Qalam Times News Network
June 1, 2025
MIT Student President Barred from Graduation Following Pro-Palestine Speech
Cambridge, MA: Megha Vemuri, an Indian-American student who was serving as the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Class of 2025, was reportedly barred from participating in her own graduation ceremony after delivering a politically charged speech in support of Palestine during an official campus event held on May 29.
Vemuri, who has now completed her undergraduate studies in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics, addressed fellow students while wearing a red keffiyeh—an emblem commonly associated with solidarity for the Palestinian cause. Her speech, delivered during an institute-sanctioned function, criticized MIT’s research collaborations with Israel and condemned its perceived complicity in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
According to reports, MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles later informed Vemuri via email that she had misled commencement organizers and violated the university’s guidelines on expression, particularly those governing the time, place, and manner of protests. As a result, she was removed from her role as student marshal and barred—along with her family—from attending key portions of the commencement day.
The email, reportedly obtained by The Boston Globe, stated: “You deliberately and repeatedly misled Commencement organizers. 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.”
In her response, Vemuri admitted that her speech was an act of protest but criticized the university’s decision as disproportionate, calling it an “overreach.” She has not yet issued an official public statement. However, her speech quickly spread across social media platforms, prompting both support and backlash. Facing mounting criticism online, Vemuri has since taken down her LinkedIn profile.
‘
During her address, Vemuri said: “MIT maintains research affiliations with the Israeli military, the only foreign military force with which such ties exist. This implicates the institution in the ongoing assault on the Palestinian people.” She urged fellow graduates to take moral responsibility and use their future positions to demand change: “As future scientists, engineers, and scholars, it is our duty to uphold life, advocate for peace, and call for an end to these collaborations.”
She further highlighted student efforts to raise awareness, citing past votes by the undergraduate body and Graduate Student Union urging MIT to cut ties with Israel’s defense sector. “You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and supported student activists in their push for Palestinian rights,” she remarked.
Vemuri is associated with Written Revolution, a student-led organization at MIT that promotes anti-imperialist perspectives and progressive activism. Prior to joining MIT, she was active in international research, having interned at the UCT Neuroscience Institute in South Africa and participated in youth science outreach programs.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions on U.S. campuses, where student-led protests over the Israel-Gaza conflict have drawn sharp responses from university administrations. Just weeks earlier, a similar case at New York University saw student speaker Logan Rozos’ diploma withheld after he delivered an unsanctioned address criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza.
MIT has experienced continued activism over the past several months, including sit-ins and walkouts organized by pro-Palestinian student groups. While the institute has acknowledged certain research affiliations with Israel, it maintains that these partnerships serve broader academic purposes.
As campus debates over political expression intensify nationwide, Vemuri’s exclusion from commencement has sparked renewed concerns over freedom of speech and the boundaries of dissent in academic settings.
