Latest news with #OneMIT
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
MIT class president barred from graduation after speaking out on Gaza
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) barred its 2025 class president from attending her graduation ceremony on Friday after she delivered a speech during a commencement event the day before condemning the war in Gaza and criticizing the university's ties to Israel. The student, Megha Vemuri, spoke at MIT's OneMIT commencement on Thursday in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wearing a keffiyeh over her graduation gown, she praised student protests against the war in Gaza and condemned MIT's ties to Israel. '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 [to Israel]' Vemuri said during her speech. The Boston Globe reported last year that between 2020 and 2024, MIT reported receiving $2.8m in grants, gifts, and contracts from Israeli entities, based on data from the US Department of Education. The Globe noted that the data did not clarify whether the funds came from academic, individual or public sources, or how they are spent. On Friday, MIT issued a statement – without naming Vemuri – saying that the speech delivered on Thursday 'was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance'. The university said that the student had been informed that they would not be permitted at Friday's undergraduate degree ceremony, despite having a scheduled role. '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 statement read. MIT said in a statement to the Guardian that Vemuri would still receive her degree. Vemuri did not immediately respond to a request from the Guardian, but told CNN that after her speech on Thursday, she was informed by university officials that she was not allowed to attend Friday's ceremony, and that she was barred from campus until the ceremony concluded. Vemuri said that she was not disappointed about not getting to walk across the stage, and that she was grateful for her family's support. 'I see no need for me to walk across the stage of an institution that is complicit in this genocide,' Vemuri told CNN. 'I am, however, disappointed that MIT's officials massively overstepped their roles to punish me without merit or due process, with no indication of any specific policy broken,' she added. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) condemned MIT's decision to ban Vemuri from the Friday ceremony. '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,' Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, the executive director of Cair Massachusetts, said. MIT's decision to bar Vemuri from the Friday ceremony comes several weeks after New York University announced that it was withholding a student's diploma after he used a graduation ceremony speech to condemn Israel's deadly war in Gaza. At George Washington University, a graduating student was banned from the campus last month after she delivered a speech during a commencement ceremony criticizing the university's ties to Israel and expressing support for Palestinians.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
The speech that got MIT's 2025 class president banned from graduation
Megha Vemuri, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 2025 class president, was banned from participating in her graduation commencement ceremony last week, after she accused the university of having 'aided and abetted' Israel's 'assault on the Palestinian people' during a speech on campus the day before. On Thursday, Vemuri took to the stage at the OneMIT commencement ceremony, donning a keffiyeh — a traditional scarf worn by Arab communities that has been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism for decades — over her graduation gown. During her speech, Vemuri denounced Israel's war in Gaza and criticized the university for its ties to the country's military. '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.' According to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 54,418 people have been killed and 124,190 injured in Gaza amid Israel's ongoing attack in the region since Hamas' terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That attack killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took around 250 hostage, according to Israeli counts. Vemuri's speech starts around the 55:30 mark, and her remarks related to Gaza begin at the 56:00 mark: At the end of her speech, Vemuri referenced a decades-old MIT tradition in which graduating students turn their class rings, featuring their university's mascot, 'Tim the Beaver,' outward, symbolizing that their time at MIT is now in the past. 'As you lift it off your fingers, notice that the beaver is no longer facing you; it is now facing the world,' Vemuri 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 people. And so we carry with us the obligation to do everything we can to stop it.' After Vemuri finished her speech, Sally Kornbluth, the university's president, tried to settle the crowd. 'At MIT, we believe in freedom of expression. But today is about the graduates,' Kornbluth said. Without naming Vemuri, MIT confirmed that she had been banned from Friday's events, after they said she delivered a speech a day earlier that was not the one provided to the school in advance of the event. '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,' university spokesperson Kimberly Allen said in a statement. '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.' Vemuri's speech quickly attracted criticism, including from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called it 'Ignorant. Hateful. Morally bankrupt,' in a post on X. 'Where is the shame — or appropriate response from the institution? Have your children avoid MIT & the Ivy League at all costs,' Johnson wrote. An MIT spokesperson told CNN that despite not attending Friday's ceremony, Vemuri will still receive her degree. 'What I am dealing with right now is absolutely nothing compared to the people of Palestine, and I'd take on much more if it meant helping their cause,' Vemuri told CNN on Sunday. This article was originally published on
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
MIT class president barred from graduation after speaking out on Gaza
