Purpose: The purpose of the North American College Model UN All-Star Team is to recognize exemplary individuals in the college MUN community who have made a difference inside and outside of committee. These could be but are not necessarily limited to just the best delegates or award winners; conferences already determine those. Rather, the North American College MUN All-Star Team should be representative of the best and most respected leaders in the community. They are diplomatic and skilled in committee, help strengthen the relationships between schools, provide thought leadership, and make the Model UN experience better for the entire community.

Process: College students who participated as a delegate or staff member in at least one college Model UN conference in North America (the United States and Canada) during the 2013-2014 academic year are eligible to submit one Ballot that includes the names of up to ten delegates or staffers from the North American college circuit. Due to the All-Star Team’s emphasis on community, students may only vote for up to two delegates or staffers from their own school out of the ten total votes and students may not vote for themselves. Ballots will be accepted starting from from Monday, April 21, 2014 and ending on Monday, April 28, 2014 at 11:59pm Pacific time.

Each name will be counted as one vote. Votes will be tallied, and the students receiving the most votes will be given North American College All-Star Team honors. Name or school misspellings or inconsistencies will be manually edited to the best of our ability, and calculated results will be manually checked for accuracy. Best Delegate reserves the right to determine if any Ballots are invalid per the Ballot Rules below.

Eligibility to Submit a Ballot:

• Student must have participated as a delegate or staffer in at least one college Model United Nations conference located in North America (United States and Canada) during the 2013-2014 academic year.
• Student must include their name, email, school, and head delegate information. This information may be used to verify participation on the college MUN circuit.

Ballot Rules:

• Ballots must be submitted starting from Monday, April 21, 2014 and ending on Monday, April 28, 2014 at 11:59pm Pacific time. Ballots submitted afterward are considered invalid.
• Delegates or staffers named in the Ballot must have participated in at least one North American college Model UN conference during the 2013-2014 academic year.
• Each eligible student may only submit one Ballot. Multiple Ballots submitted with the same name and personal information will render all Ballots from the same name as invalid.
• Each eligible student may vote for at least one and up to ten delegates or staffers from the North American college MUN community. However, students may not vote for themselves, and students may only vote for up to two other students from the same college as the one they attend.
• Votes must be written in with the correct format as shown in the Ballot.

**

Project Leads: Four Best Delegate Media team members from a diverse cross-section of the North American circuit will help promote the All-Star Team voting process and source the All-Star Team biographies. The Media team lead will be Katherine Bonner (Emory) and she will be assisted by Erik Leiden (Ohio State), Oliver Nacey (Carleton), and Ellen Perfect (Claremont McKenna).

**

>>Click here to vote for the 2013-2014 North American College All-Star Team!

Model United Nations is a simulation of one of the most diverse organizations in the world, inviting delegates of all races, religions, and sexes to debate and help combat a variety of issues. We participate in Model UN so that we have the ability to  face and hopefully solve those same issues on whatever scale we can. Yet, it is sadly evident that in the world of Model UN, the same embracement of diversity has been continually put aside for stereotyping and bullying – causing The Gender Divide.

The UN prides itself on being free of discrimination, and to see what MUN has succumbed to – isolating different genders into blocks of their own, refusing to listen to ideas because the opinion of one sex is preferred over that of the other, and generalizing an entire gender based upon one experience – is quite disappointing and worrying.

The Gender Divide is broken up into a series of stereotypes, ranging from delegate skill to appearance, and below are a few examples of issues seen commonly in committee:

Appearance and Dress:

This is an issue that is prevalent in both sexes, and many females feel obliged as a result of external influences or believe that attempting to appear more “attractive” is a way of increasing their chances of gaining support in committee.  This archetype is essentially objectifying women, and forcing delegates to worry about their appearance more than their actual skill.

Males also face this issue, but in a less demeaning manner. Many are being told they must dress to appear “powerful” and overarching, forcing them to base their style on the opinions of others.

Fashion, while playing an important part in first impressions, should not force delegates to use their sexuality as a means of getting ahead in committee, and the divide forces many to feel self-conscious and more worried about their appearance than performance.

A lot of the time segregated blocks are made without realization.

Segregated Block Formation:

This issue is visible in all types of committees, where delegates of a specific gender stick together, sometimes even causing all female and all male blocks. This mainly happens because delegates feel isolated from the other gender when their ideas aren’t taken into consideration, and can become very detrimental to the self-esteem as well as motivation to those who feel left out.

Due to this discouragement from working together, a lot of time blocks are oblivious to various opinions and end up becoming quite one sided, hindering further compromise and sacrificing the diplomatic aspect that defines Model UN.

Delegate Skill and Expectations:

This is stereotype typically associated with female delegates, and the severity of this issue far outweighs the previous problems. Many times, well versed and sagacious female delegates are not afforded the opportunity to share their ideas with blocks and other delegates because they are automatically presumed to be inferior to males. As a result, females are automatically associated with seemingly “petty” tasks, and if they do manage to be not isolated due to blatant sexism, many times females will be expected to solely work on things such as NGO representation and not given an opportunity to write clauses associated with the main solutions in a resolution, thus furthering generalizing Model UN and writing skill solely by gender. This same type of segregation can be evident when speakers are chosen for things such a draft resolution presentations, with many times females being refused spots because they are told they lack the speaking skills to go up.

The issue is prevalent in various scenarios throughout a conference.

At the same time, many male delegates are expected to be the leaders in committee, being told that power is the most important thing and as males they must be the sole voice in committee. This forces many delegates to carry a power delegate attitude, as the pressure put on them because of their gender leads them to focus solely on winning and neglecting other people’s opinions.

Despite all of these unfortunate issues, there are some occasions in which the “gender divide” is nonexistent and delegates work together harmoniously regardless of sex. Situations like these are when the United Nations is accurately simulated and consensus is worked towards. It is our responsibility as delegates to shift the focus from winning and stereotypes to diplomacy and equality. The Gender Divide is a concept that should have faded from society centuries ago, and while the world attempts to combat sexism, many Model UN delegates unknowingly embrace it. A difference can only be made if a conscious effort is put into stopping sexism in Model UN, and that effort must be made by you, the delegate.

The following Recap was provided by Perihan Elbadrawi, the Secretary General of MICSUN 2014

The sun was truly shining throughout this year’s Miami Invitational Conference for the Simulation of the United Nations, or, fondly, MICSUN. The conference held on April 5th-6th at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida welcomed over 500 high school delegates from across the state Florida, as well as delegations Canada and India. The UM Model UN team was extremely excited to host an international high school conference in just its third year.

MICSUN is known for offering a university-style conference for high school students. This year’s conference hosted seven unique committees. General Assemblies included the ECOFIN that worked on solving the issue of money laundering, and the UN Special Summit on the Post Millennium Development Goals, which required delegates to be creative in structuring a post-2015 international development framework. MICSUN 2014 also had two regional bodies: the African Union that fought to achieve gender parity in education, and the Organization of American States, a special bilingual committee that worked to reduced political corruption and electoral fraud in Latin America. The dais ran the Organization of American States committee fully in Spanish, and delegates had the option to speak in either English or in Spanish. Crisis committees consisted of a Joint Crisis Committee of the American Civil War and a US Senate Ad-Hoc Committee.

Secretary General Perry Elbadrawi, who was a delegate at the inaugural conference in 2012, said, “This year, we wanted to capitalize on our location in Miami, the gateway to the Americas, as can be seen in the choice of committee topics we offered, especially the bilingual OAS committee. This twist gave delegates the experience of negotiating across cultural and linguistic boundaries. Additionally, we continued our tradition of incorporating crisis elements in traditional GA and regional bodies, changing up the flow of debate and introducing new information that could affect the resolution writing process.”

Overall, delegates went through extensive researching, debating, caucusing, and compromising to ultimately result in innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. In the end, the American Heritage School won Best Large Delegation, Gulf Coast High School took Outstanding Large Delegation, Port Charlotte High School won Best Small Delegation, and Spanish River Community High School went home with Outstanding Small Delegation. Congratulations to all those who participated!

Ad Hoc delegates got some interesting Crisis Updates!

MICSUN’s UN Special Summit hosted over 200 delegates!

After some hype with the Djarum Foundation Delegation from Indonesia’s success in London International Model United Nations 2014 for nailing Best Position Paper at UNESCO Committee, Best Delegate finally has a chance to interview  the champion. Check out the interview with Reinhardt Graciano Rongre, an Electrical Engineering student from Bandung Institute of Technology (Institut Teknologi Bandung), Indonesia as the conversation becomes more personal and touching.., aww.

Hi Reinhardt, congratulations for your success. You nailed Best Position Paper at LIMUN 2014! Tell me about your position paper and committee! Does your position paper help you in person as delegate and does it affect the overall debate?

Reinhardt Graciano Rongre, representing Guatemala at UNESCO Committee at LIMUN 2014

Thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed. It is a privilege for me to be able to share my story and my great experience in LIMUN 2014. I was awarded Best Position Paper in UNESCO committee. At the LIMUN 2014, the UNESCO talked about two topics and I represented Guatemala. Topic A discussed about establishing international standard in teaching history and topic B discussed about developing a framework for academic and cultural heritage programs in conflict zones. My position paper for each topic contained similar points, only with different focus of discussion in them. Those points were :

• Important facts in the world that coincides with each of the topics.
• The policies implemented by Guatemalan government
• Obstacles Guatemala faced during the implementation of policies
• Solution to be proposed based on research results

To tell you the truth, in writing my position papers, I got helps from my coach. She helped me by reviewing my position papers and made some revisions and suggestions especially in my vocabularies – they weren’t diplomatic and formal enough – and she also helped me rearranged my writing in order to make it orthographically sound. The position papers really did help me in the conference. Maybe the papers didn’t affect the overall debate but it helped me personally to make my points during the conference. All in all, I am grateful for the award and I thank everyone involved in helping me creating those position papers.

Reinhardt with the UNESCO Committee

How do you prepare your position paper? And how do you train with the whole delegation from Djarum Foundation for LIMUN?

I began to prepare my position papers two weeks before the conference date. However, in order to prepare well, our Djarum delegation coach asked us to submit our papers to her before the deadline so she could review them first before we send it to our directors. As for the content itself, I read thoroughly the study guide the LIMUN-UNESCO committee provided for us. After that I began to research about Guatemala weeks before the deadline was even mentioned. I made a compilation of my research and sorted things out to be put into the papers and I tried my best to finish it before February 11^th. I wrote them and I read them over and over just to make sure everything was okay. Later, I sent them to my coach first and after she made suggestions and revisions for me I revised my position papers, refine them, and finally sent them to the chairs.

Djarum Foundation Delegation for LIMUN 2014

What are the strengths of your position paper? What do you think the keys to compose the Best Position Paper?

I believe the strength of my position papers lies within the specific ideas I gave and the arrangement of the contents. based on the interview done by my Head of Delegate, Marsha Imaniara, with Hector Tsamis my UNESCO chairman, the reason that my position papers were awarded was because they were comprehensive and they followed the study guide well. He also mentioned that my position papers were exquisite and they contained a very well arranged personal research results.

Personally, I believe the keys to write the best position paper are first, to follow the guidelines provided in the study guides. Secondly, do as many research as you can and make a neat compilation so later you can easily look again in your research files. Third, make sure our proposed solutions answer the study guide questions and goals. And last but not least, I believe inserting correlating facts and quotes will boost the sharpness of your position papers. Those are the keys that I believe will increase our chance to make the best position paper.

So, what is it like to be a winner? What does this achievement means to you?

Being a winner feels like a miracle for me. Until now, I feel so grateful and wonderful for being awarded in LIMUN 2014. If I have to put the feelings in simpler words, I would say that being awarded made me feel so blessed, joyful, and honored. And to me, this achievement means a lot. This achievement also opened my eyes of how exciting MUNs are and thus make me long for experiencing MUN again in the future. And of course, this achievement makes me feel more confident about myself.

‘enjoying the atmosphere and making many new friends from abroad are also important to make your MUN experience memorable,” said Reinhardt

What are you suggestions for future delegates?

