Indian-American student Megha Vemuri, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Class of 2025, was barred from attending her own graduation ceremony after she delivered a pro-Palestine speech during an official event on May 29. MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles reportedly sent an email to Vemuri announcing that she will no longer serve as student marshal at the commencement and that both she and her family were banned from campus for most of the graduation day.In an email cited by The Boston Globe, Nobles told Vemuri, “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 response to the email, Vemuri reportedly acknowledged that her speech was a “protest from stage,” but called the ban an “overreach.”
Megha Vemuri deletes LinkedIn profile
Vemuri’s speech quickly went viral on social media, with many criticizing the student president. Facing online backlash, Vemuri has now deleted her profile on LinkedIn. An X user shared a screenshot of her deleted profile:
What Megha Vemuri said in her Pro-Palestine speech
During an on campus event, Vemuri took the stage wearing a red keffiyeh—a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause. In her speech, she sharply criticized MIT’s research ties with Israel and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.“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,” she said.She called on fellow graduates to take a stand, adding, “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.” “As scientists, engineers, academics and leaders, we have a commitment to support life, support aid efforts and call for an arms embargo and keep demanding now as alumni that MIT cuts the ties,” Vemuri said.Vemuri also praised students who supported Palestinian rights despite pushback. “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 said.The speech was shared online by the Palestinian Youth Movement, which identified the student as Megha Vemuri.
Who is Megha Vemuri
Born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, Vemuri graduated from Alpharetta High School in 2021. She went on to pursue an undergraduate degree at MIT in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics and recently completed her degree while also serving as class president.She is affiliated with Written Revolution – a student group at MIT that promotes anti-imperialist and revolutionary thought.Before enrolling at MIT, she interned at the UCT Neuroscience Institute in South Africa and participated in various youth leadership and science outreach initiatives.As of now, Vemuri has not released a formal statement in response to her exclusion from the graduation ceremony. Her supporters, however, have rallied online, with many criticizing MIT for what they view as censorship of political speech.
Universities’ crackdown on campus protests
Vemuri’s speech is the latest flashpoint in a broader national debate over student-led protests on college campuses amid the Israel-Gaza conflict. In recent months, several U.S. universities have taken disciplinary action against students and faculty who have voiced support for Palestine in ways deemed disruptive to institutional events. Last month, New York University withheld student Logan Rozos’ diploma after he gave an unsanctioned commencement speech in which he spoke out against what he described as the “atrocities currently happening in Palestine” amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.MIT has faced pressure from both internal and external groups over its response to campus activism. In April, pro-Palestinian student groups organized sit-ins and walkouts, calling on the university to disclose and sever any financial or research ties to Israel’s defense sector. MIT has acknowledged some of those ties in public statements but defended them as part of broader academic and research partnerships.
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