Class president barred from MIT graduation due to pro-Palestinian address during commencement.
Revised Article:
Megha Vemuri, the 2025 class president of MIT, got barred from attending her graduation ceremony on Friday after delivering a speech critical of the war in Gaza at a commencement event the day prior. In an interview with CNN, Vemuri revealed that after her speech, the university's senior leadership informed her she was not allowed to attend Friday's ceremony and was banned from campus until the event concluded.
Despite being barred from the ceremony, Vemuri will still receive her degree, according to an MIT spokesperson. The class president delivered her speech at Thursday's OneMIT Commencement ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a keffiyeh - a symbol of pro-Palestinian solidarity - adorning her graduation robe. She praised her peers for protesting the war in Gaza and criticized the university's ties to Israel.
Tensions on university protests against the war in Gaza have reached a peak during this year's graduation ceremonies, as New York University previously decided to withhold a student's diploma for condemning "genocide" in Gaza during her graduation speech. Similar protests took place at Harvard, Columbia, and other universities nationwide, with students setting up protest encampments last spring to denounce the war in Gaza, facing disciplinary threats from the university.
Vemuri's speech drew instant reaction from MIT President Sally Kornbluth, who attempted to soothe the crowd following the speech. "Listen, folks. Today's about the graduates," Kornbluth said.
However, Vemuri maintained that her speech was not a last-minute decision and continued to express her support for the Palestinian cause. In an interview with CNN, she said, "I can handle the attention, positive and negative, if it means spreading that message further."
The MIT Coalition for Palestine criticized the university's decision to ban Vemuri from the ceremony, with CAIR-Massachusetts Executive Director Tahirah Amatul-Wadud stating, "MIT must respect academic freedom and respect the voices of its students, not punish and intimidate those who speak out against genocide and in support of Palestinian humanity."
It's worth noting that MIT is rated a "Yellow" speech code by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, suggesting the university's policies can be interpreted to allow administrative overreach or arbitrary application regarding speech and expression. Despite these concerns, MIT generally encourages open discussion and constructive dialogue on campus, as evidenced by events such as the MIT Free Speech Alliance Annual Conference.
The specific circumstance leading to Vemuri's ban remains unclear, as MIT officials have not disclosed the details of the policy cited in this case. Nonetheless, the incident underscores the ongoing debates about the boundaries of student protest and administrative authority on college campuses.
- Despite the ongoing debates about student protest and administrative authority on college campuses, Megha Vemuri's case at MIT, a 'Yellow' speech code university, highlights the need for education-and-self-development and career-development courses that delve into politics and general-news, encompassing global conflicts like the one in Gaza, to foster a more informed student body.
- In light of the protests against the war in Gaza that have engulfed various universities, including MIT, it would be beneficial for these institutions to offer platforms for discussion and debate on controversial topics, such as war-and-conflicts, within the framework of academic freedom, to minimize incidents like Vemuri's ban and encourage a culture of open communication.