To all future delegates, I encourage you guys to try MUN if it’s going to be your first time or still thinking whether to join or not. Be motivated, not intimidated. I was intimidated at first, but when I knew that I would make new foreign friends and get a new experience, I became rather excited. Another suggestion for future delegates, MUN awards are not easy to be achieved, therefore make preparations at your best.

Lastly, I know most of the times MUNs can be competitive and award-oriented but if you’re going to an MUN, I really recommend you to look for the moment to enjoy the conference with the motivation to share your thoughts and opinions and to enjoy the flow. Being competitive is good, aiming for the award is important to do, but enjoying the atmosphere and making many new friends from abroad are also important to make your MUN experience memorable.

So, thank you for Reinhardt! I love the way you are so humble and motivating. We,  at the Best Delegate, also believe Model UN is wayy beyond the awards. It is a “smart sport” and also the best way to learn, work in team, and be brave on our voices! Plus, Reinhardt once again proved that an non-familiar academic background can also shine at the MUN, like our best pal from Nursing student at IndonesiaMUN! Cheers

Mean Girls has inspired a generation of viewers to love October 3^rd, wear pink on Wednesdays, and call things “fetch”, but Mean Girls also explains many of life’s amusing and tricky situations, including those in Model UN. In honor of April 30^th, the ten-year anniversary of Mean Girls, here is Model UN explained through a series of Mean Girl gifs.

1. Picking up the delegation for some pre-conference shopping:

2. When I’m trying to match with my co-delegate and he asks, “What are we wearing?” the only proper response is:

3. When scanning the conference’s hotel map and hoping you find the right room or else people may say…

4. When I really care about the topics we’re debating:

5. Channeling your inner Gretchen when you know your coalition is the best:

6. When I eat out WAY too much during a MUN conference:

7. How I feel about those famous delegates on the circuit:

8. Wait, but does that girl in my coalition actually know Swedish?

9.  When the USA (or the power delegate) leaves the room:

10. When Brazil gets all the candy-grams before the end of session:

11. When delegates say “comprehensive”:

And I just want to say:

12. Every #MUNGirl’s favorite day:

13.  What I say when China won’t leave me alone at the delegate dance:

14.  Everyone’s reaction when I return to class after a MUN conference and start asking the professor questions prefaced by “Point of Inquiry”:

15.  Finally, even Karen knows that, at the end of the day, it’s all about solving global issues. Seriously, why can’t we all agree?

Thanks for reading! Happy April 30th!

Credits to giphy.com, meangirlsgif.tumblr.com, and wifflegif.com for the Mean Girls gifs above.

*The following recap was provided by Isabelle Klinghoffer, a committee chair at NYUMUNC*

The incredibly busy crisis room at NYUMUNC

On April 3, 2014, Steve Caputo watched on as hundreds of crisis staffers congregated before him. Impatiently pacing back and forth NYUMUNC’s crisis room, he was making mental notes of the 13 committees, hundreds of staffers, and thousands of crisis updates he would soon be responsible for. Then, he spoke.

“NYUMUNC V is a go. I repeat, thirteen committees are a go!”

Steve’s commands dispersed staffers to the four corners of the crisis room, laptops in hand, crisis updates in mind. His orders were designed not to merely instruct, but to establish the direction this landmark thirteen-way JCC conference was to take. Prominent CNN Correspondent David Frum once noted that coordinating the activities of eleven South American nations was improbable at best. Little did he know that a group of college students at New York University were exceeding his wildest expectations.

The different crisis directors at Closing Ceremonies

At the other end of the business school’s hallway, thirteen committee rooms were set into motion. Projectors lit, updates displayed, NYUMUNC V had officially begun. Simulating the South American nations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Union of South American Nations, and the Chinese-U.S. Ad-Hoc, NYUMUNC V was a true meeting of meetings.

Over the next eighty hours, hundreds of delegates hailing from Boston to Tel Aviv experienced a different kind of crisis conference. At NYUMUNC, they had the ability to communicate with a crisis room, their committee room, and delegates from any of the other twelve committees. Not only did the actions of a single delegate thus affect the members of their own committee, they also had the potential to influence the decisions of hundreds of other South American public officials. Such was the interconnectivity of NYUMUNC’s committees that the murder of a Venezuelan government official Saturday morning prompted 3 press releases from neighboring nations by noon and 2 inter-committee meetings by 3 PM. From the creation of an exclusionary South American energy ring to an endless stream of cross-border corruption allegations, NYUMUNC V vividly portrayed the complexity of South American relations.

Earlier this month, the New York University Model United Nations Conference simulated a thirteen-way Joint Crisis Conference. Some will view it as a niche conference that abates the desires of crisis delegates. For others, the temptation to continue simulating  large GAs will be too great. Yet this 13-way JCC Conference represents the role crisis committees should play in the future of Model United Nations. Crisis committees should simulate the world not as it ought be, but as it truly is.

Congratulations to:

Harvard University-Best Large Delegation

MIT- Best Small Delegation

This Recap was provided by CMUNC’s Secretary-General, Gerrit Wissink

This year’s Cornell Model United Nations Conference commenced on April 10^th in scenic Ithaca on Cornell University’s campus. Over 600 high school students from across the world filed into Cornell’s Bailey Hall for Opening Ceremonies. The Secretariat was joined by keynote speaker, Susan Reichle, the Agency Counselor of USAID, who gave an inspiring speech about being a leader and making valuable change. Her speech encouraged delegates to pursue diplomacy during debate and broaden their horizons while chasing their future goals.  Ms. Reichle’s work with nations such as Russia, Colombia, and Haiti encouraged delegates that cooperation with foreign nations promotes positive change.  The theme encouraged delegates to stand up for what they believe in and become leaders today.

Susan Reichle at Opening Ceremonies

This year’s conference featured exciting and innovative committees including The Salem Witch Trials, the Non-Governmental Organization Forum, and the Joint Crisis Committee for Secret Cold War. Delegates competed fiercely through four challenging, but enjoyable days. The CMUNC staff expertly staged creative crisis situations that shocked and thrilled the delegates.  During mid-night crisis, the Emperor from the Taiping Rebellion Committee was assassinated and delegates had to quickly respond to the aftermath.

Outside of debate, there were several events that delegates had the opportunity to take part in.  They were able to take tours of Cornell’s campus, participate in MUN 101, and get an “International Affair” sandwich at Collegetown Bagels.  The proceeds from Jar Wars, our candy grams, and the sandwich went to our philanthropy, Samasource.  On Saturday night, delegates and staffers were able to unwind and have fun at the Delegate Dance hosted at the Museum of the Earth.  Delegates were able to dance the night away surrounded by some incredible fossils.

After an unbelievably marvelous weekend, the conference culminated and the awards were presented.  Best Large Delegation went to the Horace Mann School and Outstanding Large Delegation went to the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Best Small Delegation went to West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South and Outstanding Small Delegation went to The Masters School. Overall, the Secretariat and staff were impressed and inspired by the high level of debate all weekend and look forward to another great conference next year. Congratulations to everyone on four days of amazing debate and fun!

Here are some photos from the conference:

CMUNC Staff

Salem Witch Trials committee

UN Reforms committee

Delegate dance

Congratulations to the new O-MUN Student Leaders! On behalf of THIMUN Online Model United Nations, Director, Ms. Lisa Martin would like to make the following announcement:

The announcement of student leadership positions at THIMUN Online has become one of my favorite days of the year. And last night was the much anticipated reveal of the 2014-15 leadership team. This group of high school students from over 21 nations will work to promote and expand the online debate’s program.

Our Secretary General, Rohan Sinha, hails from Taiwan, and becomes our first male SG.  He will be supported  by his Deputies Secretary General Andrea He (Asia), Elizabeth Kitange (Africa), Ashish Tharoor (Middle East), Henry Zink (Europe) and Alex Nguyn (Americas). Additionally, O-MUN’s specialty programs, also headed up by DSGs include Dylan Sexton (Global Debates), Wesley Chen (Special Conferences), Hana Seita (Moderator Training) , Timothy Shu (ICJ) and Cem Gokmen (Public Affairs). This last DSG position was one developed through discussions with current leadership team members, as they saw a need to focus on educational outreach and needed a person to lead it up. Cem will also continue as our all-important Technology Officer.

Our Global Leadership Team is made up of individuals from almost every continent and together work to provide the logistical support to get debates planned and programs delivered. Kari P-Grau  (USA) will ably continue in the difficult Community Development Officer position, and be supported by Ananya Saxena (UAE) in the Social Media Officer position. Abhishek Patel (Zimbabwe) will take on a new position-Educational Outreach Officer and work to develop Socratic Seminars, Google+ current events discussions and more. Bassim Eledath (UAE) will work in Press and Publications, a busy and increasingly important job. Executive Administrative Officers (EAOs) have the important task of doing outreach in their respective countries and helping to organize debates. Our EAO lineup includes Flo Spiekerman (China), Jay Hyun Park (South Korea),York Wang (Taiwan), Jordan Yoong (Singapore), Zohaib Ahmed (India), Amelia Kenna (Jordan), Anurag Srivastava (Qatar), Sarah Tahir (Kuwait), Alia Al-Amarri (Bahrain), Karan Wadhwani (UAE), Maahir Jusabani (Tanzania), Michael Borger (Germany), Tamer Kabo (Turkey), Rayane Hadder (France) and Amit Arkhipov-Goyal (UK). EAO positions are also pending for several other countries/regions.

This year saw a marked increase in applications, as well as an increased level of experience.  The 2014-15 leadership is our strongest yet, and will ably lead the program into new directions in the upcoming year. Congratulations to all our leaders, both new and returning.  Welcome aboard!

*Este resumen fue escrito por Daniela Campillo, una estudiante de grado 12 del Columbus School*

 El modelo de Naciones Unidas del Columbus School, COSMUN (28 a 30 de Abril), inició hace siete años como estrategia para fomentar el aprendizaje y para desarrollar habilidades discursivas en los estudiantes de las escuelas secundarias. La séptima versión de dicho modelo ha tenido un amplia acogida entre los participantes.

El primer día de este gran evento fue un éxito total. Más de 450 delegados distribuidos en catorce comisiones en representación de más de 100 países distintos se vieron involucrados en arduos y profundos debates en torno a las temáticas más trascendentales de la actualidad mundial, tales como el

lavado de dinero, el terrorismo y los conflictos externos de los países involucrados en el modelo, con el propósito de buscar soluciones efectivas y factibles a dichos problemas mundiales.  Este juego de roles no sólo implica destrezas discursivas, sino también actitudinales, comportamentales, y todo un complejo proceso organizacional a nivel de infraestructura, logística, y comunicaciones. Gracias a esto, muchos delegados han tenido la oportunidad de sobresalir y ejercer fuertemente dichas destrezas.

La formación en competencias ciudadanas y la capacidad para ponerse en el lugar del otro como estrategia alternativa de solución de los conflictos soportan el marco teórico de este modelo. La diferencia de edades entre todos los asistentes garantiza el relevo generacional necesario para la continuidad exitosa de modelos venideros.

Situated a stone’s throw away from Colonial Williamsburg, the College of William & Mary seems the perfect place to play pretend. As pseudo-colonials swanned about in coquettish attire recreating the ambience of our nation’s many-splendored past, a host of dedicated William & Mary students donned costumes of their own. Their mission, in keeping with the spirit of Williamsburg, was to use the past and imagined realities to teach lessons for the future through the the medium of Model United Nations. From March 27-30, 2014, William & Mary hosted the second iteration of &MUN, bringing together delegates from universities across the nation to participate in six small, crisis-driven committees. As a fledgling conference, &MUN offers delegates and staff alike a great forum for learning and growth, and Best Delegate had the opportunity to witness the events of the weekend unfold firsthand.

At the crossroads of Modern & Traditional: The William & Mary School of Education, where &MUN II was held (top) and history in action at Colonial Williamsburg (bottom).

