Against Bloat@Brown

Karim Zohdy

Mr. Shieh might think that he’s succeeded by “starting a conversation” with his Bloat@Brown website. However, the conversation that he has started is mostly useless, because it is primarily about him.

During The Spectator’s last writers’ meeting, Mr. Shieh argued that this publication ought to be Brown University’s Fox News. Mr. Shieh’s proposal, which ran counter to The Spectator’s mission, was not met with enthusiasm. After a brief debate, we resolved not to descend into mere provocation, but to write well researched, fair, and uncompromising articles, especially those that others would be afraid to publish. Mr. Shieh volunteered to write an article on administrative bloat with reasoned arguments based on well-intentioned interviews. Unfortunately, he did the opposite.

As part of his Bloat@Brown article, Mr. Shieh published a website, hosted by The Spectator, that sorted scores of administrators, by name, into pejorative categories, including

“flunkies, goons, and duct-tapers” — all before having conducted a single interview. After making this list he emailed thousands of administrators, asking them to justify their positions in an email similar to the one federal workers received from Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (D.O.G.E). Now, instead of attacking the overstaffing problems at Brown, Mr. Shieh’s website currently charges “DEI bureaucrats” with holding potentially illegal jobs. Their names are listed under red labels that identify them as “suspect.”

Mr. Shieh has maintained in articles and interviews that his “goal is to be fair” and that he was engaging in “journalistic inquiry.” He characterizes the ongoing university investigation into his website as an attempt to “bully” him into submission. The University does not agree, and has charged Mr. Shieh with violations of the student code of conduct for his activities concerning the Bloat@Brown website. In his email to Mr. Shieh, the University's Vice President for Campus Life specifically cited Mr. Shieh’s list of “suspect” administrators as misleading and threatened disciplinary action.

Mr. Shieh’s actions seem like those of a cynical attention seeker rather than a sincere investigator, an impression that is only reinforced by his online presence. Opening Mr. Shieh’s X profile, we are greeted with screenshots of his interviews on Fox News and a rather cringe photo of him brandishing a chainsaw, apparently imitating Elon Musk. It is unlikely that he wanted to come across as a mere sensationalist, but any interesting aspects of his project, and his worthwhile push for greater university transparency and efficiency, are undermined by his inflammatory approach.

Mr. Shieh’s website is not just unserious; it is irresponsible and counter-productive. Without having any understanding of what they actually do, he singled out scores of people for potential firing. Mr. Shieh either didn’t consider, or didn’t care, that his list could be used against the university by authorities, and that people, innocent of his charges, may lose their jobs. Included in his DEI list are people who work in the alumni office, organizing fundraising, reunions, and alumni affinity groups. It is unclear how these people are part of the DEI initiatives related to Brown’s federal funding suspension, which, presumably, are initiatives related to affirmative action and not minority affinity groups. It seems like employees in the alumni office were flagged simply because their job titles contain the word “belonging.” Mr. Shieh, in his lack of care, clearly takes after his role models in the executive branch who mistakenly deported a man to El Salvador last month.

Mr. Shieh is not wrong that provocation has its place, and it can indeed be used as a powerful political tool. The problem is that Mr. Shieh only has a list of people and their titles. He doesn’t actually have any proof that the implicated individuals are doing anything illegal or wasting university resources. It is also the case that many administrators have multiple titles, making their actual responsibilities less clear. If these people simply changed their titles, Mr. Shieh would have nothing on them. On the other hand, if he acted like a proper journalist by first conducting interviews to unearth newsworthy information, his provocations would make more sense.

Naturally, the university and its staff will close ranks to protect themselves. We can expect that administrators who may in fact be superfluous, or potentially harmful, will now be better protected, and that the administration will be significantly more hostile towards the issue of administrative bloat and student journalists in general. Instead of addressing Mr. Shieh’s legitimate, serious concerns regarding rising administrative bloat, illegal continued DEI, ridiculous tuition costs, and inefficiency, the university will focus on the alleged “emotional harm” that he caused administrators. Mr. Shieh might think that he’s succeeded by “starting a conversation.” However, the conversation that he has started is mostly useless, because it is primarily about him.