MIT Class President Barred from Graduation After Bold Pro-Palestinian Speech

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In a stunning turn of events, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has barred its 2025 class president, Megha Vemuri, from participating in Friday's undergraduate commencement ceremony following a provocative pro-Palestinian speech she delivered during a campus event the day prior. The decision has ignited a firestorm of debate, with supporters praising Vemuri’s courage and critics decrying the disruption of a cherished institute tradition.

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, Vemuri, an Indian-American student and double major in computation and cognition and linguistics, took the stage at MIT’s OneMIT Commencement Ceremony in Cambridge. Draped in a keffiyeh—a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause—she deviated from her pre-approved script to deliver a searing critique of MIT’s ties to Israel. “We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the Earth, and it’s a shame that MIT is a part of it,” Vemuri declared, accusing the institute of complicity in what she called the “ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.” She highlighted MIT’s research ties with the Israeli military, noting that the university received $2.8 million in grants, gifts, and contracts from Israeli entities between 2020 and 2024, according to U.S. Department of Education data reported by the Boston Globe.

The speech drew cheers and applause from some classmates, with a few waving Palestinian flags, but also prompted walkouts and chants of “Shame” from others. MIT President Sally Kornbluth quickly stepped to the podium, attempting to refocus the crowd. “Listen, folks. At MIT, we value freedom of expression, but today’s about the graduates,” she said, urging the audience to celebrate the occasion.

MIT officials swiftly responded to Vemuri’s actions. In a statement, university spokesperson Kimberly Allen explained, “While that individual had a scheduled role at today’s Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, she was notified that she would not be permitted at today’s events.” The institute accused Vemuri of “deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organizers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony.” Chancellor Melissa Nobles, in an email to Vemuri obtained by the Boston Globe, cited a violation of MIT’s “time, place and manner rules for campus expression,” adding that Vemuri and her family were barred from campus for most of Friday.

Vemuri, undeterred, stood by her message. “What I am dealing with right now is absolutely nothing compared to the people of Palestine, and I’d take on much more if it meant helping their cause,” she told CNN on Sunday, June 1, 2025. She disputed MIT’s characterization of her speech as a protest, calling the ban “an overreach” in an email response to Nobles, according to the Globe. Despite the exclusion, MIT confirmed Vemuri will still receive her degree by mail.

The incident has fueled broader tensions. The MIT Jewish Alumni Alliance condemned the speech, claiming Vemuri “hijacked” the ceremony to “berate and defame Israel” with “Hamas-inspired propaganda.” A Jewish Ph.D. graduate, identifying as a grandson of Holocaust survivors, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that MIT’s failure to halt the speech “ruined a special day” for Jewish graduates and their families. Some called for President Kornbluth’s resignation, a demand echoing criticism she faced after testifying before Congress in December 2023 about campus antisemitism.

Conversely, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) denounced MIT’s decision. “MIT must respect academic freedom and the voices of its students, not punish and intimidate those who speak out against genocide and in support of Palestinian humanity,” said Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, CAIR-Massachusetts Executive Director, in a statement.

Vemuri’s speech referenced prior campus activism, including votes by MIT’s undergraduate body and Graduate Student Union last spring to cut ties with the Israeli military and demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Her remarks come amid a wave of pro-Palestinian protests at U.S. universities, with graduation ceremonies increasingly becoming stages for political expression.

The controversy has thrust Vemuri into the national spotlight, drawing both fervent support and sharp criticism. “I can handle the attention, positive and negative, if it means spreading that message further,” she told CNN. As MIT navigates this fallout, the incident raises pressing questions about free speech, institutional limits, and the role of universities in politically charged debates.

17GEN4.com

17GEN4 news