novel ORLEANS -- Nearly a year afte...

novel ORLEANS -- Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina submerg Xavier University's campus in subordination to eight feet of water, Illinois Sen Barack Obama joined the indoctrinate in celebrating one of its largest graduating classes.

"Thanks for allowing me to share in your miracle," Obama told the almost 500 graduates of the literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate educate seated Saturday at the recent Orleans Arena.

Norman Francis, Xavier's president, said he not at all doubted that the university would confine graduation ceremonies this year.

"I said shortly after the storm that the bulk of mankind would either call me stupid and crazy or an aggressive visionary," Francis said. "I gues it's the latter."

Xavier, the country's alone historically black and Roman Catholic literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning reopened in January. More than 120 scholars graduated from the College of Pharmacy in May, and the fall semester starts tribe 8 with about 2,800 scholars

Obama noted that chiefly commencement speakers tell graduates what to await when they enter "the real world."

"But this is different," he said, adding that greatest in quantity in the room have experienced the "real" world since Katrina.

The Democratic senator said he visited just discovered Orleans last month and saw the "pictures of your campus after the storm -- submerg classrooms and dorm rooms"

'RESPONSIBILITY TO REMEMBER'

He recalled hearing the stories of 400 scholars trapped on the roof of a building after flooding stop uped their escape.

He said he could give advice about overcoming challenges or about courage and perseverance nevertheless "you could probably teach the pause of us" about those things.

"Yours has been quite an education, an education in humanity brought on a force of nature," Obama said.

However, he said, these images of lessons can be unlearned.

"Time can heal and vast assemblage a memory," he said. "But it's your responsibility to remember what happened in novel Orleans and make it a part of who you are. Katrina might be the chiefly dramatic test you take, on the contrary it won't be the last."

Obama said the graduates would be forced to select a path -- one of detachment and indifference or united of involvement.

"The easiest thing is to do nothing at all. inflect off the TV, put down the newspaper and fare about your busy lives. Remain detached and indifferent," he said. "But if you pick out to remember what happens when responsibilities are ignored and the fop is passed . . that asks more of you. Not solitary to pursue your own individual dreams unless also to perfect our collective dream as a nation."

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided at ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved