The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has barred Indian-American student Megha Vemuri from her graduation commencement ceremony. Vemuri is the president of class 2025, and she was barred after she delivered a pro-Palestine speech during an event on Thursday, May 29. She was scheduled to be the marshal at the ceremony, but was also banned along with her family from the college campus for most of the day, as announced by MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles.
In an email to Vemuri, as reported by the Boston Globe, Chancellor Nobles stated, “You deliberately and repeatedly misled Commencement organisers. While we acknowledge your right to free expression, your decision to lead a protest from the stage, disrupting an important institute ceremony, was a violation of MIT’s time, place and manner rules for campus expression.”
What did she say?
Wearing a red keffiyeh, a traditional scarf symbolising support for the Palestinian cause, Vemuri used her platform to strongly criticise Israel’s actions in Gaza and MIT’s research ties to the nation. She called on her fellow graduates to take a stand.
“The Israeli occupation forces are the only foreign military that MIT has research ties with; this means that Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people is not only aided and abetted by our country, but our school,” Vemuri asserted. “We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.”
Vemuri also lauded students who have consistently supported Palestine despite what she described as pressure from the university’s hierarchy. “Last spring, MIT’s undergraduate body and Graduate Student Union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military. You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus,” she stated.
Who is Megha Vemuri?
Megha Vemuri was born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, graduated from Alpharetta High School in 2021, before enrolling at MIT the same year. She recently completed her undergraduate degree with a triple major in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics, all while serving as the president of the graduating class.
Beyond her academic achievements, Vemuri is a member of Written Revolution, an MIT student group that aims to provide a platform for revolutionary ideas. Before her time at MIT, she gained research experience as an intern with the UCT Neuroscience Institute in South Africa.