Latest news with #studentRights
Fox News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
House committee demands Brown University hand over memos on student behind DOGE-style email
EXCLUSIVE - The House Judiciary Committee is asking the president of Brown University to hand over all internal memos related to a student who sent a DOGE-style email who subsequently faced disciplinary hearings and had his private information leaked. "We are concerned that Brown's decision to file disciplinary charges against Mr. Shieh and hold a misconduct hearing may serve to suppress free speech and discourage others from coming forward and asking questions related to Brown's rising costs," the Thursday letter from the House Judiciary Committee to Brown University President Christina Paxson said. Alex Shieh, a rising junior who was cleared of wrongdoing by the university on May 14, had previously angered school officials by sending a DOGE-like email to non-faculty employees identifying himself as a journalist for The Brown Spectator and asking them what they do all day to try to determine why the school's tuition has gotten so expensive. The letter, signed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wisc., chairman of the Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, seeks to understand Brown's "rationale for attempting to silence a student raising questions about how student and taxpayer dollars are being used." The Brown Spectator, which has a board of three people, including Shieh, was revived this year after it ceased publication in 2014. The board members faced a disciplinary hearing on May 7 over allegations that they violated Brown University's name, licensing and trademark policies. Shieh previously told Fox News Digital that other campus publications also use the school's name, including "The Brown Daily Herald," another student-run nonprofit newspaper. Shieh and the Spectator faced scrutiny from the university after Shieh, during free weekends in March, began investigating positions he deemed redundant after reviewing 3,805 non-faculty employees who worked at Brown and emailing them to ask, "What do you do all day?" Shieh used AI to try to determine what Brown employees did and why the school, which costs nearly $96,000 a year, was so expensive. When creating his database, he formatted it to identify three particular jobs: "DEI jobs, redundant jobs, and bulls--t jobs." He said that he wanted to investigate DEI because of President Donald Trump's executive orders addressing DEI policies, and his administration threatening to withhold federal funds to universities who employ them. The goal was to get as much data as possible to improve his research. Only 20 of the 3,805 people emailed responded, with many of the responses being profane and hostile, and Shieh's Social Security number was subsequently leaked. On June 4, Shieh testified before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust for a hearing entitled, "The Elite Universities Cartel: A History of Anticompetitive Collusion Inflating the Cost of Higher Education." The House Judiciary Committee is asking that Paxson, Brown's president, provide all documents and communications between Brown's employees pertaining to Shieh's "investigative inquiry, Brown University's subsequent investigation of Mr. Shieh, Brown University's decision to file disciplinary charges against Mr. Shieh, or Brown University's adjudication of Mr. Shieh's charges." The committee is also asking for all information related to what they call the "unauthorized disclosure of Mr. Shieh's personally identifiable information." "Brown University's decision to file disciplinary charges against students like Alex Shieh, simply for looking into the school's bloated bureaucracy and rising tuition costs, is a clear act of retaliation," Fitzgerald, who signed the letter, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The Committee shares serious concerns about this troubling response and remains committed to conducting rigorous oversight into whether Brown University and other Ivy League institutions are engaging in anticompetitive pricing practices." In a statement, Brian Clark, vice president for News and Strategic Campus Communications told Fox News Digital that the university "has been cooperating with extensive requests for information from the U.S. House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary since the initial inquiry arrived in April, demonstrating that we have and continue to make decisions on tuition and financial aid independently as part of our commitment to making sure that no student's family socioeconomic circumstances prevent them from accessing the benefits of a Brown education." Clark added, "We'll continue to provide any responses to follow-up requests directly to the committees."
CNN
19-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Nigerian university sparks outrage as staff check whether female students are wearing bras before exams
A Nigerian university is facing backlash after a viral video appeared to show young women who were queuing for exams being checked for whether they were wearing bras before being allowed in. In a short clip that spread quickly on social media, two women seem to be touching the breasts of the women in the queue as they walk past. Students at Olabisi Onabnajo University confirmed to CNN that the video was shot at their school, in Nigeria's southwestern Ogun state. In the video, one female student appeared to be removed from the queue after one of the women touched her. CNN has not been able to confirm when the video was taken but a student representative at OOU, who defended the school over what he dubbed the, 'no bra, no entry policy,' said exams began this week. The university has not responded to CNN's request for comment and has not commented publicly on the alleged policy amid widespread outrage on Nigerian social media. Student union leader Muizz Olanrewaju Olatunji said in a post on X Tuesday that the check for bras 'is not a new policy' in the school, which he stated, 'promotes a dress code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment, encouraging students to dress modestly and in line with the institution's values.' Olatunji shared parts of what he said were the school's policies, which described indecent dressing as that which shows sensitive body parts 'such as breasts, buttocks, nipples and belly-buttons,' including 'any dressing that is capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner.' Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong described the OOU's bra policy as 'draconian' and 'arbitrary,' and one that 'might amount to some form of sexual harassment.' He told CNN that 'physically examining the bodies of students to determine whether they are wearing a bra or not is not only degrading but also undignifying.' 'There could be medical explanations for why certain students may not feel comfortable wearing a bra at a particular time,' he said, adding that enforcing the policy 'without exceptions, or without taking peculiarities into consideration is arbitrary,' and could lead to legal actions. Student leader Olatunji said in another post on X Tuesday that talks were ongoing with OOU's administration 'to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff.'
