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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
MIT's student body president was banned from commencement after giving a pro-Palestinian speech. Here's what she said.
Advertisement Vemuri was scheduled to be marshal at the undergraduate commencement but received an email from MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles Friday morning that said she could not attend the event and that she and her family were banned from campus for most of the day, 'Participation in Commencement activities is a privilege,' Nobles wrote in the email, which was obtained by the Globe. '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 an email, Vemuri disputed that her speech amounted to 'a protest from the stage' and that the decision to ban her from campus was 'an overreach.' Advertisement MIT was among several Boston-area colleges where students built encampments on their campuses in 2024 to protest the Israel-Hamas war. The encampment During her speech Thursday, Vemuri praised her classmates, telling them 'You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine.' 'You called for a permanent cease fire in Gaza, and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus. You faced threats, intimidation, and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials, but you prevailed because the MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide. 'Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza,' she continued as a mix of cheers and shouts came from the crowd, some waving Palestinian flags. '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.' Vemuri said that '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. 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.' After Vemuri's speech, university president Sally Kornbluth stepped to the podium to speak to the graduates but paused as the cheers and shouts continued. 'OK, listen folks, at MIT we value freedom of expression, but today's about the graduates,' she said. 'There is a time and a place to express yourselves, and you will have many, many years to do it. Let's talk today about our graduates.' Advertisement In a statement Friday, an MIT spokesperson said the institute 'supports free expression but stands by its decision' to bar Vemuri from campus and said the speech she gave 'was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance.' 'While that individual had a scheduled role at today's Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, she was notified that she would not be permitted at today's events,' the statement said. At Friday's commencement, some students said they disagreed with the university's reaction to Vemuri's speech and said she should have been allowed to attend the event. Emma Zhu, of Westchester, N.Y., who graduated with a combined degree in computer science and economics, said she supported the right to protest at the ceremony. 'At the end of the day, she should have the right to say her opinions, and this is probably her biggest moment to be able to express what she feels to the world,' Zhu said. 'So I feel like she should have been able to walk. I feel like she should have been able to say what she wants to say, even if it is a bit inflammatory.' On Friday, chants of 'Let Megha walk!' could be heard as Nobles gave a speech. Luc Picard, who graduated Friday, said that the interruptions at the undergraduate ceremony caught him off guard, but that he understands the need to protest on a large stage. 'In all honesty I was surprised today because I didn't know she was not allowed to walk,' he said. 'I'm not particularly bothered by the interruption of the ceremony, I don't blame other people for being so. I'm generally more or less OK with it.' Advertisement In an interview with the Globe a few weeks before MIT's commencement ceremonies, Vemuri said she was hoping to 'optimize my impact' with her speech. 'I'm nervous because I want to make the absolute most of this opportunity,' she said at the time. 'It's a once in a lifetime thing ... it's literally some of the greatest minds of our generation who are going to be listening to me, right?' Vemuri, who said she was part of the MIT student group Coalition Against Apartheid, said she was 'hoping to focus my speech on how proud I am of the graduating students of conscience for standing on the right side of history.' 'The biggest thing I really want to show to the class is that the power is in our hands,' she said. Brooke Hauser of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Maria Probert contributed to this report. Nick Stoico can be reached at
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Federal judge orders ICE to release Tufts student whose detention went viral
A federal judge in Vermont has ordered the Trump administration to release a Tufts University PhD student from Turkey whose video-recorded detention earlier this year by immigration agents drew broad condemnation. Judge William Sessions ordered the release of Rümeysa Öztürk on May 9, and she is now free on a personal recognizance bond, her attorneys said. Öztürk, who is Muslim, was taken into custody by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as she walked on the sidewalk near her Boston-area home on March 25. Shortly after Sessions' ruling, Öztürk was released from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile. Öztürk's attorneys say she has committed no crime, and was instead targeted by ICE because she co-wrote a pro-Palestinian opinion piece in the student newspaper. Öztürk was detained in Massachusetts before being transferred to Vermont and then Louisiana, where the White House has been sending many international detainees. Her attorneys said her health has been declining since she's been detained. "When did speaking up against oppression become a crime? When did speaking up against genocide become something to be imprisoned for?' her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, said in a statement. The Trump administration had targeted multiple international students over their participation in pro-Palestinian protests, but generally declined to offer specific charges against each. The administration has also revoked the visas of more than 1,000 international students, many of whom appeared to have never participated in protests, although those revocations are now on hold. Prior to the Trump administration, people on visas like the one Öztürk holds were typically permitted to remain free during the immigration court process. Sessions' specific order was not immediately available; most of the court files are sealed. Critics said the Trump administration targeted Öztürk to scare other students. "I am relieved and ecstatic that Rümeysa has been ordered released," Khanbabai said. "Unfortunately, it is 45 days too late. She has been imprisoned all these days for simply writing an op-ed that called for human rights and dignity for the people in Palestine." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judge orders ICE to release Tufts student whose detention went viral
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
ICE conducted raids on Vineyard, Nantucket Tuesday, eyewitnesses say
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were seen making arrests and pulling people over on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket on Tuesday with the help of other federal agencies, such as the FBI, according to local news reports. On Martha's Vineyard, ICE agents were seen making traffic stops in unmarked vehicles Tuesday, May 27, MassLive's media partner, the Vineyard Gazette, reported. One video shared on social media showed a masked officer talking to a driver in an L&R Electrical Services van. Thiago Alves, owner of Rhode Island-based L&R Electrical Services, confirmed to the newspaper that one of his workers was stopped by ICE and FBI agents. His employee — who he said has a green card — was questioned, then released. 'They questioned my guys looking for paperwork,' Alves said. Other trade workers on the island were also stopped by immigration officers on Tuesday, Alves told the Gazette. 'My guy said they are stopping all the work vans. It's nothing against [us], it's pretty much everyone,' he said. One Martha's Vineyard woman, who asked to be anonymous for fear of reprisal, told the Gazette that she saw multiple traffic stops and arrests by federal law enforcement while agents driving around Vineyard Haven Tuesday morning. 'They were just grabbing people out of their cars,' she said. On Nantucket, several people were seen being taken off the island via a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in handcuffs, MassLive's media partner, The Inquirer and Mirror, reported Tuesday. ICE spokesperson James Covington confirmed to the newspaper that agents were on the island on Tuesday, but would not comment on the number of arrests or reveal other details about the ongoing operation. An FBI spokesperson also confirmed that agents were assisting ICE on Nantucket on Tuesday. The Nantucket Police Department was aware the operation was going to take place but did not assist federal agents in any way, Lt. Angus MacVicar said Tuesday. 'We were notified [Monday] that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (I.C.E) would be arriving today. We were not asked to support their operation in any way or have we assisted today,' MacVicar said in a statement. Multiple victims reported after shooting breaks out at New England mall Springfield to continue to fight against wood-burning biomass plant with new appeal Quabbin Reservoir towns push for more compensation Boston-area pursuit ends in arrests of 4 teenagers accused of car theft Gaming Commission grants Western Mass $3.2 million in casino mitigation funds Read the original article on MassLive.
