Latest news with #KimberlyAllen
Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
MIT bars student from graduation over pro-Palestine speech
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) barred its 2025 class president from attending Friday's graduation ceremony after she delivered an unauthorised pro-Palestinian speech a day earlier. The university announced the decision on Friday, without naming the student, stating she gave a speech during Thursday's OneMIT commencement that had not been approved 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," said university spokesperson Kimberly Allen. "MIT supports free expression but stands by its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organisers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony." The Palestinian Youth Movement later identified the student as Megha Vemuri. Wearing a keffiyeh, Vemuri criticised MIT's connections with the Israeli military, accusing the institution of 'aiding and abetting' its actions against Palestinians. "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," she said. The crowd responded with applause, with some students waving Palestinian flags. 'Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza,' Vemuri said. 'We are watching Israel try to wipe out Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it."
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Indian-origin MIT class president barred from graduation commencement after pro-Palestine speech
Other social media users suggested deportation proceedings, calling her speech, an attempt to grab attention, and calling her remarks 'unacceptable.' Some users distanced her views from the broader Indian-American community, describing her as part of the 'woke' movement. MIT's response MIT clarified that Vemuri's delivered speech differed from the one previously submitted to the university. According to NBC News, MIT banned her from participating in the ceremony due to her actions. "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," said university spokesperson Kimberly Allen. Allen added that MIT supports free expression, but the act was misleading the organisers of the commencement, and disrupting an important ceremony. (This story was originally published in EdexLive)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
MIT bans class president from graduation commencement after pro-Palestinian speech
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology banned the 2025 class president from Friday's graduation commencement ceremony after she delivered a pro-Palestinian speech during an event Thursday. The university made the announcement on Friday without naming the student, saying that she delivered a speech at Thursday's OneMIT commencement ceremony that was not the one provided 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," said university spokesperson Kimberly Allen. "MIT supports free expression but stands by its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organizers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony." The speech was shared online by the Palestinian Youth Movement, which named the student as Megha Vemuri. Vemuri wore a Keffiyeh during the speech, and called out MIT for having research ties with the Israel army and "aiding and abetting" the country with its "assault on the Palestinian people." Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 52,000 people since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 people hostage. Israel has received intense criticism from around the world, including from the United Nations, for its actions in Gaza, which include cutting off aid to the enclave. "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," Vemuri said. Her speech was met by cheers and applause from her fellow classmates, some of whom held up a Palestinian flag. "Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza," Vemuri said. "We are watching Israel try to wipe out Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it." Vemuri mentioned that the undergraduate body voted in favor of the university cutting ties with Israel, and 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," Vemuri said. Vemuri then called on her fellow classmates to partake in the MIT tradition of turning their class rings that bear university mascot "Tim the Beaver." "And as you lift it off your fingers, notice that the beaver is no longer facing you, it is now facing the world," Temuri said. "This is a world that we will be entering with an immeasurable responsibility. We will carry with us the stamp of the MIT name, the same name that is directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian so we carry with us the obligation to do everything we can to stop it." NBC News has reached out to Vemuri for comment. On Friday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth made her remarks at the commencement for the class of 2025, encouraging them to become ambassadors for scientific thinking and discovery. Kornbluth said that the university allows "a lot of room for disagreement, whether the subject is scientific, personal, or political," but encouraged the new grads to rely on the "beauty and power of the scientific method." "I need you all to become ambassadors for the way we think and work and thrive at MIT," Kornbluth said. Kornbluth did not mention any specific incident during her remarks, including the one involving Vemuri. It's not clear at this time if Vemuri was officially allowed to graduate from MIT. Vemuri is not the only graduate who has been penalized for her political views. Earlier this month, New York University withheld student Logan Rozos' diploma after he delivered an unapproved commencement speech to address what he called the 'atrocities currently happening in Palestine' during the Israel-Hamas war. NYU condemned Rozos' speech, calling it an expression of "his personal and one-sided political views." This article was originally published on
NBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
MIT bans class president from graduation commencement after pro-Palestinian speech