CNN
19-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Nigerian university sparks outrage as staff check whether female students are wearing bras before exams
A Nigerian university is facing backlash after a viral video appeared to show young women who were queuing for exams being checked for whether they were wearing bras before being allowed in. In a short clip that spread quickly on social media, two women seem to be touching the breasts of the women in the queue as they walk past. Students at Olabisi Onabnajo University confirmed to CNN that the video was shot at their school, in Nigeria's southwestern Ogun state. In the video, one female student appeared to be removed from the queue after one of the women touched her. CNN has not been able to confirm when the video was taken but a student representative at OOU, who defended the school over what he dubbed the, 'no bra, no entry policy,' said exams began this week. The university has not responded to CNN's request for comment and has not commented publicly on the alleged policy amid widespread outrage on Nigerian social media. Student union leader Muizz Olanrewaju Olatunji said in a post on X Tuesday that the check for bras 'is not a new policy' in the school, which he stated, 'promotes a dress code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment, encouraging students to dress modestly and in line with the institution's values.' Olatunji shared parts of what he said were the school's policies, which described indecent dressing as that which shows sensitive body parts 'such as breasts, buttocks, nipples and belly-buttons,' including 'any dressing that is capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner.' Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong described the OOU's bra policy as 'draconian' and 'arbitrary,' and one that 'might amount to some form of sexual harassment.' He told CNN that 'physically examining the bodies of students to determine whether they are wearing a bra or not is not only degrading but also undignifying.' 'There could be medical explanations for why certain students may not feel comfortable wearing a bra at a particular time,' he said, adding that enforcing the policy 'without exceptions, or without taking peculiarities into consideration is arbitrary,' and could lead to legal actions. Student leader Olatunji said in another post on X Tuesday that talks were ongoing with OOU's administration 'to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'No-bra, no-exam' rule at Nigerian university sparks outrage
A university in Nigeria has sparked outrage after a video went viral showing female students being touched to see if they were wearing bras before taking part in an exam. In the footage, female staff at Olabisi Onabanjo University in south-western Ogun State are seen touching some students' chests as they queue to enter an examination hall. The university has not yet commented on the video, but a student leader defended the bra policy as being part of the institution's dress code aimed at maintaining "a distraction-free environment". However, he acknowledged that other ways were needed to enforce the policy that has been condemned by critics as archaic, sexist and likened to sexual assault. A senior official at campaign group Human Rights Network told the BBC that students could sue the university for violating their rights. "Unwarranted touches on another person's body is a violation and could lead to legal action. The university is wrong to adopt this method to curb indecent dressing," Haruna Ayagi said. A student who did not want to be named told the BBC that the university enforced a strict moral code despite not being a religious institution. She said their clothes were always being checked. In response to the outcry, the president of the university's students' union, Muizz Olatunji, said on X that the university promoted "a dress-code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment, encouraging students to dress modestly and in line with the institution's values". He added that the policy was not new, and the union had "engaged with the institution to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff". He also published the dress code, which included a ban on any clothes "capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner". The university was founded in 1982 as Ogun State University when Olabisi Onabanjo was state governor. It was renamed after him in 2001. What is behind the wave of killings in central Nigeria? Disbelief as Nigeria urges prayer to end food shortages Culture and colour come out in praise of a Nigerian king Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Nigerian university's 'no-bra, no-exam' rule sparks outrage
A university in Nigeria has sparked outrage after a video went viral showing female students being touched to see if they were wearing bras before taking part in an the footage, female staff at Olabisi Onabanjo University in south-western Ogun State are seen touching some students' chests as they queue to enter an examination university has not yet commented on the video, but a student leader defended the bra policy as an attempt to ensure students dressed "modestly" and to maintain "a distraction-free environment".However, he acknowledged that other ways were needed to enforce the policy that has been condemned by critics as archaic, sexist and likened to sexual assault. A senior official at campaign group Human Rights Network told the BBC that students could sue the university for violating their rights."Unwarranted touches on another person's body is a violation and could lead to legal action. The university is wrong to adopt this method to curb indecent dressing," Haruna Ayagi said.A student who did not want to be named told the BBC that the university enforced a strict moral code despite not being a religious said their clothes were always being response to the outcry, the president of the university's students' union, Muizz Olatunji, said on X that the university promoted "a dress-code policy aimed at maintaining a respectful and distraction-free environment, encouraging students to dress modestly and in line with the institution's values".He added that the policy was not new, and the union had "engaged with the institution to explore alternative approaches to addressing indecent dressing, focusing on respectful and dignified interactions between students and staff".He also published the dress code, which included a ban on any clothes "capable of making the same or opposite sex to lust after the student in an indecent manner".The university was founded in 1982 as Ogun State University when Olabisi Onabanjo was state governor. It was renamed after him in 2001. More BBC stories on Nigeria: What is behind the wave of killings in central Nigeria?Disbelief as Nigeria urges prayer to end food shortagesCulture and colour come out in praise of a Nigerian king Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