From the outset, it was apparent that &MUN is unique in several aspects independent of its novelty, such as its commitment to personalizing the conference experience for delegates and to “reactivity,” a motif throughout this year’s conference. In an effort to create more of a community, the conference deviated from the traditional Thursday evening conference schedule of opening ceremonies followed by the first committee session, opting instead for committee dinners to give delegates the opportunity to get to know their fellow committee members and chairs in an informal setting before the competition kicked off. This set-up also solves the oft-overlooked logistical unpleasantry of delegates struggling to bring their A-game to the conference’s first session while exhausted from what is often an entire day or more of travelling to get to the conference. With &MUN’s schedule, delegates can relax for the first night, get a feel for the conference venue and the people in their committee, and start committee session on Friday morning (hopefully) well-rested and better prepared.

Diving in: Delegates in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization respond to crisis video updates.*

Before delegates broke off into their individual committees, opening ceremonies keynote speaker, Patrick N. Theros, former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, set the stage for a weekend of diplomatic debate. Calling diplomacy the “second oldest profession,” he discussed with delegates the skills and virtues a good diplomat must have, citing flexibility, focus, physical courage, and the ability to “learn from [your] background without letting it define [you]” as qualities integral to the profession. Theros also described the mindset necessary for the field, saying, “The question is never, ‘If I were a Russian, what would I do?’; it is ‘What will Russia do? Pursuing US policy requires that you know and understand the actual sources of policy in other states.” The speech concluded with a question and answer session in which Theros also gave delegates personal insight into what they could expect from a career in diplomacy. “Good diplomats are like good light infantry,” he imparted, “You push and you probe, you push and you probe, and hopefully you accomplish your mission.”

Ambassador Patrick Theros with Secretary-General Rachel Fybel (left) and Director of External Relations Alexcia Chambers (right). (Photo Credit to Harini Manikandan, Molly Menickelly, and Carly Lin of &MUN.)

Over the next several committee sessions, delegates did just that, trying every diplomatic move in their playbook to succeed at their various missions in committee. And on the other side of the committee doors, the &MUN staff worked tirelessly to make the experience as realistic and interesting as possible for the delegates. Having served on the secretariat of &MUN I as the Director of External Relations, &MUN II Secretary-General Rachel Fybel came into the role of Secretary-General fully understanding the importance of creating a great delegate experience, particularly for a young conference. In a rare moment of downtime, Fybel gave Best Delegate some insight into the driving vision behind &MUN, emphasizing its dichotomous nature. “We think of the ampersand as a connective evocative of the dual nature of &MUN,” she explained, “History & Innovation, Modern & Traditional; &MUN synthesizes these qualities into a conference that strives to provide the best of both worlds.” Taking the lead on such an ambitious endeavor is no picnic, though. In fact, Fybel jokingly compared the build-up to &MUN to her future wedding day, complete with rehearsals, nerves, and emotions gone wild. She has great pride in the dedication of her staffers and the enthusiasm of her delegates, and it shows.

Teamwork: Secretary-General Rachel Fybel poses with Director-General Jared Miller.

The &MUN II secretariat and staff, who had been “hand-selected for greatness,” certainly went above and beyond to ensure that &MUN delivered on both the historical and innovative fronts. A quick peek into the staff headquarters revealed a large number of enthusiastic, energetic staff ready for crisis action as they stood equipped with the latest gadgets and gizmos and what looked like half of Party City or the drama department’s prop collection. At the front of the room directing operations (and sporting hats from the crisis stash) were Collin Jones and Eleanor Trott, the Under Secretary-Generals for Committees and for Simulations, respectively.  Best Delegate had the opportunity to chat with both Trott and Jones to learn more about the unique committee structure of &MUN, in between the execution of various crises, of course.

Under Secretaries-General Collin Jones (left) and Eleanor Trott (right) pose in crisis gear at the &MUN staff headquarters.

Jumping on the trend across the American Model UN circuit towards crisis rather than General Assemblies, &MUN has joined the small handful of conferences that are comprised exclusively of crisis committees (WPMUNI and VICS being other examples). Jones, who had served as a crisis director for the UNSC at &MUN I, explained that, while there were no GAs, the selection of committees at &MUN II had been consciously crafted to provide a healthy mix of historical and future-thinking formats, as well as governmental and UN bodies.  This mix is evident in the committees offered, namely the “Committee for the Re-Election of the President, 1971,” “Paralyzing the Asymmetrical Threat: United States National Security Council,” the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” the “United Nations Security Council,” “With This Shield or On It: Gerousia, 480 B.C.,” and the “Ad-Hoc Committee of the Secretary-General.” Jones stepped into the role of USG for Committees armed with a wealth of experience from competing in various committees as a delegate himself, having been on the circuit since 7th grade. In the lead-up to &MUN II, he worked with the committee chairs and crisis directors to come up with a crisis framework with one “main branch,” as well as side notes and alternatives, with the ultimate goal of being “reactive” to the course of events in the committee.

Crisis in action: &MUN staffers take on the roles of representatives from the P5 countries and simulate a meeting at the UN for two delegates from the USNSC.

Trott, who served as the USG for Crisis for the first round of &MUN, elaborated upon this goal of “reactivity,” saying that it meant the ability to react rapidly and effectively to the unfolding of events in the crisis committees, as well as to feedback from delegates. As this year’s &MUN attracted three times more delegates than the first round, with 139 of the registered 150 delegates attending, she stressed that this flexibility was crucial, as there were many challenges and differences to adapt to with the expanded conference size. Unlike Jones, Trott, who is a Geology and Art student at the College, actually does not compete on the circuit, and thus brings a balance of perspective to the team. She identified the technological aspect as one of the defining features of the &MUN crisis model, saying that they had reserved “half the media center” for use during the conference. The equipment, like the School of Education (built only in 2010) in which the conference was held, was all state-of-the-art technology, and helped facilitate the speed at which the staffers got updates together, as well as the quality of the finished products. To further facilitate communication between delegates and crisis staffers, the crisis directors in each committee would gather all delegate notes in a box, which a member of staff would periodically pick up and bring to the crisis staff HQ for response and execution. Both Jones and Trott expressed the pride they felt in seeing how quickly the &MUN staff was able to respond to and fix any problems, and how the delegates were having a good time in their sessions. “I hope delegates walk away with a unique experience and having learned a lot from their individual committees…and that they come back for &MUN III!” Jones added.

Lights, camera, (re)action! The crisis staff don their gear to simulate realistic crises for the committees.

One committee sure to leave delegates with a unique experience was &MUN II’s Ad-Hoc, chaired by Connor Smith. Smith was the Secretary-General for &MUN I, and has thus seen the conference from multiple perspectives. Smith shared with us the vision behind Ad-Hoc, which centered on Transnistria, a Moldovan de facto state bordering the Ukraine. “My goal for Ad-Hoc this year was to stay as true to the unique dynamics of this type of committee as humanly possible,” he explained. “To this end, we did not reveal our topic until delegates walked into the first committee session, and they picked their positions as they entered the room. We had four cryptic clues attached to emails in the week leading up to the conference, and listening to how the delegates interpreted them was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. These were important to make sure they acquired a bit of background about the regional context without figuring out the topic itself.”

Delegates analyze a detailed map of the contested region provided by the Ad-Hoc crisis staff.

As every delegate who has ever been in an Ad-Hoc knows, the arrangement of Ad-Hocs as “blind” committees, where delegates know virtually no information about their position and are thus unable to research beforehand, makes preparation extraordinarily difficult. &MUN II’s Ad-Hoc strove to alleviate some of the burden on delegates. “It was extraordinarily challenging to make sure that the delegates had enough information for informed debate,” Smith acknowledged, “Given that the topic of de facto states and Transnistria is rather obscure, we put a lot of time into creating colorful back-stories for our positions and distilling the unique post-conflict dynamic of the region into digestible briefs. We also invited a William & Mary faculty member specializing on Eurasian statebuilding to answer questions before delegates began debate to make sure they nailed down the dynamics of the problem (and the committee) before we pressed play.”

Teched-up: Delegates in Ad-Hoc monitor the live Twitter feed and updates projected onto the screens in the committee room.

This Ad-Hoc was also unique in its use of heavily-integrated technology and non-traditional formats of debate. “Once we were in the thick of debate, we had set up a TV to display a perpetual Twitter feed that reacted to crisis notes in real-time and we displayed print and video updates about 5 or 6 times per hour,” Smith described. “When we had NATO breathing down our neck in the West and, after a contentious referendum, we voted to join the Russian Federation, we ran a high-pressure war-game for a single session, in which delegates had 10-minute cycles to approve committee directives regarding troop movement and military strategy. This was designed to ensure that no one could simply do battle on the basis of position powers, and I certainly hope it made the classic crisis war-game a more engaging in-room experience. Basically, we just ran the committee I always wanted to be in, and I really just hope our delegates had half as much fun as I did.”

Connor Smith, Secretary-General of &MUN I and Director of the Ad-Hoc Committee for &MUN II, presents the awards for his committee at Closing Ceremonies.

Outside of committee, &MUN II also provided delegates with opportunities to experience the Williamsburg “college town” social scene, in the form of cutely-named events &Chill (a bar crawl) on Friday and &Rage (the delegate social) on Saturday. All in all, it appeared that the goal of bringing a personal touch to the conference was a success. As the last committee session wound to a close, Best Delegate caught up with delegate Elena Stephenson, Stanford Class of 2014, who had the privilege of attending &MUN as a delegate for both years it has been in existence. She described for us what drew her to the conference, saying, “&MUN has, in just two years, become one of my favorite conferences on the circuit for several reasons: first and foremost, it’s very well staffed, leading to extremely quick response times for crisis notes. Crisis in general at &MUN is excellent; the staffers seem excited to deliver each update in various inventive accents and costumes; the updates are frequent and detailed, following a cohesive plan but also allowing delegates plenty of freedom to shape the storyline through their own actions. &MUN also stands out for the incredible friendliness and approachability of their staff, who are able to both be professional and highly competent and make each delegate quickly feel part of a community.”

Up close and personal: Delegates “in the zone” as they engage in deep debate and discussion during their committee sessions.

The community feeling was particularly palpable at closing ceremonies, where the secretariat expressed their heartfelt thanks to each other, the staff, and the delegates for all of the hard work that went into the making of &MUN, both the first and second iterations. Summarizing for us what made &MUN so special, Fybel said, “You can discuss global issues in the classroom, in your papers, or at lunch with your friends, but you don’t always have the opportunity to engage with individuals with similar backgrounds yet different views like this. &MUN provides delegates with this exposure to different perspectives and the opportunity for growth. And when delegates grow, &MUN grows.”

The Secretariat lead the crowd in a rousing chorus of the W&M fight song as they celebrate the close of &MUN II.

Congratulations to the &MUN II staff and delegates on a second conference well done, and Best Delegate wishes you all the best as you continue to grow as a conference in the lead-up to &MUN III!

Awards

Congratulations go to the following schools on their delegation awards:

Best Delegation: George Washington University

The George Washington University Delegation won Best Delegation.

Outstanding Delegation: Duke University

The Duke University delegation won Outstanding Delegation.

Delegates accept their awards at Closing Ceremonies.

Special Thanks

Best Delegate would like to thank the &MUN II secretariat and staff for welcoming us to the William & Mary campus and for giving us an insider’s view of the conference. Special thanks go to secretariat members Rachel Fybel, Jared Miller, Collin Jones, Eleanor Trott, Casey Welsh, Alexcia Chambers, Scott Shapses, and Leena Al-Souki. Thanks also to Alex Richard of Stanford University for his assistance with opening ceremonies coverage, and Elena Stephenson for providing a delegate’s perspective on &MUN for Best Delegate.

*Unless otherwise noted, photos belong to the author.

In the spirit of the ampersand, we have written a two-part feature inspired by the creation of &MUN and other new conferences springing up on the circuit. Click here to read our article on conference planning with exclusive interviews with &MUN alum!

As the school year draws to a close and the circuit slips into its summerly hiatus, the time has come once again to pass on the torch to the next generations of MUN leadership. And while visions of vacation may swim sultry in your heads, now is also a great time to reflect on the lessons of this past year and to make plans for the upcoming year of Model UN, which may include picking leadership for and designing your own college conference. With this in mind, Best Delegate has compiled a guide with tips and ideas to consider when planning a college conference (whether you’re starting from scratch or taking over a well-established conference).

We’ve asked a few William & Mary International Relations Club and &MUN alumni who went through the experience of building a conference themselves for their input in this guide:

From left to right: Samatar Yonis, Connor Smith, and John Kirn.
(Photos Courtesy of the W&M IRC and &MUN Photographers)

John Kirn, William & Mary Class of 2012, served as the President of the International Relations Club (IRC), the overarching organization that oversees the W&M Model UN team, from 2011-2012, during which time the &MUN conference was created and approved. He had previously been involved with the secretariats for four of W&M’s high school MUN conferences.

Connor Smith, William & Mary Class of 2014, served as the Secretary-General for &MUN I, and returned to &MUN II as the Director of the Ad-Hoc Committee of the Secretary-General. He has also been an active member of the William & Mary travel team and a well-known personality on the circuit, serving as his team’s Head Delegate for his final year of college.

Samatar Yonis, William & Mary Class of 2013, served as the Chief of Staff for &MUN I, a position similar in nature to the role of Director-General. He, too, was a member of the William & Mary travel team and an officer in the W&MIRC. He was also involved in leadership and chairing roles for W&M’s high school MUN conferences.

Without further ado, here’s our rundown of things to bear in mind in the making of a MUN conference.

1. Vision

All great conferences start off as great ideas. Not every college with a team that competes on the MUN circuit hosts a conference, so for those that do, it is important to think about what kind of conference you’d like to run: Do you want to have a focus on crisis simulations (à la VICS and &MUN), stick to traditional assemblies (think OxIMUN), or address one uniform crisis across committees (in WPMUNI fashion)? What do you want to be known for as a conference? Will your conference have an overarching theme (that may be conveyed through your opening ceremonies speaker of choice)? Do you want to incorporate philanthropic initiatives or form other partnerships with non-profits or sponsors? How can you draw upon and integrate your conference into your college’s location (through social events, cultural immersion, or sharing the quintessential college experience at your school)? All of these are important questions to consider as you formulate a framework by which to run your conference.

&MUN Weighs In: Can you tell us about some of the driving goals and vision behind &MUN and how it came to be? What obstacles did you face in the “early days” of the planning stages, and how did the finished product of the conference(s) meet your expectations? In your view, what is &MUN’s “brand?”

John: The establishment of a new conference is a chaotic, awesome sight to behold! &MUN was nearly a decade in the making. W&M has had a high school conference (WMHSMUN – William and Mary High School Model United Nations) for over a quarter of a century and a middle school conference (WMIDMUN – William and Mary MIDdle School Model United Nations) for over a decade. The IRC is one of the largest student organizations at W&M. The members are supremely dedicated to MUN and have a particular love for hosting crisis committees. Many even came to W&M after attending WMHSMUN and/or WMIDMUN as a delegate! Moreover, the IRC had been hosting large, well run, well recognized conferences for years. There was always a discussion about next steps as the existing conferences matured into large, professionally run operations. When I was elected Club President in April 2011, I was in the midst of a month and a half long spring break backpacking trip traversing three continents in the middle of a semester abroad – not necessarily a period conducive to strategic planning. However, after numerous Skype brainstorming sessions with the newly elected board, I became convinced that the idea of a college conference deserved a thorough and sanctioned review as the goals and priorities we had established for the year would help address a number of the hardest limitations [to hosting a college conference].

Connor: The major goal for &MUN II was to preserve the novel aspects of &MUN I, while switching a few things up as a means of working towards institutionalizing the conference model. Watching that actually happen has been absolutely wonderful for me. I definitely think the staff and delegates’ excitement for &MUN II exceeded my expectations, and after all that work on the front-end to get the conference off the ground, it was amazing to see it propelled by its own momentum. For us, the all-crisis model made sense for a variety of reasons. First, even though we were starting off with lower numbers, this gave us the ability to run several smaller committees and provide a diversity of topics. This is also meant that we could employ a large, enthusiastic staff in the crisis room, all of whom also brought their topical preferences and passions into the conference development process.

Samatar: &MUN is unique because the staff works tirelessly during the conference to cater to the interests of the delegates, ensuring that they have the freedom and ability to express and craft the flow of events in their committee into what they really envision it becoming. The personal attention to detail from the secretariat, directors, and staffers is why delegates state they have an incredible time at &MUN.

Look familiar? Sites and sights of Model UN conferences, clockwise from top left corner: Yale University campus, Cloud Gate in downtown Chicago, NCSC host hotel in Bethesda, San Francisco iconic view, Philadelphia City Hall near the UPMUNC hotel, and Jefferson Library at West Point.

2. Location, location, location

As with real estate, one of the main selling points of a conference can be its location. Indeed, one of the “selling points” for doing Model UN is the ability and motive to travel to other cities, states, or countries and to experience other colleges’ campuses.  When selecting a location for your conference, there are many factors to consider: Should you have your conference on campus or in a hotel? Which would provide the best resources, and which is more conducive to executing the overall vision of the conference? If you’re holding it on campus, should you try to secure one building, or can you have committees spread out in available rooms across campus? What does your city or campus offer in the way of the “tourist” or “novelty” factor (i.e. what would visitors want to see or experience while there)? You may want to include a campus tour, (suggested) excursions in the city, or activities specific to your college identity as part of your conference programming. Although the location of your conference may seem like a logistical triviality, it can actually become an integral part of the conference’s identity. With WPMUNI, for instance, the containment of the conference within one building (the library) was crucial to the execution of the six-way joint crisis committee apparatus. With &MUN, a young conference with such small, personalized committees, it was a similar situation. Other conferences, such as NCSC and UCBMUN, are hosted in hotels off-campus, but have built-in programming to ensure that delegates also get to experience the surrounding city as well as the host school’s campus. Whatever you decide, you should carefully consider how the location you select reflects or fits in with the overall vision for your conference.

&MUN Weighs In: How and why did you select the School of Education as the location for &MUN? How did the location influence the structure of your conference(s)?

John: The existing [middle and high school] conferences utilized on-campus spaces (over half of the rooms on campus). However, college conferences last a day longer than the grade school instances, pushing committee sessions into the school week when classrooms are not available. Off campus locations of sufficient size and reasonable cost would be very distant and hard to staff. Ultimately, while conference centers as far away as Richmond and Virginia Beach were considered, the newly constructed School of Education and Executive Conference Center on campus could provide a reasonable rental rate without supplanting classroom space. We couldn’t have asked for better timing!

Connor: [The structure of the conference as an all-crisis one] was also a factor of space constraints and a desire to retain a really close connection between our staff and our delegates by bringing them all together as much as possible. Since it’s become more possible with our space this year, the idea of adding a single GA has been floating around, but we’ll have to do a lot more research to see if there’s a demand for that. At the end of the day, since we are still so young, next year’s conference model is still very flexible, and we’re in a good place to incorporate this year’s feedback into planning for &MUN III.

Throwback to &MUN I: The secretariat and staff of &MUN I pose together at Closing Ceremonies.
(Photo Credit to Stephanie Faucher and Lynn Nakamura of &MUN)

3. (Wo)manpower and Resources

One of the most challenging aspects of running a college conference can be building up a strong base of staff members to implement the execution of the conference in the preparation and “game day” stages. Some schools are blessed with large, active international relations clubs or Model UN programs, but others may have a smaller base of “constituents” to draw upon. Therefore, recruitment can be crucial. You want to ensure that you have the proper balance of personalities on your secretariat to accomplish your goals. Appeal to the entire student body during recruitment; sometimes the best personnel can come from outside of the traditional MUNisphere. Think, for instance, of how great drama students would be at crisis! As you create your secretariat, carefully consider each position; what responsibilities will the role entail, and who would best fill it?

&MUN Weighs In: What kinds of consideration went into selecting the staff for your conference(s)? As we learned from interviewing this year’s secretariat, &MUN II attracted nearly triple the number of delegates than &MUN I. What challenges did this pose on the staffing side of things? Do you think the number of delegates at &MUN will continue to grow even more?

John: People are the greatest asset. A secretariat cannot run a conference alone. Dedicated, passionate staff who are truly invested in the conference are the most important resource. To that end, after additional consultations at the beginning of the fall 2011 semester, I established the College Conference Committee as the official exploratory body. Connor Smith, the future Secretary-General of &MUN I, was selected by application as the chair of the committee. Interested club members formed the bulk of the committee, but outspoken critics also provided much needed debate on key topics. Working with Connor, I leveraged my experiences on previous secretariats to ensure that the committee worked in a structured manner towards an achievable vision that could receive broad approval.

Samatar: &MUN I’s secretariat was selected because we all had essential talents. Connor and Caroline had the initial vision for &MUN. Eleanor and Abhi knew how to run dynamic crisis committees. Rachel and Shivani were organizing rock stars hammering out every detail. Harini and Roma understood how to promote success and excitement. Yena was our resident tech wizard. Iman and Natalie brought enormous passion for ideas and ingenuity. And Lucas and I were the men who could lead and manage our huge IR Club staff. During the actual conference, as Chief of Staff my biggest job was ensuring clear and quick communication. That meant leading the staffers by making certain they knew what and where they needed to be at all times. There is nothing worse than staffers appearing unprofessional because they didn’t have clear instructions. In terms of preparation for the conference, I was involved with logistics and planning; two aspects I find can truly make a delegate’s experience of a conference if done well.

Connor: I think that the most pressing goal in terms of maintaining the staff to delegate ratio is to make sure that we don’t over-register, and that we’re able to attract the right people to help us build our model. Also, since I absolutely adore our venue (the William & Mary School of Education) and we face some pretty tight space constraints for the time being, I don’t see our cap going up for at least the next couple of years.

4. Funding

Money may be the root of evil, but it also makes the world go ‘round. And as much as we like to forget about funding in the course of committee, the MUN world is not exempt from this fact of life. When planning a college conference, funding can be one of the biggest hurdles. Many college MUN programs receive money from the university or raise enough to fund their travel teams, but that budget may not stretch to cover the costs of a college conference. Think about ways to grow your budget, whether that’s through applying for additional fees from your university administration, reaching out to your program’s alumni to request aid, or making changes to internal spending (i.e. consider reducing delegation sizes you send to conferences, or knocking one conference off the roster, or cutting down on team-sponsored social events). Of course, whichever strategy you take will require you to weigh the pros and cons; if you have to give up aspects of your MUN program that are valuable to you as a team, you may decide a college conference isn’t worth it. However, here are a few other fundraising ideas that may help:

• United Nations Day: Organize a campus-wide celebration of UN Day (this year it’s on Friday, October 24th) with a series of events that you can charge a small admission fee for (i.e. invite speakers that will attract a large crowd, or host your own mini UN film festival), and/or merchandise you can sell.

• Benefit concerts: Team up with popular musical or theater groups on campus or invite artists to donate their time to your cause, and charge admission to their performance.

• Casino Night: Channel your inner James Bond or Revenge and host a casino night on campus, and charge an admission fee or for poker chips.

• International Festival: In the same vein as UN Day, team up with culturally-oriented student groups to put on a festival with booths representing a multitude of countries, with food, music, and cultural demonstrations. This event could also attract people from the broader community outside and around campus.

• Charity Ball: Imagine the delegate socials you’ve been to in your time on the circuit. Now class it up a notch, hire a band or DJ, pick a theme, and charge admission.

• High School or Middle School Conferences: Most colleges already host their own high school conferences, but if you don’t, this can be a valuable source of revenue and serves as the bulk of several teams’ budgets. There is an increasing demand for Middle School conferences as well, so consider hosting even a one-day conference on your campus for local Middle Schools. The smaller conference model also works for novice schools that are just getting started at Model UN and want a more low-key, training-focused event to attend. Finally, if you already host both a high school and middle school conference, consider either fundraising at these events through the sale of conference-themed merchandise or increasing the number of delegates.

• Sponsorship: Of course, if you don’t have the revenue to run with any of these fundraising initiatives in the first place, a good option is to reach out to international affairs-oriented companies and ask for sponsorship. A few conferences on the circuit have successfully received sponsorship from airlines in exchange for advertising the company on the conference materials, having representatives from the company on-site, and conducting a raffle to win a free trip on the airline. On a slightly different note, think of reaching out to companies that could supply you with materials you’d need for the conference free of charge (i.e. pens, notepads, folders, etc.) in exchange for a similar set-up.

Also keep in mind that, while college conferences do make up a lot of their costs through delegate fees, as a new conference, you may not be able to charge fees as high as some of the more established conferences. Additionally, as you grow as a conference, you should consider offering some form of financial aid (i.e. a reduction or waiving of fees) for schools or delegates that wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise. In the long run, this can prove very beneficial, as it will expand your reach and reputation as a conference.

&MUN Weighs In: What were the major financial constraints and goals you faced going into &MUN I and II, and how did you deal with them?

John: The club’s financial position was always precarious and heavily dependent on the level of Board focus and leadership. Starting the conference at a loss could have great financial impacts that could end the club as we knew it. We therefore repaired and buffered the Club’s finances so any major loss of revenue or unplanned outlay would be survivable.

Connor: The major financial goal of the conference is to be revenue-neutral, so before we explore too much expansion, we also need to make sure we’re more than comfortable with our model and have a few more years of institutionalization to lay the groundwork for any major logistical changes.

The United Nations General Assembly

5. Targeting Your Audience: If you build it, will they come?

Arguably the most important question to consider of all of these when planning a conference is whether there is demand for your conference; in other words, if you build it, will they come? Which schools would your conference attract, either regionally or content-wise? In terms of timing, how does your conference fit in with all of the major ones on the circuit? What contacts do you have on the circuit that you can reach out to as you build your brand? Talk to the schools you traditionally work with or socialize with at other conferences to get a gauge for whether their school would be willing and able to come to your conference if you hosted one. Once you’ve established that the general demand is there, work on fleshing out the conference programming and tailoring it to your “customer” base (i.e. the delegates who would be attending your conference). Your opening ceremonies speaker, your social events, your committee topics, your extra-committee activities: this is the time to take your “vision” for the conference and turn it into a reality.

&MUN Weighs In: Can you give us some insight as to what was going on in your minds when you first embarked on this journey of building a brand new conference? What were your major concerns, considerations, and roadblocks? What delegate base did you hope to attract and how did you go about doing so? What are your goals for &MUN III and beyond?

John: In addition to the areas for consideration that I previously expressed (budget, etc.), there were also logistical questions of timing and even what to do about the social events. The Club adores the other conferences on the circuit and finding a time that didn’t overlap with important campus events or other conferences seemed impossible. Much creative thinking and many scratched out ideas narrowed the timeline for when a conference was possible. We mapped out timelines for campus events, the academic calendar, other conferences, and the energy levels of our members before deciding on a time. Additionally, Williamsburg is a beautiful college town with many famous tourist attractions. Night life, however, was not necessarily a strong point. How could we replicate the McMUN bar crawl or the beloved Cabaret night of WorldMUN? Over the course of a year, the number of bars (“Delis”) and social spaces doubled; this allowed for more expansive social plans than could have been imagined! Turning to strengths, reputation-wise, Club members enjoyed camaraderie on the circuit where I believed we were and are known for our professionalism, deep knowledge, and as fun, easygoing friends. The Club has also enjoyed ongoing success at many conferences, especially WorldMUN.

In the end, final approval for a new conference would have to be granted by the approximately 150-member Club as a whole via a Constitutional amendment. Alternative avenues for growth and development were pitched and numerous club meetings concentrated on the impact a new conference would have on the IRC family. As the Club President, I felt it my duty to evaluate and work with competing ideas with a fair hand and charitable understanding. After months of sometime contentious debate, detailed plan presentations, and political wrangling from which I’ll spare you the details, the proposal for a College Conference was approved by a supermajority of the IRC. The budget was now resilient, the popular interest solidified, the administration placated, the location secured, the social events expanded, and the timing identified. The conference was supported by a passionate, experienced, and well respected group of individuals who still make up many of my closest friends. I’m delighted the conference has grown and continued to transform over the last two years!

Samatar: When we started working on the first &MUN, we were constantly aware of the fact that &MUN’s future depended upon how great an experience delegates had at the first one. We were very aware that how we crafted &MUN I would set precedence for the manner in which it would be organized from then on. So we put an incredible amount of effort into tinkering with what events to do and where to do them in order to make certain we had the best combination possible for people to rave about the conference to the rest of the MUN circuit. The &MUN II Secretariat have done an incredible job continuing that. The most rewarding part of it all was hearing the delegates express three things: 1) how high the quality of this first time conference was, 2) just how much downright fun they’d had the whole time, and 3) how awesome it was having Ambassador Thomas Pickering as the guest speaker. The most challenging part was ensuring that every idea and event had been thought through in every manner possible to make certain that &MUN I would be as satisfying to the delegates and staff as we felt it would be to us on the secretariat. I’m proud to say it was.

Connor: From a larger strategic perspective, I would love to see &MUN continue building its attendee base and serving as a hub for teams mostly competing at the major Northeast and West Coast conferences, as well as schools that usually stick to the Southern circuit. Overall, it should be a story of balance: choosing committees that are innovative and interesting, but still realistically grounded in the dynamics of international relations; increasing the level of debate and sophistication in our committees, but always retaining the emphasis on creating genuine camaraderie among our delegates and staff; and hosting new teams without losing our personal connection with our friends who have supported us from the beginning. I think that, if the &MUN brand can continue standing for these things, that word will keep spreading about what we’re building here.

***

While there is no magic formula to running a college conference, the above guide should serve a useful starting point for the brainstorming and planning process. Whether you have just inherited the role of Secretary-General for a seasoned conference, are taking the lead on establishing a brand new one, or are simply looking for a way to mitigate your MUN withdrawal symptoms before you resume the delegate life in the Fall, we at Best Delegate wish you all the best in your future MUN endeavors.

Thanks to John, Connor, and Samatar for providing their input and insight into the college conference-planning experience!

The following recap was provided by secretary-general Serena Frechter, head delegates Kai Salem and Clem Aeppli, and delegate Hunter Moskowitz from Concord Academy.

It was a cold Saturday morning on April 5th, but that did not stop over a hundred hungry MUNers from showing up to CAMUN 2014, Concord Academy’s ninth annual Model UN conference.

CAMUN 2014 started the minute CAMUN 2013 ended. Last year’s secretariat gathered around at the follow-up meeting, eating pizza and calling out suggestions for the next year: “Let’s have more committees than ever!” “We should contact our guest speaker earlier.” “How about a community service component?”

Over the next months, we watched CAMUN 2014, the 9th annual conference held at Concord Academy, take shape. The five committees–including a GA, a Security Council, one historical committee, one modern specialized committee, and one time- and space- bending experimental committee–were led by a team of experienced Concord Academy delegates.

“Led by the largest group of seniors ever assembled in our Model UN Club, CAMUN 2014 went flawlessly. The talented and decorated secretariat knows how to win gavels, and showed all the delegates in attendance that they knew how to use them as well. ” Serena Frechter, the Secretary-General, knew that this was the year–ten years after the inaugural conference–for the biggest CAMUN yet.

All the committees were anchored by strong work from the crisis team. Crisis Director Nathan Greess had planned out several press releases and had even recorded newsflashes, complete with the NBC theme song, for the committees. However, the team demonstrated an admirable ability to think on its feet: Even the GA had a surprise crisis towards the end of the day. Events ranged from attempted takeover in the Cuban Revolution committee to the discovery of an international, illegal weapons cartel in the Security Council. Throughout, the Chairs were in contact with the crisis room and their specific crisis staffer, using a set of custom email accounts to ensure communication.

One unique committee stood out at the end of the day: Ignoring the laws of time and space, the United Minds for an Ethical Future Committee brought together philosophers of all eras to the year 2015 to debate issues such as human cloning and overpopulation. UMEF chair Mary Hollinger said “As I was watching Thoreau and Confucius debate the future of humanity, I was struck by the competence and dedication of the delegates; our debate reflected their interest in and the importance of the issue and their philosophies.” Delegates praised this committee as their best MUN experience ever.
However, the quality of debate and the enthusiasm of delegates in this committee was only a sample of the fabulous experience as a whole of CAMUN 2014.

Choate Rosemary Hall walked away victorious, winning Best Delegate on nearly every committee. An independent delegation from Boston University Academy also had great success, with every delegate winning an award. However, awards were just an embellishment on an already stimulating and rewarding day. CAMUN 2014 saw the true values of Model UN shine through: thoughtful consideration of important issues, dedicated debate, and clever diplomacy.

If you have any questions about CAMUN 2014, or have any questions for the CAMUN team, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at modelun@nullconcordacademy.org! You can also visit our website, camun.org.

Child labor regulation met nuclear proliferation in the General Assembly.

Delegates in the Security Council debate the illicit international arms trade.

Delegates in UMEF represented philosophers from throughout history.

Delegates in General Assembly.

Chairs presenting awards for Cuban Revolution (above) and UMEF (below)

This article was submitted by Thomas Schalke of Bard College

This past February, Bard College hosted a unique conference called: Bard One Day Youth Model United Nations (BODYMUN).  This conference managed to compress the entirety of a three-day conference into a mere three hours. Bard Model UN created a teaser of the Model UN experience designed to entice students who may have thought that Model UN wasn’t for them, or for those unwilling to commit to a full conference.

Rory Mondshein and Riyad Anwar, co-trainers at the World Federation of the United Nations Associations
Photo by Tamar Sandalon, Bard College

BODYMUN was also noted for its international nature. Thanks to this conference, Bard leveraged its relationships with Smolny College, and the American University of Central Asia, to allow students from Russia, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan to actively engage as participants in the conference. Further, Rory Mondshein, President Emeritus of Bard’s Model UN team and one of the primary organizers of the event, was able to bring a delegation from Indonesia to participate in the conference through her connections with Best Delegate, the source for everything Model UN.

The international students appreciated the conference largely because of the helpfulness of the staff. Travelling internationally to attend a Model UN conference when one is new to Model UN is a daunting task or new delegates, but Bard students worked hard to help. They assisted in transportation, and were available during the conference to assist with parliamentary procedures.

Waode Dwi Rahayu Merdeka Wati, the head delegate of Universitas Hasanuddin, states “We are so happy that our Model UN team managed to join Bard Crisis. Our delegation received more than what we could expect, for the first time in our Model UN history we were given an opportunity to taste a crisis simulation. Being in something new to was a terrifying thing, but luckily, the crisis director tutored us in parliamentary procedure of crisis simulations. Aside from that, Bard College Model UN students also provided us with significant assistance such as they guided us to Bard College and they managed all of our itinerary needs during our stay there. We might only know each other from social media, but the moment we met felt as if we had been best friends for years. This kind of hospitality is what would make us the most. Thank you Bard College.”

BODYMUN sought to provide a Model UN experience that everyone could enjoy, even if they had little to no background in International Relations or Model UN. The short duration of the conference allowed people to participate who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to experience Model UN. Most large Model UN conferences require students to miss class, do weeks worth of extensive research, and spend an entire weekend away from campus with almost no time to do homework. This is an enormous commitment to make, and can sometimes dissuade people from taking part.

Jeyrana Shafiyeva of Smolny College, states “Participation in BODYMUN was my first serious experience in United Nations simulations so I would like to express my gratitude to its organizers, Bard and Indonesian students for making it interesting, valuable, and unforgettable.”

