Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Headlines

Student delegates voting on procedures in the General [Click to enlarge]

The Model United Nations club of Western Oregon University (WOUMUN) hosted a scrimmage on Nov. 17, in which students from four different schools and universities took part. This was the first MUN conference Western has hosted since the Fall of 2004. At MUN conferences or scrimmage students take on the roles of specific representatives in a simulated United Nations committee. They must research and prepare to negotiate with other student delegates on a variety of real issues that the UN itself debates. The conferences are a great opportunity for students interested in the fields of international relations, political science, global economics, health and the environment, as well as several other areas of focus.

Participation requires students to invest a lot of time and research; it is through these efforts that many skills are learned and honed. As the name suggests, the rules, procedures and policies are modeled after those in practice at the United Nations, allowing the students the opportunity to see how the multinational organization works.

The scrimmage hosted by Western's MUN chapter was intended as a training opportunity for new students in preparation for future conferences. They were able to gain practical experience in a competitive environment against other local MUN clubs. The four schools that sent students were Western Oregon, Willamette University, Oregon State University and Central High School. The attendance numbers were just under 50, allowing the student delegates from the four schools to be split up into two different committees.

The larger of the two committees was the General Assembly where about 35 of the students tried to determine the best way to stop the illegal trading and selling of light weapons to terrorist and militia groups. The other, smaller committee was the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) where students debated how to improve the education of children in developing countries and how to make education an equal opportunity for boys and girls around the world. Both assemblies succeeded in passing resolutions before they adjourned.

This year Western's MUN chapter plans to attend conferences in Vancouver, BC and San Francisco. In the past Western's club has sent student delegates around the world to such destinations as the Netherlands and Scotland. The club has also participated in a video conference with an MUN club based in Vladivostok, Russia.•

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