By Julius Williams
Brian Wright, professor of political science, and the college’s Model United Nations team recently hosted students from China’s Northwestern Polytechnic University in preparation for the national conference beginning today in New York City.
Eleven students from Xian, China joined our students to participate in a mock debate and training session. Chen Jiexiu and Yu Huah were two of the students involved and were excited about the conference.
“We are here to make the most out of the experience,” said Jiexiu. “We get to practice our communication skills and learn diplomacy.”
Joseph Gideon, former president of the team and current member, said that the purpose of the training was to re-familiarize the delegates with the rules of formal debate. Gideon hails originally from Aledo, Texas, a town with a population of 250 people.
“My graduating class was eight,” Gideon said. “It was an extremely conservative place. Growing up there you don’t learn a lot about international affairs or diplomacy. Working with the Model U.N. team has expanded my worldview.”
Gideon credits the Model U.N. with making him a better leader and better manager at his job.It’s this kind of experience and exposure that Linda Makau, an exchange student from Kenya hopes to gain from participating in the program.
“I’ve always been interested in the program,” Makau said. “Getting the exposure, building my confidence and getting used to speaking in front of people.”
The team will be representing the Republic of Kenya at the national conference. They will debate economic and political issues as well as some of the social and environmental problems facing the African nation. One such issue will be how climate change and the resulting desertification of Kenya’s natural habitats is affecting its wildlife and tourism business.
The team has earned numerous awards over the years and national recognition, which according to Gideon is because of Wright’s excellent leadership.
“We are competing against universities like Yale,” Gideon said. “And we always win awards because we spend a lot of time learning our countries but also the rules of debate. Some other schools may know the right information about their country, but they don’t know the rules of procedure.”
Gideon said that the team wins awards because they are well informed and well prepared. The team is, as he likes to call them, “uber-prepared.”
The national Model U. N. conference will be held at the United Nations building in New York City, today through April 6.
Contact Julius Williams, staff reporter, at jwilli78@stumail.jccc.edu.