The international nature of BODYMUN was also a boon for some of the American students who participated. One of the many benefits of Model UN is that students are forced to consider issues from another person’s point of view. They not only seek to understand what a country has done about a topic in the past, but also attempt to accurately reflect the countries’ future decisions. “BODYMUN was really a great experience having all of these people from all over the world discussing international affairs. You got to see many different global perspectives on issues through intelligent discourse”, says Templeton Kay, from Red Hook High School.

Cooperation with the Indonesian delegation from Universitas Hasanuddin, BODYMUN was also able to begin a cross-cultural exchange through Model UN. “With abundant fun and challenges the Crisis Committee had, there is no doubt that the Crisis Simulation would be the new trends for Indonesian Model UN Conference” says Riyad Febrian Anwar, Vice Head Delegate of Universitas Hasanuddin.

BODYMUN organizers: Professor Jonathan Becker, President Gabriel Matsakis, President Emeritus Rory Mondshein, and Professor James Ketterer
Photo by Tamar Sandalon, Bard College

James Ketterer and Jonathan Becker, the professors of Model UN, considered the MUN conference a great success.

Ketterer, Bard’s head of Center for Civic Engagement says, “The Bard Model UN team has been working hard to develop a multifaceted approach to learning about international organizations and the conduct of diplomacy. The event on campus this semester successfully included a partner MUN from Indonesia and also presented MUN and its work to new students.”

Becker, Bard’s vice-president and Dean of International Affairs and Civic Engagement adds, “Bard considers itself a private institution in the public interest. For us, civic engagement is not just something we facilitate for our students; it is woven into the fabric of the institution. Bard Model UN’s initiatives, like Bard’s One Day Youth Model UN (BODYMUN) and our annual Oxfam Hunger Banquet, reflect the college’s commitment to active civic engagement and global citizenship. This year, Bard Model UN was fortunate enough to take their active engagement across borders by inviting students from Hasanuddin University to participate in our annual Conference for a Day. The conference, itself, was fantastic, and, to me, exemplified exactly what it means to be a part of a global community.”

Beyond being an excellent conference, which brought students together from all over the world, BODYMUN also worked to correct some of the misconceptions that existed about it, which may prevent students from joining. Most of the misconceptions about Model UN revolved around people being afraid of the workload, doubting they would enjoy it. Many seemed to think that Model UN conferences were particularly nerdy ways of role-playing, which nothing could be learned from. However, as an activity, Model UN has the potential to teach students a multitude of important life skills, including giving participants in the confidence the necessary skills to speak in front of large groups of people, and teaching students the intricacies of foreign affairs.

Universitas Hasanuddin students with their Bard hosts.
Photo by Tamar Sandalon, Bard College

Rory Mondshein elaborated further on some of the misconceptions Model UN faces, “one of the main reasons that people do not join is because they are under the impression that Model UN requires a specialization in politics. We developed this Conference for a Day to show people that Model UN is an open and inclusive activity that anyone can jump into, regardless of their specialization. We frame Model UN as a learning experience, and we show our participants that Model UN delegates are always improving.”

BODYMUN was a resounding success. In addition to bringing students together from across the globe for this innovative one-day conference, BODYMUN was able to create a more easily accessible environment for students to actively participate, and was able to move towards abolishing the misconceptions and prejudice against it.

Purpose: The purpose of the College Model UN All-Star Team is to recognize exemplary individuals in the college MUN community who have made a difference inside and outside of committee. These could be but are not necessarily limited to just the best delegates or award winners; conferences already determine those. Rather, the College MUN All-Star Team should be representative of the best and most respected leaders in the community. They are diplomatic and skilled in committee, help strengthen the relationships between schools, provide thought leadership, and make the Model UN experience better for everyone.

Process: College students who participated in at least one college Model United Nations conference in North America were eligible to submit one nomination form of up to ten students on the college circuit. Due to the All-Star Team’s emphasis on community, students were only allowed to nominate up to two delegates from their own school and were not allowed to nominate themselves. The nomination process took place from April 21-28 and was promoted to a wide range of universities by the Best Delegate Media team. Each nominated name received one vote. Ballots were manually edited for spelling inconsistencies and manually checked for validity; only votes from valid ballots counted in the final numbers. Delegates receiving the top number of votes were given All-Star team honors divided into three tiers that reflect the percentage of votes received: this year it was 11 First Team, 15 Second Team, and 16 Third Team.

Credits: Katherine Bonner served as project lead for spreading awareness of the nomination process and sourcing the biographies and photos, and she was assisted by Erik Leiden, Oliver Nacey, Ellen Perfect, and Ashley Rhoades. Thank you to all the individuals for contributing their peers’ biographies and thank you to everyone on the circuit for participating in recognizing their peers for leadership in the community.

All names are in alphabetical order within each tier. Biographies and photos are provided by the All-Star’s peers, typically a leader within the same team.

College MUN All-Star Team (First Team)

Anthony Mercado
Florida International University

Anthony Mercado joined the FIU MUN team during the Spring 2013 semester. He served as Head Delegate and Assistant Program Director during the 2013-2014 year. Mercado received the Best Delegate award at five conferences including UPMUNC, ChoMUN, and UNCMUNC. He has recently accepted a job offer with AON and will begin working at the Miami office in early June.

Apratim Gautam
University of Chicago

Apratim Gautam originally hails from the quaint town of London, and is a rising fourth year at the University of Chicago. One of the head delegates of the team, Apratim was the CCD of the Court of the Jianquing and Ching Shih’s Red Fleet and a chair at ChoMUN last year, as well as having chaired for the last three years at the high school conference, MUNUC. In addition, Apratim was a part of the WEMUN Expo of 2012 and has had a series of exciting investment banking work experiences lined up for his summers.

Eric Wessan
University of Chicago

President of UChicago Model UN, Eric is a graduating senior from the University of Chicago and is famous for his pastels and bowties. Eric has a formidable record and led the team to one to boot. Further, Eric has run three of the largest committees ChoMUN ever had, and also participated in MUNUC this year. Eric will be working in San Francisco this upcoming summer.

Nina Chen
Harvard University

Nina served as co-head delegate of the Harvard MUN team this past academic year. Having started Model UN only in college, Nina has shown unbelievably fast growth as a delegate and immediately became a commanding and strong delegate. Nina is also a particularly charming and kind individual who has made herself an integral part of Harvard’s team not only because of her abilities in committee but also because of the genuine friendships she has built with so many other team members.

Richard Ebright
Harvard University

A man of superhuman work ethic as well as a lover of both science and MUN, Richard has been known to buy local convenience stores out of Red Bull during conferences. During his senior year, Richard served as Secretary General of HNMUN, traveled to four conferences with the Harvard Intercollegiate MUN team, completed a senior thesis on his cancer research, and applied (successfully) to the most competitive M.D.-Ph.D. programs in the country. He will begin at Harvard Medical School in the fall.

Sam Brothers
Georgetown University

Sam is a graduating senior at Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Government and History. He served as Conferences Coordinator for the Georgetown International Relations Club for the 2013-2014 academic year, and has also worked as Undersecretary General for the US National Security Apparatus organ at NAIMUN LI, Georgetown’s high school conference. This spring, he represented Georgetown’s team at its second WorldMUN, where it won Best Small Delegation. Outside of Model UN, he has interned at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. This is Sam’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Shannon Thomas
University of California, Berkeley

Shannon Thomas, a four year veteran of the MUN circuit and two-time Head Delegate of UCBMUN, capped her final Model UN conferences with back to back gavels at both LAMUN and ChoMUN. Both on the circuit and in her studies, Shannon has a passion for the Middle-East, having traveled there multiple times on diplomatic and research efforts through the other organization she is highly involved in – Olive Tree Initiative. This is Shannon’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Theresa Lou
Georgetown University

Theresa is a graduating senior at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service majoring in International Politics with a focus on International Security. She has spent this past year serving as the CEO for the Georgetown International Relations Organization, and was previously Secretary General of NAIMUN L, Georgetown’s high school conference in 2013. Additionally, she represented Georgetown this year at its second WorldMUN. Besides MUN, Theresa has interned at the Council on Foreign Relations. This is Theresa’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Timothy Tsai
Harvard University

Dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in Model UN and to his team, Timothy served as Head Delegate of the Harvard Intercollegiate MUN team for 2012-2013 and later as President of the Harvard International Relations Council for 2013-2014, the parent organization that runs 5 Harvard Model UN conferences in Boston and abroad. Timothy’s leadership has been defined by his devotion to social impact and to his initiatives to increase Harvard’s positive impact around the world. Timothy will be remembered as a herculean figure in the committee room and more importantly, as a man who loved the world and loved his teammates. This is Timothy’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Troy Robinson
University of Florida

A graduating senior, Troy Robinson is a major face of Model United Nations not only within the University of Florida, but throughout the entirety of the MUN circuit. Lovingly known as the “most MUN-obsessed” member of the University of Florida’s Model UN team, Troy is super enthusiastic and loves MUN almost (or even more) than he loves Japanese culture. Serving as UF’s Director of External Affairs, Troy is loved by everyone on the team and continues to offer guidance to current and future delegates within their MUN careers. This is Troy’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Warren Geary
United States Military Academy at West Point

During his time on the West Point Model UN Team, Warren has cultivated an excellent reputation for both his charm and substantive contributions to whatever committee he finds himself in. His passion for Model UN makes him a friend of many on the collegiate Model UN circuit. Warren finished his Model UN career by commanding the fourth West Point Security Conference and by winning a Diplomacy Award at WorldMUN in Brussels, Belgium. This is Warren’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

College MUN All-Star Team (Second Team)

Aaron Kalafarski
University of Florida

Known on the University of Florida’s team as one of their seasoned delegates, Aaron additionally served as the Secretary-General of GatorMUN XI and is always welcoming to any member of the UF team. Aaron’s major satisfaction of MUN comes from teaching others and getting them excited! Demonstrating that passion, he taught with Best Delegate at UF last summer and will serve as a Best Delegate Diplomacy Fellow this summer.

Akhilesh Goswami
University of Pennsylvania

Akhilesh has been competing on Penn’s team for three years.  This past year, he served as the team’s Head Delegate.  Next year, he will serve as the President of the Penn International Affairs Association.  Akhilesh’s MUN achievements this year include a gavel at NCSC on a duel-delegation with Anwar Akrouk.

Connor Smith
College of William & Mary

Connor served as Head Delegate for this year’s William & Mary traveling team, adding a pair of delegation awards to the one he won last year. Aside from his record on the circuit, Connor leaves the William & Mary International Relations Club having rewritten the training regimen for the team while also establishing its &MUN intercollegiate conference in his junior year. This is Connor’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Danial Manzoor
Rutgers University

Senior Danial Manzoor has transformed the Rutgers University Association of International Relations (RUAIR) into one of the best teams in the Model UN circuit. Danial has been an integral part of RUAIR’s success in conferences and he has been an inspiration to the new members of RUAIR, and his mentorship and leadership skills have resulted in unprecedented success for Rutgers in conferences this year.

Erik Leiden
Ohio State University

A rising senior at The Ohio State University, Erik Leiden has undoubtedly been impactful individual in developing OSU’s Model UN program.He was selected as Secretary-General of the Collegiate Council on World Affairs in his freshman year, played a critical role as head delegate, and won Ohio State’s first intercollegiate award at HNMUN. He was recently elected President of the Collegiate Council on World Affairs and will continue to oversee Ohio State’s rising success.

Ethan Roberts
Florida International University

Ethan Roberts joined the FIU Model UN team during the Spring 2013 semester. He received Best Delegate awards in 6 out of 8 conferences. Ethan has previously served as Head Delegate and Assistant Program Director. He has recently been appointed Program Director of the FIU MUN team for the 2014-2015 year, and looks forward to another great year on the circuit for FIU.

Hillary Harlan
Florida State University

Hillary is a recent graduate of the Florida State University, where she earned a B.A. in International Affairs along with a B.S. in Political Science and Economics. In addition to serving as both a crisis director during the first annual Florida Diplomatic and International Security Conference and the Head Delegate of the FSU World Affairs Program for the 2013-14 year, Hillary’s time on the collegiate MUN circuit yielded her four gavels and several other awards in over a dozen conferences attended.

