Model United Nations, or MUN, is firing up for another intense year of traversing across the state in order to attend conferences in which they debate with delegates from other schools concerning an array of conflicts around the world, including military and diplomatic crises. 

The first conference of this year will be held on October 12th, where members will attempt to reach amicable agreements through negotiation, debate skills, and occasional destruction—of their opponents’ arguments.

In preparation of the conference the MUN members look over the issues being covered at the conference before requesting a primary and second delegation, or, in other terms, selecting which positions or countries they would prefer to represent. 

Two weeks before the conference, the school hosting the conference assigns their delegations, at which point the members dedicate their time to researching their topic and writing ¾ of a page detailing their delegations position of the conflict. 

Judges will then grade the members on their clothing, use of statistics in speeches, how well they speak and cooperate to negotiate on their position.

Josh Mayer, who has been part of MUN for 4 years now and is also serving as Secretary General, revealed that for each conference they have designated topics for more experienced members and less experienced members so that no one is in an unfair position. The topics for more advanced members include: Brexit, the repatriation of stolen goods, EU immigration, decline of biodiversity, and infectious diseases around the world, while beginners are handling climate change and the South Sudanese Civil War. 

 Mayer believes that “MUN is a really good club for those who want to speak in public better, articulate their positions, as well as to learn more about international affairs in general and the conflicts that come with them.” He added that “I personally have learned about a variety of different conflicts in history and around the world,” before expressing pride in his ability to write a background guide for the Yugoslav conflict in the 90’s for a conference and how much he learned about the topic during his research. 

To him, MUN is valuable because it not only allows students to dip their toes into the realm of political science, but he also remarked that for him personally, “I think that with my interest in speaking as well as international affairs, MUN allows me to explore both those interests and learn about the world we live in”

Kali Kirwan, who joined MUN in her senior year and is currently learning to navigate the world of MUN, remarked, “MUN is a great way to explore political circumstances and debate using real world examples. It is a perfect way to explore what majoring in political sciences would be like.”