While a whole 26 people showed up to protest his appearance.
SOUTH BEND — University of Notre Dame junior Tim O'Brien didn't vote for Barack Obama and doesn't necessarily agree with his politics, but he's fine with the president coming to campus to speak at commencement.
"As president, he has the right to come here and speak. I think it's an honor," O'Brien said Thursday, after signing a campus petition to show his support for the president's planned visit.
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A steady stream of Notre Dame students and employees lined up at lunchtime at South Dining Hall to sign the petition saying they favor Obama's planned May 17 visit to campus.
The petition was launched this week by the Black Cultural Arts Council, with support from about 14 other student groups on campus. The signatures will be presented to the Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, who has come under fire for inviting Obama. Critics say Obama's stances are in direct opposition to pro-life Catholic teaching on abortion and stem-cell research.
"We want Father Jenkins to know he has support here at Notre Dame," said Briana Miller, a Notre Dame senior and 2005 graduate of Washington High School in South Bend. Miller is co-president of the Black Cultural Arts Council.
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By 1 p.m. Thursday, the group had gathered close to 700 signatures.
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