On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed documents from Brown and Penn as part of a broader investigation into alleged price-fixing among the Ivy League.
According to a letter sent to President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and obtained by The Herald, the subpoena requires all documents requested in an April 8 letter launching the investigation to be turned over by July 22.
The letter alleges that Brown has not yet provided all the documentation initially requested by the committee on April 8. The University was given an initial deadline of April 22, on which they provided 93 documents.
In an email to The Herald, University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote that the University has made “multiple document productions, providing information spanning a period of many years, and we have responded to date to more than 90% of the committees’ requests” since late April.
Clark added that the Tuesday subpoena was “unnecessary given our voluntary compliance” but added that Brown will continue to provide the committee with the requested information.
In the Tuesday letter to Brown, the committee wrote that they allowed the University to take additional time in providing the documents, but that over subsequent requests, “Brown’s response has been inadequate.”
The committee initially expressed a willingness to subpoena Brown on April 30.
“As we respond, we are demonstrating that Brown has and continues 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.
As part of the investigation, creator of Bloat@Brown Alex Shieh ’27 testified before a congressional panel, alleging that an excess of University administrators was at fault for rising tuition prices. Brown denied these allegations.
After his appearance, the committee requested documents relating to a student disciplinary investigation into Shieh at Brown. He was eventually cleared of all wrongdoing.
Ciara Meyer is a section editor from Saratoga Springs, New York. She plans on concentrating in Statistics and English Nonfiction. In her free time, she loves scrapbooking and building lego flowers.
