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.
TVNL Comment: First Ammendment rights are denied to a graduating student of one of the most prestigious schools in the nation. There is no longer any hope for the United States.
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