Model UN group prepares for conference in NYC

by Adam Middleditch News Reporter The New Mexico State University chapter of the National Model United Nations will travel to New York during Spring Break to represent the Philippines in the 2005 NMUN mock conference. More than 3,000 students from 191 universities will participate in the convention from March 22-26, according to the NMUN Web site. Leili Davari, president of the NMSU NMUN, said she has high hopes for the team this year. The NMUN is a close replica of the actual United Nations, and students involved are required to research the position of their assigned country and deliver that position as the real country would, Davari said. She said the topics of debate for this year's convention include the situation in post-election Iraq, the threat of weapons of mass destruction in North Korea, and HIV/AIDS: a global epidemic. NMUN members will be required to argue their positions in a general assembly setting and in a much more informal and personal manner in what are called caucuses, Davari said. She said students in the NMUN develop extraordinary skills in the areas of research, diplomacy, personal communication and cooperation. Davari said members of the NMUN are more internationally conscious after participating in the organization. Davari said in order to become a member of the NMSU NMUN, a student must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and turn in an application and an essay that are reviewed by the senior officers of the team and Jason Ackleson, the group's advisor. After that, the applicant must pass an in-depth interview designed to test the applicant's ability to argue a point. Davari said a typical member of the NMSU NMUN spends around two to three hours a day doing work related to the organization. Davari said the convention will open and close in the United Nations compound, but most of the activities will be conducted in the New York Hilton hotel. The NMSU NMUN is funded 49 percent by the Associated Students of NMSU and by a large dinner fundraiser held in the fall semester, Davari said.

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out