The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has barred Megha Vemuri, the Indian-American president of the Class of 2025, from participating in the university's commencement ceremony. This action follows her delivery of a pro-Palestine speech during a campus event on May 29, 2025.
Ms. Vemuri was set to serve as the marshal for the graduation ceremony. However, MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles announced that Vemuri was prohibited from attending the event and that she and her family were banned from the campus for most of the day.
In communication with Vemuri, Chancellor Nobles stated, "You deliberately and repeatedly misled commencement organizers. While we acknowledge your right to free expression, your choice to lead a protest from the stage disrupted an important institutional ceremony and violated MIT's campus expression guidelines regarding time, place, and manner."
Speech Content and Campus Reaction
During the event, Megha Vemuri wore a red keffiyeh, symbolizing solidarity with Palestine. She criticized Israel's military actions in Gaza and condemned MIT’s research collaborations with Israeli defense organizations.
She stated, "The Israeli occupation forces are the only foreign military with which MIT maintains research ties. This implicates both our university and our country in the ongoing assault on the Palestinian people." She urged her fellow graduates to oppose these alliances and acknowledged student activism advocating for Palestinian rights despite institutional resistance.
Vemuri referenced prior student-led efforts, noting that the undergraduate body and Graduate Student Union had voted overwhelmingly for MIT to sever ties with the Israeli military, called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and stood in solidarity with pro-Palestinian campus activists.
Background on Megha Vemuri
Raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, Megha Vemuri graduated from Alpharetta High School in 2021 and enrolled at MIT the same year. She recently completed a multidisciplinary undergraduate degree in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics.
During her tenure at MIT, she served as president of the graduating class and engaged with the student group Written Revolution, which encourages revolutionary thought and activism. Before attending MIT, she interned at the UCT Neuroscience Institute in South Africa.
