Overview

• On May 29, class president Megha Vemuri praised pro-Palestinian student protesters and denounced MIT’s ties with Israeli entities during her commencement remarks.
• The university barred Vemuri from the undergraduate ceremony on May 30, saying she deliberately misled organizers and turned her speech into a protest.
• She will receive her diploma by mail and said she saw no reason to walk across a stage of an institution she called complicit in genocide.
• Her father accused MIT of punishing her without merit or due process and House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned her remarks as “morally bankrupt.”
• The incident follows a surge of pro-Palestinian activism at U.S. campuses and underscores the challenge of balancing free expression with event protocols.