Asiye Latife Yilmaz
02 June 2025•Update: 02 June 2025
ISTANBUL
The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) class of 2025, who was forbidden from attending her graduation ceremony after denouncing the war in Gaza, called the institution “complicit in this genocide.”
Megha Vemuri told CNN on Sunday she was not disappointed about being unable to walk the stage after her pro-Palestinian remarks in her commencement speech the day before.
“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,” she said.
“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.
In her commencement speech, Vemuri criticized MIT’s ties to the Israeli military, saying the university is complicit in efforts to “wipe Palestine off the face of the earth,” and urging graduates to take action beyond campus.
“The MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide,” she told her classmates.
“Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza,” she added.
Last month, New York University withheld the diploma of a student who used a commencement speech to condemn Israel’s offensive on Gaza and criticize America’s “complicity in this genocide.”
Tensions on US college campuses have escalated amid a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian students protesting Israel’s war on Gaza.
US President Donald Trump’s executive order to combat antisemitism has created a framework that allows authorities to revoke visas and deport foreign students involved in the protests.
It has also put universities on edge, as the government threatens to cut funding or restrict their ability to enroll foreign students if they do not crack down on pro-Palestinian activity.
