News

WASHINGTON - Politics and lessons from lectures came to life for Barton senior Kyle Wrightenberry during his summer break as he interned in the office of Third District U.S. Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC), a 1968 Atlantic Christian/Barton College graduate.

Working as a patient-care advocate for a home medical equipment company, Wrightenberry traveled to Washington, to meet with a number of senators and representatives to discuss his concerns for the patients.

"I met Congressman Walter Jones, and he really made an impression on me. He really cared about what I had to say. He cared about people in his district," Wrightenberry said.

Wrightenberry applied for an internship in Rep. Jones' office and was accepted. During the four weeks of the internship, he served in the congressman's office answering phones, greeting visitors, and giving tours.

He also attended hearings including a round-table discussion on national health insurance. Attending this meeting with Rep. Jones, Wrightenberry was given the opportunity to address those present and share his concerns as a patient-care advocate.

Wrightenberry experienced more of the political process as he performed research work regarding the stop-loss policy in the military.

"Stop-loss is basically a back-door draft," he said.

According to Wrightenberry, the policy extends the service period of military personnel who have already served their contracts.

Wrightenberry explained, "What we're trying to do is actually limit the president's powers on stop-loss. Stop-loss can only be issued in a national emergency or time of war; and we're trying to draft a bill that limits the president's power, that makes Congress have the final say on whether there should be a stop-loss policy implemented or not."

Wrightenberry, a political science and business management double major, said, "In college, I really developed an interest in politics."

In fact, he hopes one day to become a congressman himself: "I want to be different, and I want to bring the concerns of my district to Congress."

When asked how Barton prepared him for the internship and his future beyond that, Wrightenberry said, "I have to give a lot of credit to Barton College. They provided me, of course, with the education I've needed and great teachers."

He also found Barton's size to be a positive factor in his educational experience: "The thing about Barton College is you can really interact with your professors."

Commenting further on Barton, Wrightenberry said, "I think it really gives students the opportunity to succeed because it's a private school, and you can get more stuff done in those smaller classes."

Clubs and organizations also enriched his college experience. In addition to being a double major, Wrightenberry served as president of Campus Conservatives, participated in Greek life, and worked as a student manager for campus food services. And, he did all of this while maintaining a 3.4 GPA.

Summarizing his experience at Barton, Wrightenberry said, "I'm ready for grad school. I've made connections for life. It's been an amazing experience!"

END

Questions? Please contact Ken Dozier, web services manager at Barton College, at 252.399.6596 or email kdozier@barton.edu.

Barton College President Norval Kneten considers his new role as president of Conference Carolinas right up his alley.

"When you think about the ideal college athletic experience, you think about Division II," Kneten said in a telephone interview while traveling through Texas on Friday afternoon. "You think about a balance in athletics and academics.

"That's what we are all about (at Barton College)."

Kneten has been selected as the president of the NCAA Div. II conference for 2008-09 — as he approaches his sixth year as Barton's president.

Barton and 11 other colleges in North and South Carolina form the league — which was the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference until being renamed, effective in 2007-08.

The CVAC exited with the Barton men's basketball team seizing the Div. II national championship, while Conference Carolinas was christened with the Mount Olive College baseball team capturing the national title.

"I am excited about the conference," Kneten commented, "and I am excited about its potential and what it's providing."

Kneten explains he's comfortable with the responsibilities because they blend with the Barton mission and its partnership with the Wilson community.

"The Div. II experience emphasizes a family-friendly environment for athletic competition," Kneten remarked.

He reasoned that Div. II best provides the athlete a balanced opportunity for athletics and academics, family involvement and the freedom to step away if choosing to do so.

Kneten proudly notes that Barton is already a "poster child" for the new campaign promoting the Div. II experience. NCAA Div. II, Kneten said, has committed approximately $1 million to its "I Chose Division II" marketing endeavor.

He pointed out the partnership between Barton and the Wilson community was featured in the first edition of "Champions," a new NCAA publication.

Barton was also prominent in the second edition with its incredible comeback in the last 45 seconds on the 2007 men's championship basketball game ranked No. 2 among all-time NCAA feats.

"This (guiding Conference Carolinas) is right up our alley," he contended.

Serving as a conference president will be a first-time experience. Does Kneten have time for the additional duties?

"Do I have time not to do it?" he responded with a laugh. "It's what Barton College is about. Twenty-two percent of our students are varsity athletes. Their average GPA (grade-point average) is actually higher than that of the overall student."

Kneten noted he has served in numerous capacities in the past, adding: "In some senses, I have been more involved in the athletic area."

Conference Carolinas, under Kneten's guidance, will continue its emphasis upon sportsmanship, promoting a game (family-friendly) environment and being attentive to athletes' travel time.

The intent is that the impact of the lessons in developing character and sportsmanship will last a lifetime.

"We have a strong conference," Kneten assured. "We have a good group of schools of comparable culture that are compatible. We have the right number for the way we do our scheduling."

However, the possibility of expansion is an issue, along with scheduling and the addition of recognized conference sports. The time spent traveling for league competition draws substantial attention.

Kneten confirmed the conference continues to be contacted by other institutions, but said expansion would probably necessitate the creation of divisions within Conference Carolinas.

The league is also moving forward, said Kneten, with its plans to establish a spring sports championship festival, beginning next spring.

Kneten welcomes the opportunity to guide the 12-school league.

"It's certainly an honor," he commented, "and I am pleased that Barton College can be represented and involved in this manner."

(Courtesy of Tom Ham, Wilson Daily Times)

For many in the Western Hemisphere, the magnitude 7.9 quake which struck China on May 12 was just another piece of bad news from somewhere on the other side of the world; but for Barton, the quake hit home.

Two days after the disaster, Dr. Zhixiong Cai, professor of mathematics at Barton College, emailed the campus community: "My home city, Chengdu, is just 60 miles from the epicenter, Wenchuan. After two days of trying, I was able to talk to my two brothers in Chengdu. They are all safe, but according to them Dujiangyan, a city where three Barton groups visited in the past few years, suffered great losses."

According to the information Cai received at that time, over 14,000 had died, nearly 26,000 were still buried beneath the rubble, and over 65,000 individuals suffered injuries. The structural damage was also substantial with more than 4.5 million homes suffering damage and 125,000 buildings having completely collapsed.

Immediately, Barton created a charity account to aid in the rebuilding efforts in Dujiangyan. Cai said the money, earmarked for the rebuilding of a school, will be sent to the Chinese Red Cross account established by the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

On May 30, Cai once again emailed the Barton campus thanking everyone who had donated and informing readers that the original May 30 deadline for donations had been extended to June 10. As of May 29, "we’ve received donations of $5645.71!" said Cai.

Cai also said that he had spoken with Deputy Major Liao of Dujiangyan. "On hearing of the Barton fundraiser, Ms. Liao expressed her deepest appreciation" for Barton's help and "invited all to visit in the future."

Thanks to everyone who has participated in this effort! For those who have not contributed yet or those who would like to contribute more, you may make your check payable to:

Barton College
China Earthquake Relief
P.O. Box 5000
Wilson, N.C. 27893

END

Questions? Please contact Ken Dozier, web services manager at Barton College, at 252.399.6596 or email kdozier@barton.edu.