BARTON OFFICE PROFESSIONALS
WELCOME
WHAT DRIVEs US?
The purpose of the Barton Office Professionals of Barton Community College is to develop better campus-wide communication and cooperation; to promote professionalism; and assist with campus service projects.
BACKGROUND
During the 1984-85 school year a group of secretaries felt the need to become better acquainted with their co-workers across campus. An organizational meeting September 18, 1984 was attended by 39 individuals. Questionnaires filled out by all present indicated a strong interest in forming a group that would meet monthly. The name VIPs was chosen, standing for "Very Important People". In 1992 the phrase that identified this group was ... "You've come a long way, Baby!"
MEMBERSHIP
Our group includes and welcomes all office personnel working for Barton Community College. Membership is open to Barton employees, male and female, exempt and non-exempt, whose work assignments are non-instructional. Annual membership fees are only $10 per year, due on the last working day of September.
Through the generosity of Barton Community College, each member of BartonOP is also a member of AKCCOP. Membership benefits include voting privileges, eligibility to serve on the state board, and participation in all association activities. Members are also offered the opportunity to apply for continuing education grants and to earn continuing education units by attending the conferences. AKCCOP conferences are held each spring, hosted by member colleges on a rotating basis. These annual workshops provide a venue for members from across the state to share problems, solutions, insights and ideas. They offer a networking opportunity for office professionals to gain contacts and personal knowledge.
MEETINGS
The basic concept of friendship is still the glue that holds our group together - but there is so much more. Our monthly meetings feature 
programs that teach, challenge or entertain us. We learn about campus departments, projects and student needs. Our monthly gatherings also include brief business meetings and light refreshments. They provide an opportunity for interaction with fellow office professionals from all College departments.
BartonOP meets monthly, August through May, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., generally on the second Tuesday afternoon in room T-147. Our June and July gatherings are luncheon meetings. In October we traditionally observe Bosses Day with a covered dish meal at Noon and invite our supervisors to attend as our special guests.
PROJECTS
Barton Office Professionals take pride in being a service organization which offers assistance to Barton through 
friendly help and support. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Helping with college promotions (Expo booth, etc.)
- Acting as docents for Shafer Gallery tours
- Interacting with students through sponsored projects
- Serving (not providing) refreshments at college receptions, meetings, etc.
Due to budget limitations, we regret that our organization is unable to provide or purchase refreshments; however, we will be happy to consider requests for assistance on a case-by-case basis. All requests are presented to the entire membership and voted on at our monthly meeting. If a request cannot wait until our regular meeting, it must be made at least one week in advance 
so all members can be contacted and respond in a timely manner.
Barton Office Professionals sponsor fundraising events to finance scholarships and student projects. Our popular Birthday Cake Project receives ongoing support and recognition from staff, students and their families. This project funds the scholarships presented annually to office technology students. Proceeds will also help us host a future Association of Kansas Community College Office Professionals’ spring conference.
MENTORING
One of our favorite projects is the mentoring program which was put into effect in 1997. With this program, every new staff member is assigned two Barton Office Professionals mentors. The mentors arrange for welcome balloons to arrive to the new employee on their first day of employment. They take the new employee on a campus tour, show them the ropes, assist them with any computer questions they may have, and are always available to them by phone for any campus question they may have. Mentors are assigned to a new employee for a year, and make contact with that new employee every now and again just to be sure that everything is going well.
For more information contact Barton Office Professionals President
OFFICE PROFESSIONALS