirm what FIRE has argued for months: student journalism is not grounds for disciplinary action.”

Mr. Shieh’s case received national attention, and the news of the decision not to discipline him was celebrated by Congressman Troy Nehls of Texas, who posted on X, “GREAT NEWS: After I sent a letter to Brown University urging them to reconsider any disciplinary actions taken against student Alex Shieh, the university has dismissed all disciplinary charges against him. Congratulations, Alex!”

While Mr. Shieh celebrated the decision to clear him of “all wrongdoing,” he said the university’s president, Christina Paxson, should be held “accountable” for “trying to punish a student for asking questions, overseeing a regime of bloat, antitrust violations, and DEI.”

Mr. Clark said he disagreed that the case was a free speech issue, as the investigation was focused on “whether improper use of non-public Brown data or non-public data systems violated law or policy.” He said in a statement that Brown has “proceeded in complete accordance with free expression guarantees and appropriate procedural safeguards under university policies and applicable law.”

When Mr. Shieh launched Bloat@Brown, he noted that tuition at the university would “soon set Brown students back a whopping $93,064 per year.” However, he said, “Even while charging each student the price of a luxury car, this fiscal year, Brown is on track to operate at a $46 million budget deficit.”