More from St. Paul-Minneapolis: University of St. Thomas student commencement speaker makes waves:

Commencement offered the chance to put all the divisive issues aside. As is the custom, the student-selected Tommie of the Year speaks at graduation.

"The speech started out pretty normal," Aus said. Then, he said, Kessler began talking about his disappointment at fellow students after a spring dance when a food fight became intense enough that security was summoned.

"His disappointment kind of snowballed," Aus said.

Kessler also alluded to the unmarried professors caught up in the travel policy battles, calling them selfish. And he then called women who use birth control selfish.

He also called himself selfish and said he needed to be a better person, said university spokesman Doug Hennes.

Some defended his remarks, while others said he had no business raising hot topics on a day dedicated to students and families celebrating years of hard academic work.

Aus and other students were upset that St. Thomas officials didn’t stop the speech.

"If someone were to start talking about their beliefs on gay rights, I guarantee you someone from the administration would have put an end to it right away," Aus said.

The university president’s statement:

regret that the graduates and their families and guests were offended by Mr. Kessler’s remarks. Again, I want to congratulate our graduates on their achievements, and I wish them the very best in all of their future endeavors.

Mr. Kessler has shared the following statement with my office today: "I’d like to take this opportunity to comment on the undergraduate commencement address that I gave on Saturday, May 20.

"I first would like to apologize to all offended by my words. As I stated in the opening line of my address, graduation is a time to look back and a time to look ahead.

"On Saturday, I looked back at some issues our university and our society have faced. I then looked ahead and tried to provide hope to all in attendance. Instead of providing hope to all, I offended some by my words and by my decision to speak those words at commencement. I sincerely apologize to each person I offended."

I watched the speech and fail to see it being an incredibly big deal. With all due respect to Kessler, to call it a "rant" as some have done is to ignore the tone, which was measured to the point of stilted.  I see that what inspired him initially was a food fight, and he alluded to it later in the speech in a rather well-done metaphor. I don’t fault Kessler for taking his speech in this direction – but even starting from the same point, one could have written something that challenged the students to (basically) grow up, look outward and live for others without providing a massive distraction.  But, in the end, the spectre of the heckling at the suggestion that pre-marital sex is selfish (which was his real point), the formulaic apologies, and so on, are tiresome – free speech, anyone?