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) barred its 2025 class president from attending her graduation ceremony on Friday after she delivered a speech during a commencement event the day before condemning the war in Gaza and criticizing the university's ties to Israel. The student, Megha Vemuri, spoke at MIT's OneMIT commencement on Thursday in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wearing a keffiyeh over her graduation gown, she praised student protests against the war in Gaza and condemned MIT's ties to Israel. '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 [to Israel]' Vemuri said during her speech. The Boston Globe reported last year that between 2020 and 2024, MIT reported receiving $2.8m in grants, gifts, and contracts from Israeli entities, based on data from the US Department of Education. The Globe noted that the data did not clarify whether the funds came from academic, individual or public sources, or how they are spent. On Friday, MIT issued a statement – without naming Vemuri – saying that the speech delivered on Thursday 'was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance'. The university said that the student had been informed that they would not be permitted at Friday's undergraduate degree ceremony, despite having a scheduled role. '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 statement read. MIT said in a statement to the Guardian that Vemuri will still receive her degree. Vemuri did not immediately respond to a request from the Guardian, but told CNN that after her speech on Thursday, she was informed by university officials that she was not allowed to attend Friday's ceremony, and that she was barred from campus until the ceremony concluded. Vemuri said that she was not disappointed about not getting to walk across the stage, and that she was grateful for her family's support. 'I see no need for me to walk across the stage of an institution that is complicit in this genocide,' Vemuri told CNN. 'I am, however, disappointed that MIT's officials massively overstepped their roles to punish me without merit or due process, with no indication of any specific policy broken,' she added. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned MIT's decision to ban Vemuri from the Friday ceremony. '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,' CAIR Massachusetts Executive Director Tahirah Amatul-Wadud said. MIT's decision to bar Vemuri from the Friday ceremony comes several weeks after New York University announced that it was withholding a student's diploma after he used a graduation ceremony speech to condemn Israel's deadly war in Gaza. At George Washington University, a graduating student was banned from the campus last month after she delivered a speech during a commencement ceremony criticizing the university's ties to Israel and expressing support for Palestinians.
United News of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
MIT bars Indian-American student from attending graduation ceremony over pro-Palestine speech
New York, June 2 (UNI) An Indian-American student, Megha Vemuri, was barred by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from attending the graduation commencement ceremony after she delivered a pro-Palestinian speech at an event last week. The ban on Vemuri, a neuroscience undergrad and class of 2025 President at MIT, came after she took the stage at an MIT event on Thursday to speak about the war in Gaza, her support for Palestine and condemnation of MIT in relation to the Gaza war. Vemuri's speech on Thursday at the OneMIT ceremony was not the one provided to the institution in advance, according to an MIT spokesperson. While the institution supports free expression, it stands by the decision to not allow the student at the Friday events because she 'deliberately and repeatedly' misled commencement organisers and led a 'protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony.' With a keffiyah around her shoulders over her cloak, Vemuri told the students on Thursday: "You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine." 'You called for a permanent ceasefire 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,' she continued. Vemuri spoke against Israel, saying that the country was trying to 'wipe Palestine off the face of the earth,' adding that MIT was complicit. Vemuri argued that MIT's ties with the IDF meant that 'Israel's assault on the Palestinian people is not only aided and abetted by our country, but our school.' Vemuri was met with yells from the crowd, some students jumping out of their seats in support of her words and others shaking their heads seemingly not in support of her speech. Vemuri continued her speech by stating that the undergraduate and graduate union voted to cut ties with 'the genocidal Israeli military' last spring and for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Last year, MIT was one of the campuses across the country that created a pro-Palestinian encampment. It later ended as the institution said it would suspend those students who didn't leave it and it was cleared out by police. She concluded with the traditional turning of the class ring, saying that the alumni would now 'carry with us the stamp of the MIT name, the same name that is directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.' MIT President Sally Kornbluth took the stage immediately after, expressing her disapproval of Vemuri's speech. 'At MIT, we value freedom of expression. But today is about the graduates, so it's time for me to charge you all,' Kornbluth said. 'There is a time and a place to express yourselves, and you will have many, many years to do it,' the MIT President said. According to reports, Vemuri was born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, and graduated in Alpharetta High School in 2021. She went to MIT to pursue an undergraduate degree in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics. She completed her degree while also serving as class president. CNN quoted MIT to say that she will still receive her graduation degree. UNI RN
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
MIT class president is banned from graduation ceremony after jaw-dropping pro-Palestinian speech
