PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The federal government announced Monday that it has opened an investigation into Brown University following the deadly shooting on campus.
The U.S. Department of Education said its Office of Federal Student Aid will review whether Brown complied with Section 485(f) of the Higher Education Act, commonly known as the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. The law requires colleges and universities to meet specific campus safety and security standards in order to remain eligible for federal student aid.
After the Trump administration’s announcement, Brown University President Christina Paxson issued a message to the campus community detailing steps the university is taking to address safety concerns. Those steps include enhanced security measures, a comprehensive after-action review, and a broader security assessment.
Paxson also announced that Brown’s campus police chief, Rodney Chatman, has been placed on leave. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Hugh T. Clements, a former chief of the Providence Police Department.
The December 13 mass shooting claimed the lives of students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and left nine others injured. The campus remained on heightened alert for several days until authorities announced that the suspected gunman, Claudio Neves Valente, a former Brown student also linked to the killing of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Brookline, Massachusetts, was found dead inside a storage facility in New Hampshire.
The provision of federal law cited by the Department of Education requires colleges and universities to provide annual campus security reports to both students and employees.
In announcing the review, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the department is examining whether Brown fulfilled its legal obligations following the deadly campus shooting.
“After two students were tragically killed when a gunman opened fire inside a building at Brown University, the Department is launching a review to determine whether the institution met its duty to diligently maintain campus security,” McMahon said in a statement Monday. “Students have the right to feel safe at school, and every university in this country must be prepared to protect them and support law enforcement with adequate resources. The Trump administration will ensure that institutions receiving federal funds fully comply with federal safety and security requirements.”
The administration pointed to concerns raised in reports about delays in emergency alerts, as well as questions surrounding the university’s surveillance and security systems.
“If these allegations are confirmed, they would represent significant violations of Brown University’s obligations under federal law,” the Department of Education said.
The department is asking the school to submit the following by January 30, 2026:
Copies of the original 2024 and 2025 Annual Security Reports (ASRs), and any revised versions of these reports that were produced for the purpose of complying with the Clery Act, along with credible evidence of distribution and/or redistribution;
An “audit trail” showing all incidents of crime (organized by offense classification) for the calendar years 2021-2024 and an “audit trail” showing all arrests made by Brown University Public Safety and Emergency Management Department (BPS) or other state or local law enforcement agencies, and all referrals for disciplinary action against students or employees for violations of state laws and local ordinances related to the illegal possession, use, and/or distribution of weapons, drugs, or liquor that were included in the statistical disclosures contained in the University’s 2024 and 2025 ASRs;
A copy of the BPS’s activity/dispatch/call log for calendar years 2021-2025;
A copy of the daily crime log for calendar years 2021-2025;
A list of all Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications issued by the university during calendar years 2021-2025, with a brief description of the means or media used to disseminate the notices;
A copy of all of Brown’s policies and procedures, including any internal policies and procedures, related to timely warnings and emergency notifications, maintenance of a daily crime log, and emergency response notifications and evacuation, and a copy of any assessments of Brown’s campus safety policies and practices conducted since 2020; and
A complete set of BPS’s standard operating procedures regarding dispatch, response to calls, reporting writing, arrests including issuance of citations, and protocols for active shooter scenarios.
whatsgoingonri1December 23, 20253 Mins read1 
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