Model United Nations team does well, aspires for more
By Rachel Luchmun
The college’s Model United Nations (MUN) team is preparing for a conference in St. Louis after a successful conference in Chicago during the fall semester.
The team was awarded Overall Best Delegation given for best representing the policies of Cuba, as well as an Outstanding Delegation award representing the economic and financial policies of Cuba.
Brian Wright, adviser to MUN since 2003, said MUN is a roleplaying simulation where students assume the roles of diplomats, much like the actual United Nations. Participants represent a specific country at the conference.
“Issues that are covered include human rights, disarmament and financial issues such as microcredit,” Wright said.
Wright said he was proud of the college’s good performance, on par with four-year colleges such as Austin College and McKendree University.
“People tend to have a bias against community colleges and are shocked with the good results,” Wright said.
Participants are expected to extensively research the country they are representing, especially what has been done regarding the issue under discussion.
“Quite a bit of research is needed,” Wright said. “Different countries might advocate different things. Cuba, for example, would refuse any capitalist approach to solve a problem.”
Wright said being a successful MUN participant may have an initial steep learning curve, including learning the language of diplomacy. Participants must also realize they are advocating the country’s point of view and not their own.
“There is an emphasis on diplomatic skills,” Wright said.
The college’s team typically attends three conferences, two of them local and one of them international, involving colleges and universities from around the world.
Student Megan Willard has been part of MUN for one semester. She said the concept was easy to understand once she got into it.
“One thing I’ve learned is to accept a foreign view point other than the American or western one,” Willard said.
Student Sean Jin said being a member of the MUN team has brought personal awareness to him.
“College students can make a difference, even if it is not much,” Jin said.
Exchange student Aizhan Tazhigulova has been on the team for one semester. She said she saw the MUN experience as a personal challenge.
“I gained a lot of confidence from speaking in public,” Tazhigulova said.
MUN highlights writing-based academic excellence and promotes international learning.
“In MUN, students are able to interact with people from different cultures,” Wright said.
The next conference is scheduled on Feb. 14-18 in St. Louis, Mo. Sixteen students from the college will be attending. In the first week of April, 12 students will make the trip to New York, where an international conference will be held at the UN headquarters.
Recruitment for the college’s MUN team is generally conducted in the fall semester. However, students interested to join now should contact Brian Wright at bwright1@jccc.edu. More information is also available at the Model United Nations blog, https://blogs.jccc.edu/mun/.
Contact Rachel Luchmun, news editor, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.