Axios
4 days ago
- Business
- Axios
How much you have to make to rent comfortably in Boston
A worker needs to make nearly $127,000 a year to afford the typical monthly rent in greater Boston, according to a new report. Why it matters: That's about 26.8% higher than what a Boston-area household would have needed to earn five years ago, per the analysis from Zillow. It's also about $10,000 more than the income needed to afford the typical rent nationwide, Zillow found. The online real estate hub pegged its affordability standard for Boston at 32.5% of household income. They found the average observed rent in the Boston area was $3,175 in April 2025. The median household income in metro Boston was $110,697 in 2023. Boston is one of eight U.S. metro markets where renters need to earn over $100,000 to afford rent, alongside New York, San Jose, San Francisco and San Diego. Los Angeles, Riverside, California, and Miami round out the top eight priciest markets. There were only four $100k-plus markets in 2020. The cheapest metro: Birmingham, Alabama, where rent is only $1,436 a month and you'd need to earn $57,428 to afford it comfortably. The big picture: Nationally, workers need to earn more than $80,000 to comfortably afford the typical rental, up from $60,000 five years ago. Rent for a typical U.S. apartment went up by 28.7%, to $1,858 a month, since April 2020, according to Zillow. Rent for a single-family home increased 42.9% to $2,256.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump vs. Harvard: Canadian university athlete Ocean Ma caught in the crossfire
Highlighted by an Ivy League title and a divisional crown at the national college playdowns, Canada's Ocean Ma enjoyed a memorable first season on Harvard's squash team. She hopes to build on that in her sophomore year, despite the uncertainty given the latest salvos between the Trump administration and the university. 'I don't want to have the college experience taken away from me,' Ma said. It has been a nervous time for Ma and the rest of the international student population at the Boston-area school. Last Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security decided to make Harvard ineligible for international student visas. The decision could force as many as 6,800 foreign students — over one-quarter of the school's enrolment — to transfer or leave the country. A judge later issued a temporary restraining order that put the sanction on hold, pending a lawsuit that was filed Friday in federal court. The developments are the latest escalation in a fight stemming from the administration's assertions that Harvard failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism. A hearing is set for this Thursday to determine whether the temporary order should be extended, Harvard president Alan Garber said in an update letter on the school website. Ma, 18, from Richmond, B.C., was one of five players with international hometowns on Harvard's 11-player women's squash team last season. The men's team, which includes Vancouver's Jacob Lin, had 10 international hometowns listed on its 13-player squad. Canadian Squash Hall of Famer Mike Way serves as a team coach. 'If Trump's demands went through then (over) half the team would be gone and there would be no Harvard squash,' Ma said from Dalian, China. Over three-dozen Canadian student-athletes were listed on the school website in a variety of sports, including soccer, hockey, lacrosse, fencing and others. The government edict could virtually wipe out many of Harvard's 42 varsity sports teams, the most in the United States. 'I think that Harvard is not Harvard without its international students,' Ma said. Ma, a national champion at the U15, U17 and U19 levels, helped Canada win bronze at the world junior team championship last year. She also helped Harvard to a second-place finish in the College Squash Association national team playdowns. The school has called the government action unlawful and said it is working to provide guidance to students. 'We're standing at a moment in Harvard history that is going to be talked about later on,' Ma said. 'I'm really proud that Alan Garber is able to stand up to Trump and I wish that he continues to fight back for our rights as an education institution. 'I know that he'll be able to resolve everything.' Despite that optimism, Ma noted the steady churn of news has left her family members 'really worried' at times. 'My mom was a little bit frantic (last week) trying to see if transferring to Yale — where my twin sister is — is an option,' she said. 'But I told her to just wait to see. 'I know it will get resolved really soon because it is honestly such an insane and ridiculous situation that there's no way that it will follow through.' Several notable Canadian student-athletes compete at the university. Women's soccer player Jade Rose, who represented Canada at the Paris Olympics last summer, is finishing her final semester at Harvard this spring. Golfer Michelle Liu made her varsity team debut last fall. In 2019, Liu — who was 12 at the time — became the youngest golfer to play in the Canadian Women's Open. And two-time Olympian Jessica Guo helped Harvard's fencing team win the 2024 NCAA national championship. Ma, meanwhile, plans to return to the university in September. Squash season begins in November. 'After spending a year at Harvard, I don't think I'd like to be at any other school,' she said. With files from The Associated Press. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