Iman Shakeri
College of William & Mary

Iman Shakeri is a graduating senior and has been a crucial part of the William & Mary International Relations Club and its Model UN team. As Vice President of Campus Affairs this year, Iman helped to expand the club’s presence across campus. On the circuit, Iman became well known for being incredibly adaptable and diplomatic in committee, as well as for his exceptional ability to make sure everyone was having a good time outside of it.

Katherine Ebright
Harvard University

Katherine was one of the co-head delegates of Harvard’s MUN team this past year and was recently elected president of Harvard’s International Relations Council. Already as president Katherine has taken concrete steps to improving the club, which serves as a testament to her dedication to MUN and related extracurriculars. Katherine is an incredibly personable individual who has made many good friends on the circuit.

Katrina Trost
Boston University

Katrina is a fiery presence on the collegiate MUN circuit, and it’s not just because of her hair color. The only thing greater than Katrina’s gavel collection is her passion for Model UN. When she isn’t dominating General Assemblies of every shape and size, Katrina can be seen leading Boston University’s team as their Head Delegate. This BeyMUNce will be graduating this month and will be greatly missed by the entire BU team. This is Katrina’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Michael Ying
Columbia University

Michael Ying is an accomplished and well-loved member of the Columbia University Travel Team. His most recent MUN accolades include a gavel for Best Delegate in UCBMUN’s ad-hoc committee, where he surprised everyone (including himself) by completely rocking a committee on ancient Greece. Michael, a junior, has recently concluded a successful one-year stint as Columbia’s Head Delegate, during which he and co-Head Delegate Chris Crant revolutionized the Columbia Travel Team training procedure.

Pritika Gupta
Emory University

Pritika Gupta is a graduating senior at Emory University. In her years as a member of the Emory Model UN team, she has served as President and Head Delegate, as well as the Undersecretary General for Emory’s conference, MUNE. Pritika is well known on the circuit for not only being an incredible delegate and debater, but also for fostering the values of compromise, mentorship and collaboration within everyone she interacts with. This is Pritika’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Susannah Wang
University of Chicago

Susannah is a Fourth Year at the University of Chicago majoring in Economics and East Asian Civilizations. She is an active member of both U of C’s travel team and conferences staff, as she served as Chair for various committees at the last three ChoMUNs and also served as a former Vice-President of the UChicago team. Susannah is known in and out of committee for her passion, wit, and love for all things MUN. This is Susannah’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Yadavan Mahendraraj
University of Pennsylvania

Yadavan ended his college career on the Model UN circuit this spring.  He served as the Penn International Affairs Association’s president this past year.  Yadavan is not only well-known in the MUN world, but also around Penn’s campus.  He regularly helps to train delegates, to run UPMUNC and ILMUNC, and to plan special events for the members of the Penn team. This is Yadavan’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Yohan Senarath
Clark University

As Head Delegate, Yohan has not only been a major source of encouragement and passion, but also a source of great knowledge. He has been the team’s guru, helping even the most experienced delegates with substantive and strategic committee advice. Although Yohan draws from a massive source of natural talent, he relies heavily on his passionate work ethic and managed to win an award at every competitive conference he attended. He will be attending the Masters of Science in Foreign Policy at Georgetown University this coming fall.

College MUN All Star Team (Third Team)

Apratim Vidyarthi
University of California, Berkeley

Apratim Vidyarthi, as one of the two head delegates for UCBMUN, led the team to every conference this year. He won Best Delegate at CMUNNY’s Ad-Hoc to start the year and ended it by leading UCBMUN to back to back delegation awards, Best Large Delegation at LAMUN and Best Small Delegation at ChoMUN. This year, he helped set up and run an extremely intensive and effective training program for UCBMUN and ensured that no matter what level of Model UN experience his delegates had prior to joining, they were ready for any and all conferences they attended.

Arun Abraham Singh
University of Chicago

The Secretary General of ChoMUN XVII, Arun is a graduating senior this year. Arun has been involved in ChoMUN since his first year and also has been an active member of the UChicago Team and MUNUC, their high school conference. He has led ChoMUN to be the largest student organization on campus and will go on to work at Goldman Sachs this fall.

Brandon Moore
United States Military Academy at West Point

Brandon has enjoyed a great deal of success on the collegiate Model UN circuit during his Firstie (Senior) at West Point, earning a gavel from all of the seven committees he competed in. This high standard of performance was carried over to his leadership of the West Point Model UN team, where he led the team to three Best Small Delegation Awards at OxIMUN, UPMUNC, and McMUN. Brandon’s reputation for invigorating speechmaking and lively debate has made him an example for other delegates on the circuit.

David Berris
George Washington University

As Head Delegate of The George Washington University Model United Nations team, David has made a mark on the MUN circuit, especially in crisis committees. A rising junior, David is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and an active member of the GW International Affairs Society.  He has taught countless GW delegates, brought home awards, and brought the team to a whole new level. Raise High!

Evan Gottesman
Rutgers University

Evan, who previously served as Head Delegate of East Brunswick High School, joined the Rutgers University Association of International Relations (RUAIR) early freshman year and has not looked back since. A rising sophomore, his multiple awards across conferences show that he is ready to lead RUAIR to new heights as Head Delegate for the upcoming 2014-2015 academic year.

Fred Kolb
University of Florida

An upcoming senior, Fred Kolb has had excellent Model United Nations career since his freshman year. Recently elected as President of the University of Florida Model United Nations team, Fred also served as Secretary-General of the Florida Crisis Simulation III. In addition, Fred also competes heavily on the circuit, receiving recognition in almost every committee he has participated in.

Harrison Baker
Georgetown University

Harrison is a rising senior at Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Government with a minor in Business Administration. He has served this past year as the Director General of NAIMUN LI, Georgetown’s high school MUN conference, as well as a member of the Georgetown International Relations Club’s Conferences Staff. He also represented Georgetown this year at its second WorldMUN. Besides Model UN, Harrison is the founder of Georgetown’s club golf team and has interned at Wexford Capital.

Isabelle Klinghoffer
New York University

Isabelle Klinghoffer is a rising junior who has served as one of the Head Delegates for NYU’s team for the past year, leading the team to some incredible performances in both General Assemblies (with her gavel in DISEC at HNMUN) and in NYU’s real forte– joint crises. She also served as the chair for the Venezuelan cabinet in NYUMUNC’s 13-way joint crisis this year.

Jeff Caso
Georgetown University

Jeff is a rising senior at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a certificate in European Studies. He has served as the Chair of the Georgetown International Relations Club for the 2013-2014 academic year, and was elected as Conferences Coordinator for 2014-2015. Jeff also represented Georgetown this year at its second WorldMUN attendance. Outside of Model UN, Jeff has worked as a web designer for various organizations, and as an instructor for Alpha Partners Education in China. This is Jeff’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

John Kelly
Northern Arizona University

Senior John Kelly studies Political Science at Northern Arizona University and embodies the spirit of Northern Arizona University’s Model UN. Acting as president this past academic year, he built the club from the ground up and has succeeded in motivating NAU MUN to become a strong and close family. Along with winning countless awards throughout his MUN experience beginning freshman year, he also successfully organized NAU’s very first high school conference. With his many other achievements, John Kelly competed in WorldMUN this year and received a Diplomacy Award in Brussels, Belgium.

Katherine Bonner
Emory University

Katherine Bonner is a graduating senior at Emory University, who has been involved in Model UN in nearly every capacity. She has coordinated conferences, traveled to twenty conferences in her college career, and served on the Emory Model United Nation’s Executive Board. Katherine holds the ideals of Model UN to its highest standard and emulates a diplomatic spirit in all that she does. This is Katherine’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Mari Manoogian
George Washington University

A graduating senior, Mari Manoogian has been an integral part the GW team and as well as her former Michigan State University team. She is known and loved not only for her incredible MUN skills but also her dedication to the team and community. Mari is also experienced on the organizational side of MUN, serving multiple secretariats including on GW’s high school conference WAMUNC. Mari interned with the US Mission to the United Nations this Fall and will be sticking around D.C. after graduation to work in international media relations. This is Mari’s second time on the College All-Star Team.

Mark Hodgson
Florida International University

Mark Hodgson joined the FIU Model UN team during the Fall 2012 semester, and shortly after became a Head Delegate. He was later appointed Program Director. Mark has received the Best Delegate award a total of 5 times at conferences such as UPMUNC, HNMUN, and WPSC. He graduated from FIU Spring 2014 with honors and will be moving to Arizona with his wife, Nicole.

Neil Christy
Georgetown University

Neil is a graduating senior at Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Political Economy. This past year, he has worked as Chief of Staff for Georgetown’s high school MUN conference, NAIMUN LI, and was also a member of Conferences Staff for the Georgetown International Relations Club. Besides being involved with MUN, he is a member of Georgetown’s Improv Association and has interned at the Government Accountability Project.

Priyanka Krishnamoorthy
Mount Holyoke College

Priyanka is a rising senior at Mount Holyoke College majoring in Economics. This past academic year, she served as the president of the Mount Holyoke College Model United Nations. Priyanka is widely regarded as a passionate and determined leader who has heavily contributed to the success of MHCMUN. Next year, Priyanka will be serving as one of the head delegates and trainers of MHCMUN. This summer, Priyanka will be interning with Bank of America in NYC.

Sean McClelland
University of Chicago

Sean McClelland is a fourth-year student at the University of Chicago studying Law, Letters & Society and Latin American Studies. He is an active competitor and noted competitor on the U of C team, and he recently served as Chair of the Nauvoo Movement committee at ChoMUN XVII. Sean’s intelligence and pragmatism have led him to be a highly successful delegate and vital member of the University of Chicago team. He will be attending law school next year.

**

Congratulations to everyone on the College MUN All-Star Team! We hope the College MUN All-Star team recognition will continue to help encourage delegates to engage their community and make it better.

The following recap was provided by McKennaMUN 2014 Under Secretary General for Finance, Shriya Ravishankar.

Delegates of Historical SPECPOL.

The 2nd annual McKennaMUN conference brought together 460 students from 24 different high schools for a weekend of substantive debate on a wide variety of topics. Delegates debated spent the weekend debating topics that ranged from crucial historical issues such as the Rwandan Genocide to Drug Trafficking in Central Asia within twelve unique committees. The conference was comprised of three General Assemblies, three Economic and Social Committees, five specialized committees and one highly competitive crisis committee. Students had the opportunity to debate highly contentious political and socio-economic issues through the eyes of state diplomats, military actors, and other state actors.

McKennaMUN II was held from April 12th to April 13th at Claremont McKenna College’s (CMC) campus, and a big theme for the conference was giving students “the CMC experience.” Delegates got the chance to listen to a variety of CMC professors speak on relevant international relations, negotiation, and global-economic topics. Delegates and advisors alike were given a view of collegiate-esque lessons, while enhancing their understanding on their respective committee topics. Outside of committee, delegates received a unique social and learning experience. As part of the CMC experience, the CMC staff and secretariat made chocolate covered strawberries to distribute to all the delegates in order to simulate a very quintessential CMC experience that is the Athenaeum Tea. The conference attendees also raised money for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), a LA-based non profit that provides legal and rehabilitation services to victims of trafficking in the United States.

Within committee, delegates came up with innovative and insightful resolutions to some of the world’s most challenging questions. Carly Lenderts, chair of the DISEC committee, was particularly impressed by her delegates’ ability to navigate a topic as challenging as the use of chemical weapons and come up with resolutions that encompassed the themes of border control, improved regulation for chemical manufacturers, and mutual diplomatic agreements to curb the problem. Sean Sakaguchi, the chair of the APEC committee, was equally fascinated with his delegate’s ability to steer the committee into a more interactive simulation, while coming up with a comprehensive resolution to question of regional economic integration.

Delegates also had the opportunity to attend the Claremont Colleges’ Annual International Festival. This festival that features food, performances, and cultural show cases by a variety of nations represented in the Claremont Colleges, allowed students to experience yet another essential part of the CMC experience. In the evening, students were invited to a social that included a photo booth, and live band comprised in part by members of both the McKennaMUN secretariat and staff. Delegates were given a chance to mingle with their chairs and fellow delegates and secretariat over live music!

