MIT Grad Viral Speech Sparks Outrage

Indian-American student "Megha Vemuri" was barred from attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) commencement ceremony on Friday May 30 2025, because of a speech in support of Palestine that she delivered from the stage during the event. "Megha Vemuri", who was scheduled to serve as the marshal for the graduation, was informed of the decision by MIT Chancellor "Melissa Nobles" on the morning of the ceremony, according to a reports. “Participation in Commencement activities is a privilege,” Melissa Nobles wrote in an email to "Megha Vemuri". “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.” It was reported that "Meghan Vemuri" and her family were not allowed on campus for most of the day. "Meghan Vemuri" responded to the email, stating that her speech was indeed a wake up call, but described the response by MIT as “an over-reach.”