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3mo ago

MIT Upholds Ban on Class President Following Pro-Palestinian Commencement Speech

University says enforcement of its expression rules was necessary after an unsanctioned speech criticized its research partnerships with the Israeli military.

Megha Vemuri, student class president at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, denounces the school's ties to Israel during her 2025 commencement address, May 29, 2025, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Screenshot via X)
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Megha Vemuri
Megha Vemuri began her Bachelor’s degree at MIT and was also a part of class council.

Overview

  • Megha Vemuri delivered an unscripted address May 29 as MIT’s Class of 2025 president accusing the institute of complicity in “genocide” through its Israeli military research ties.
  • Chancellor Melissa Nobles barred Vemuri from the May 30 undergraduate degree ceremony for violating MIT’s time, place and manner rules on campus expression.
  • MIT emphasized its support for free speech while upholding the ban, calling the speech a deliberate protest that disrupted a formal commencement event.
  • Several Jewish students and their families walked out during Vemuri’s speech and she has since faced intense criticism and harassment on social media.
  • The incident follows earlier votes by MIT’s undergraduate and graduate student bodies to sever ties with the Israeli military, reflecting broader campus activism over Gaza.