Brenau freshmen meet face-to-face with Jimmy Carter

ATLANTA - First-year students at Brenau University Women's College got a chance to meet one-on-one with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the Carter Center in Atlanta.<br /> <br /> The women's first assignment was to write a report on the Georgia native's most recent book <i>A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power</i>.<br /> <br /> Carter said the reason he came to the event was that two of his close friends, Brenau alumnae Nancy Moore and Nan Powell, told him he "had to do it."<br /> <br /> Both women worked on his campaigns for governor and president.<br /> <br /> One student asked if America had improved its treatment of women since Carter took office in 1977.<br /> <br /> "We've gone down hill," said Carter, who cited the treatment of women who've been raped or sexually assaulted as an example.<br /> <br /> After the Q and A session, Brenau President Ed Schrader brought a signed Andy Warhol print of "Jimmy Carter III" from Brenau's permanent art collection, and asked Carter to autograph it.<br /> <br /> Carter signed the glass over the painting, which was released after his presidential election as part of Warhol's "Inaugural Impressions" portfolio.<br /> <br /> Students read Carter's book and attended the meeting as part of a "freshman seminar" class, a one-hour credit class designed to promote critical thinking skills.