The class president at Massachusetts Institute of Technology was banned from walking across the stage to receive her diploma after she gave a jaw-dropping anti-Israel speech. Megha Vemuri was set to serve as the marshal of this year's graduation ceremony on Friday, but received an email earlier in the day that she could not attend the event, and her and her family were banned from campus for most of the day, the Boston Globe reports. 'You deliberately and repeatedly misled Commencement organizers,' MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles wrote in the email. '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.' The email came just one day after Vemuri veered from her prepared statements at the OneMIT commencement ceremony to instead call on the university to cut all ties with Israel. 'You have faced the obstacle of fear before and you turned it into fuel to stand up for wat is right,' she told her fellow graduates, university officials and even Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey - who was sitting in the audience. 'You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine,' Vemuri said of the widespread anti-Israel protests at the Cambridge campus. 'You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestine activists on campus,' she continued. '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.' Vemuri then concluded her speech by saying she and her fellow graduates will carry 'the stamp of the MIT name - the same name that is directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, so we carry with us the obligation to do everything we can to stop it.' Data from the US Department of Education shows MIT reported receiving $2.8 million in grants, gifts and contracts from Israeli entities between 2020 and 2024, according to the Globe. It is unclear, however, whether the funds came from individual, academic or government sources or how the money was spent. But Vemuri's speech caused a stir, as video obtained by Fox News showed Jewish students walking out of the annual ceremony. Some students and audience members could also be heard jeering, while others cheered and applauded Vemuri's remarks. When University President Sally Kornbluth then took the podium to speak at the ceremony, she tried calming down the rhetoric. 'OK listen folks, at MIT we value freedom of expression, but today's about the graduates,' she began, as the cheers and shouts continued. 'There is a time and place to express yourselves and you will have many, many years to do it,' she continued. 'Let's talk about the graduates,' said Kornbluth - who previously had to testify before Congress about the school's alleged failure at protecting Jewish students. She was then met with applause, and the ceremony continued as planned. But the MIT Jewish Alumni Alliance suggested she did not go far enough, as it issued a statement criticizing the university leaders who 'failed to prevent a rogue student from taking over yesterday's graduation ceremony.' The group said Vemuri 'took the opportunity to hijack the ceremony and to dedicate the entirety of her speech to berating and defaming Israel and promoting Hamas-inspired propaganda. The MIT Jewish Alumni Alliance argued school officials should have done more 'to address or acknowledge what had transpired' 'One attendee who traveled from Israel with his family to receive his PhD diploma commented that his children were distraught over the speech and he needed to explain to them why a random person halfway across the world hates them,' the Jewish Alumni Alliance continued in their statement. 'This is not what a graduation ceremony is meant to be. A graduation ceremony is meant to honor its graduates and their accomplishments,' they argued. House Speaker Mike Johnson even hit out at Vemuri for her remarks, which he called 'ignorant, hateful [and] morally bankrupt. 'Where is the shame - or appropriate response from the institution?' he wrote on X. 'Have your children avoid MIT and the Ivy League at all costs,' he added, apparently referring to the embattled Harvard University. Yet others seemed to support Vemuri, with some even chanting at the ceremony on Friday 'Let Megha Walk.' Emma Zhu, who graduated with a combined degree in computer science and economics, also told the Globe that she supported Vemuri's right to protest at graduation 'even if it is a bit inflammatory. '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. In fact, Vemuri told the Globe ahead of the graduation festivities that she wanted to 'optimize my impact.' '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?' Still, a university spokesperson said that while the school 'supports free expression' it 'stands by its decision' to bar Vemuri from graduation, as the speech she gave 'was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance.' Vemuri, who grew up in Georgia, will still receive her degree, though, in computation and cognition and linguistics, according to the New York Times. She now says she is not disappointed to miss the ceremony. 'I see no need to walk across the stage of an institution that is complicit in this genocide,' the graduate said. But she added that she is 'disappointed' in the school's response, and claimed university officials 'massively overstepped their roles to punish me without merit or due process.' She also told CNN she can 'handle the attention, positive and negative, if it means spreading the message further.' Yet Vemuri is not the only university graduate this year to face backlash for anti-Israel remarks as President Donald Trump cracks down on schools that condoned the widespread protests amid the war in Gaza - and even cut funding to Harvard for what he claimed was a failure to protect Jewish students. At New York University, officials withheld a diploma from Logan Rozos, who referred to 'the atrocities currently happening in Palestine' in his commencement speech. At George Washington University in Washington DC, a graduate named Cecilia Culver also used her speech to urge others not to donate to the school and repeated requests for it to divest from companies that do. The university similarly responded by barring her from campus and any further university-sponsored events, the Times reports.
