Brown University Student Pushes for Bureaucratic Efficiency

Alex Shee, a sophomore at Brown University, is advocating for greater efficiency within the university’s administration. To start, he reached out to thousands of school officials to inquire about their daily activities.

“I really believe in cutting down unnecessary expenses,” the 20-year-old said. “This is similar to what Elon Musk is doing with the federal government,” he remarked, referring to recent discussions surrounding government waste.

In March, Shee contacted 3,805 Brown administrators, following a similar initiative aimed at federal workers. He asked them to clarify their roles and how these positions impact students.

Currently, he faces multiple allegations of violating school rules and is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing.

“I don’t see asking about their jobs as hostile,” the New Hampshire native explained. “It’s simply a matter of inquiry.”

Identifying as a libertarian, Shee noted that Brown employs a staggering 3,805 full-time, non-executive staff members, which averages to multiple staff for every two of the 7,272 undergraduates.

“Bureaucracy is wasting significant funds by employing too many assistants or assigning trivial tasks, creating a disconnect,” he pointed out. “Some staff seem more concerned about their status than their actual contributions.”

He believes this excess is a factor contributing to rising tuition costs.

“Tuition across Ivy League schools is climbing much faster than inflation, and this seems tied to the growing number of non-essential staff,” Shee stated.

Next year, attending Brown is projected to cost nearly $96,000, up from about $78,000 in 2019. Despite this steep increase, the university reported a substantial deficit in 2024.

“This isn’t affordable for most people. If only wealthy students can attend, it undermines meritocracy,” he added. “Every year, students are paying luxury car prices, yet the deficit keeps growing. There’s clearly a financial issue here.”

Following Shee’s March 18 email, the university instructed administrators not to reply, yet about 20 did.

“I received some genuine responses outlining their roles, which was valuable,” he mentioned, although he also faced some harsh reactions.

“While some administrators are indeed productive, I’m not sure that’s true for all. Universities thrived in the past when there were fewer staff,” he observed. “Job titles have become increasingly convoluted, making it hard to discern their actual duties.”

In addition to his emails, Shee created a database evaluating the effectiveness of the Brown administrators based on redundancy and the relevance of their roles.

This website was compromised shortly after its launch, and Shee claims his personal information was leaked soon thereafter.

Days after his email, the university began an investigation into possible infractions regarding emotional harm and privacy violations.

Officials alleged he accessed confidential university data to create the public database. Shee contended he gathered this information through publicly available resources.

“These names aren’t sensitive information,” he argued. “Brown has already made them public.”

He also faced allegations of misrepresentation for claiming to be a reporter for Brown’s audience, as the publication had not been recognized by the Student Activities Office.

After she challenged the charges, Brown dropped several of them, citing concerns over free speech.

Experts pointed out that Brown seemed to be infringing on Shee’s rights as a journalist. “It seems like they’re targeting him for what he’s reported; this raises important questions about transparency,” said a representative from a free speech organization.

However, Brown insisted the investigation centers on the misuse of private data, not on free speech concerns.

Shee expressed frustration with the university’s handling of the matter and emphasized the need for more openness.

“With all the dialogue around free speech in academic settings, I expected a more progressive stance from Brown,” he said. “It seems there’s an issue with how scrutiny is received here.”

Meanwhile, public figures like Musk have expressed support for Shee, pointing out that the university’s actions could be counterproductive.

“By taking action against me, they’ve only intensified interest in the story,” Shee said.