By the end of the conference, every chair echoed the sentiment that level of competition was so high that giving out awards was one of the most challenging parts of their job. This was especially the case given the fact that till the last minute, many committees’ resolutions were being merged and voted on. Listed below are the delegation awards given at the end of the conference:

• Outstanding Small Delegation: Walnut High School
• Best Small Delegation: San Marino High School
• Outstanding Large Delegation: Huntington Beach High School
• Best Large Delegation: Santa Margarita Catholic High School

Delegates listen to end remarks at closing session.

Delegate of UNDOC!

The McKenna MUN Secretariat! A round of applause on a job well done.

For more information about McKennaMUN, check out their website!
Pictures from McKennaMUN II can be found here!

The Forensics Competing team from Colegio Puertorriqueño de Niñas (CPN)

Article submitted by Carmen Ana Nieto*, email:  nananieto11@nullgmail.com

*Carmen Ana Nieto is the president of the Model United Nations Club, and the Vice-President of the English Forensics Club at Colegio Puertorriqueño de Niñas, in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

Model United Nations (MUN) helps high school students acquire and develop many useful skills for any future career. It exposes participants to current events and prompts their interest in global, political and economic issues. There are, however, other extracurricular activities that may seem at first unrelated to MUN, but that provide excellent opportunities and training to become better MUN delegates. I am talking specifically about speech clubs.

I began my involvement with MUN when I was thirteen. At that young age, I was a relatively shy delegate. At conferences, I would participate in debates, but my face would be constantly hidden behind a notepad. I had to write down every single word that I wanted to say, so I could later recite them in front of the committee. Writing everything you want to say is not only time consuming, but also prevents you from paying attention to the current debate.

Although the committee’s topic, my country’s policy, points of debate and proposed solutions were all in my head, I was completely dependent of my notepad. Not to be misunderstood, using a notepad is never a bad thing. It is very useful to outline your ideas in writing before giving a speech. It forces you to organize your thoughts clearly and visually.

Nevertheless, in terms of perception, projection, and reception by an audience, reading everything from a notepad projects lack of confidence. If you really want to take control of your solutions and ideas for a committee, it is better to minimize the amount of reading.

At first, most MUN competitors focus mainly on what they say, and not on how they say it. Eventually, you realize that the way in which you present your arguments increases the attractiveness of your delegation’s position, and helps you gain support from your peers in the committee.

It was clear to me that I had to develop public speaking skills outside of MUN. I began to explore my options and came across the forensics club at my school. Forensics is a speech club that prepares participants for one large-scale regional competition at the end of the school year. Participants from various schools deliver speeches in four different categories: oratory, humorous, serious drama, and original. Each student must select a speech that has been previously performed in front of a live audience, or, in the original category, write the speech. All speeches must be staged and practiced prior to the annual competition.

My older sister had always been involved in the forensics club. She has a passion for the arts, specifically acting, and I ignorantly classified forensics as an acting and theater club.  I did not think that the club could help me in any way. Yet, after participating in the 2012 Forensic League competitions, my opinions changed.

I used to think that the speeches were only evaluated on their length, and the student’s ability to memorize it completely. This was a false assumption, and I realize now that there is more to delivering a speech than just memorizing the content.

I decided to join the English Forensics club in my sophomore year in the oratory category, delivering the speech “An Anarchist Looks at Life” by Emma Goldman. It was a political and philosophical speech, something I could relate to MUN. It was a wonderful experience that proved that I could memorize a speech, and later convey it with grace and fluent oratory. I enjoyed my forensics experience so much that I ran for office in that club and eventually became president during my junior year. I also joined my school’s oratory club, a speech club where the speeches are delivered in Spanish.

Carmen Ana Nieto, president of her Forensics team, wins first place in Oratory Category 2014

In forensics, I remained in oratory, and in the Spanish speech club, I participated in the improvisation category. Improvisation is very challenging. Each student is given a random topic and about five minutes to plan a speech. Then, he or she has to perform it immediately thereafter. The topics can range from controversial issues, like the death penalty or abortion, to current events, or specific situations, like the death of a loved one or winning the lottery. To prepare for this category, a student must train the mind. You practice how to develop an introduction, a body, and a conclusion in a coherent and complete structure, all while improvising the words on the spot.

I had the privilege of receiving a fifth place in my first improvisation experience in March 2014. This experience has helped me to develop the ability to respond to any situation using my verbal skills and body language.  As for MUN, it has improved my ability to respond to crisis simulations quickly and effectively.

Later in late April 2014, I participated in the English Forensic competition. I did a speech entitled “What I Learned from My Autistic Brothers”. This speech, written and delivered by Faith Jegede, focuses on her two autistic brothers, Remi and Sam.  I wanted to change the tone and the vibe of most oratory speeches, which tend to be serious and political. This speech was more personal and heartwarming, and it could be used to expand my speech skills in terms of emotion and eye contact. I had to practice the staging of hand gestures and facial expressions, something that seems easy, but that in fact is hard to do while appearing comfortable. All the hard work paid off and I was fortunate enough to win first place in the oratory category of this year’s Forensic League competition.

I had been developing my public speaking skills throughout the entire school year. As a result, I feel that my MUN skills have also improved. I feel more confident and more willing to debate at conferences because I can convey my thoughts effectively.

I strongly recommend to all my fellow MUN delegates to get involved in speech and debate clubs in any language. This training can help to turn good delegates into great ones.

This article was submitted by Ashil Savoy, Outreach and Social Media Coordinator for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the US Department of State.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton address Global Classrooms Washington, DC Conference at the US Department of State in 2009. State Department Photo.

If you are passionate about Model United Nations, then you should get to know the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, commonly called the ‘IO-Bureau’, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.  Here are a few reasons why:

International Organizations Are Our Specialty: We are the U.S. Government’s primary interlocutor with the United Nations and a host of international agencies and organizations.  Through our work and the work of our colleagues in our seven diplomatic missions to the UN, we are working hard every day to advance U.S. foreign policy priorities through multilateral engagement on a range of important global issues, including peace and security, nuclear nonproliferation, human rights, economic development, climate change, global health, and much more.

We are the U.S. Department of States Focal Point for all things Model UN: For the past eleven years we have partnered with the United Nations Association of the USA to host an annual Model UN Conference at the U.S. Department of State and we are often engage in Model UN activities across the country, regularly sending experts to participate in many conferences, simulations, and training exercises annually.  We are always aiming to increase our level of engagement; keep us in mind when planning your upcoming Model UN activities.

We Can Send Experts/Speakers to Your Conference: Each year there are hundreds of Model UN conferences worldwide and delegates can participate as early as middle school. We send speakers to many of those conferences in the United States, and are always looking to expand our engagement with Model UN conferences and become more involved.

If you have an upcoming conference and are interested in potential State Department participation, contact SavoyAL@nullstate.gov, 6-8 weeks prior to your conference to discuss the possibilities.

We Think Youth Voices Are Really Important: Each year we engage with thousands youth through various outreach events as we aim to be mindful of the global interests of young people when making foreign policy.  To help us in that effort, each year we select a young person from the U.S. to serve as a youth representative at the United Nations.  The U.S. Youth Observer Program is in its second year, and highlights our commitment to elevating the voices of youth on the many issues that will affect their futures. Follow Tiffany Taylor, this year’s U.S. Youth Observer, on twitter @USYouthObserver to keep up with her activities at the UN.

We Manage An Impressive Careers Website: We manage an International Organization Careers Website that includes a database of information about career opportunities at the United Nations and International organizations worldwide.  There is a section dedicated to information about internships and another on youth and young professional programs. We encourage you to follow-us on twitter for the latest updates on career opportunities and to visit the website and sign-up for job alerts.

We’re Online & Very Social: With diplomatic missions to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, Montreal, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Rome and Vienna our missions are staffed with personnel who are keen to engage youth on their day to day work and career experiences.  We’re on twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest…you name it!  Check out this complete list of all of our social media properties and keep up with U.S. engagement with international organizations.

US Youth Observer to the UN Tiffany Taylor with US Special Representative for Youth Issues in New York for the 66th UN General Assembly in September 2013.

Acting Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs H. Dean Pittman delivers keynote remarks at NMUN Conference at the National Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, DC.

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom poses with UNA-NCA President Donald Bliss and Global Classrooms DC Secretary-General Kenneth Bryant after the opening ceremony at the U.S. Department of State. State Department Photo. April 29, 2014.

Photos from the State Department Twitter (@State_IO)

“#DiplomacyMoment: @JohnKerry met w/ heads of international humanitarian orgs at #StateDept” (Credit- State Dept)

“It was awesome meeting with the United Nations Envoy on Youth @AhmadAlhendawi !!! @unausa @State_IO” (Credit- State Dept)

We asked the optional question in the North America College Model UN All-Star Team nomination forms, “In your opinion, what was the best conference you attended this year as a DELEGATE?” Over 250 voters responded to the optional question, and the results are listed below.

HNMUN and McMUN received the most votes as the “Best Conference” in North America for 2013-2014

HNMUN and McMUN tied as the best North American Conference for the 2013-2014 school year with 14.8% of all votes each. UPMUNC was a close third and was followed by ChoMUN in fourth place. It is worth noting that the place rank of these four conferences roughly correspond with the number of North American delegates attending each of the conferences — it’s possible that each conference is equally liked on a per delegate basis but are ranked simply by size. CMUNNY came in fifth despite having taken place at the beginning of the year and stood out among the mid-sized conferences. Other mid-sized conferences to make the top ten include UCBMUN, LAMUN, VICS, and SCSY. WPMUNI is the only small conference to make the top ten list.

Overall, the diverse distribution of “best” conference — and perhaps a proportional distribution given the correlation of place rank with conference size — shows that delegates are seeking different types of experiences from college Model UN and that there are many high quality conferences in the North American college Model UN circuit to serve those diverse interests.

Best Conference in North America

1 (tie). Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN): 14.8% of all votes

1 (tie). McGill Model United Nations Assembly (McMUN): 14.8% of all votes

3. University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC): 13.6% of all votes

4. Chicago Model United Nations (ChoMUN): 10.5% of all votes

5. Columbia Model United Nations in New York (CMUNNY): 5.8% of all votes

6. University of California, Berkeley Model United Nations (UCBMUN): 4.6% of all votes

7 (tie). Los Angeles Model United Nations (LAMUN): 3.9% of all votes

7 (tie). Virginia International Crisis Simulation (VICS): 3.9% of all votes

9 (tie). Security Council Simulation at Yale (SCSY): 3.1% of all votes

9 (tie). West Point Model United Nations Invitational (WPMUNI): 3.1% of all votes

All other conferences in North America: 21.9% of all votes

The results are interesting but should be taken with a grain of salt for the following reasons:

• The sample size of 250+ votes does not represent the entire circuit much less the entire North American college MUN community. That said, the median conference size hovers around 300 delegates so the sample size does have some validity.
• The sample size was self-selective. They had to have participated in the voting for the North American All-Star Team and decided to answer the optional question. This also meant a bias toward “World Division” university-hosted conferences as most All-Star Team voters came from that circuit.
• The question only allowed participants to input the best conference as opposed to rating each conference individually.

**

What was your favorite conference of 2013-2014? 

THIMUN Qatar and Best Delegate are seeking an Arabic MUN Program Coordinator to train today’s students in the Middle East into tomorrow’s leaders through Model United Nations. This is a one-year paid contract to create Arabic-language Model UN content and teach Model UN in Arabic at events across the Middle East and online.

The ideal candidate is fluent in Arabic and experienced in Model United Nations; able to work independently, as a lot of work will be done remotely using web-based technology; enjoys travel and is able to travel to the Middle East on multiple occasions; and be a good fit for the working cultures of THIMUN Qatar and Best Delegate.

Applications are due May 30, 2014. Click here to learn more about the position and how to apply.