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology banned the 2025 class president from Friday's graduation commencement ceremony after she delivered a pro-Palestinian speech during an event Thursday. The university made the announcement on Friday without naming the student, saying that she delivered a speech at Thursday's OneMIT commencement ceremony that was not the one provided 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," said university spokesperson Kimberly Allen. "MIT supports free expression but stands by its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organizers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony." The speech was shared online by the Palestinian Youth Movement, which named the student as Megha Vemuri. Vemuri wore a Keffiyeh during the speech, and called out MIT for having research ties with the Israel army and "aiding and abetting" the country with its "assault on the Palestinian people." Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 52,000 people since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 people hostage. Israel has received intense criticism from around the world, including from the United Nations, for its actions in Gaza, which include cutting off aid to the enclave. "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," Vemuri said. Her speech was met by cheers and applause from her fellow classmates, some of whom held up a Palestinian flag. "Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza," Vemuri said. "We are watching Israel try to wipe out Palestine off the face of the earth, and it is a shame that MIT is a part of it." Vemuri mentioned that the undergraduate body voted in favor of the university cutting ties with Israel, and 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," Vemuri said. Vemuri then called on her fellow classmates to partake in the MIT tradition of turning their class rings that bear university mascot "Tim the Beaver." "And as you lift it off your fingers, notice that the beaver is no longer facing you, it is now facing the world," Temuri said. "This is a world that we will be entering with an immeasurable responsibility. We will carry with us the stamp of the MIT name, the same name that is directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian so we carry with us the obligation to do everything we can to stop it." NBC News has reached out to Vemuri for comment. On Friday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth made her remarks at the commencement for the class of 2025, encouraging them to become ambassadors for scientific thinking and discovery. Kornbluth said that the university allows "a lot of room for disagreement, whether the subject is scientific, personal, or political," but encouraged the new grads to rely on the "beauty and power of the scientific method." "I need you all to become ambassadors for the way we think and work and thrive at MIT," Kornbluth said. Kornbluth did not mention any specific incident during her remarks, including the one involving Vemuri. It's not clear at this time if Vemuri was officially allowed to graduate from MIT. Vemuri is not the only graduate who has been penalized for her political views. Earlier this month, New York University withheld student Logan Rozos' diploma after he delivered an unapproved commencement speech to address what he called the 'atrocities currently happening in Palestine' during the Israel-Hamas war.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
MIT to cut student intake, staff jobs due to fund reduction by Trump govt
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US will reduce the number of graduate students it admits and lay off staff because of budget problems caused by less government funding and new tax rules. The announcement has fuelled broader concerns over the future of academic research in the United States. According to a Bloomberg report, MIT will admit about 100 fewer graduate research students in the 2025 academic year. This is an 8 per cent drop from the current year. The cuts are happening because MIT is getting less money from federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health. MIT is also reducing jobs in its administrative departments. A spokesperson, Kimberly Allen, said the university is asking all departments to cut their budgets by up to 10 per cent. However, she did not say how many staff members will lose their jobs. Bloomberg reported, MIT President Sally Kornbluth anticipates more problems in the future. 'There could be more damage to MIT and to universities all across America, and to the entire American research ecosystem,' she said. 'While we do everything in our power to prevent that, we'll also be working to prepare the Institute and our community for a range of outcomes.' Why is MIT cutting admissions and staff? These budget problems are partly due to new policy changes under the Trump administration. One proposal passed by the US House of Representatives would raise taxes on colleges with large endowments. Private universities like MIT could face a 21 per cent tax on investment income—much higher than the current 1.4 per cent rate. MIT's endowment is worth $25 billion, but most of it is already committed to specific purposes. Kornbluth warned that the new tax would be 'a devastating level of taxation' and could cost MIT hundreds of millions of dollars. This money usually supports research and student aid. How is MIT responding to funding challenges? Although MIT is doing better than nearby Harvard University—which has faced even more serious funding issues—Kornbluth said the cuts are still difficult for any research university. 'I truly wish there were another way to do this,' she said about the staff layoffs. MIT has also launched an online campaign to show how important its research is for the country. Kornbluth asked former students to speak up for science funding. 'We need the whole country to appreciate that by investing in university research and educating the next generation of explorers and innovators, the country has reaped, and will continue to reap, tremendous rewards,' she said.
