By: Elizabeth Connolly
Posted In: News
Photo credit: Erica Johnson
The Model UN prepared for the conference with practice sessions in the Pell Center.
The Model United Nations club attended a conference at Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts on March 4-7. Ten out of the twenty members attended the conference led by advisor Dr. Clark Merrill and Kate Greene.
Each student that attended represented their own delegation in a unique way. Club vice-president Jenifer Gehringer said, “Some students are acting as actual figures such as King George III of England and members of the Afghani Cabinet while others will be representing countries including Germany, Nepal, Peru and South Africa.” The program allowed students to practice skills learned at weekly meetings such as leadership, problem solving, communication, conflict resolution, peace-making, and public speaking that can be applied to real-life situations. Weekly meetings also consist of occasional guest speakers and field trips which also helped students prepare for the conference. This event is one of many conventions that brings students from different schools together to run UN simulations dealing with various crisis situations. “Some of which are currently being dealt with by the UN such as war and refugees in Africa and the issue of independence for Taiwan and its relationship with China,” said Gehringer. “Others are a little more fictional or historically based such as the British War Cabinet dealing with the problems of Napoleon.” Want to experience world politics and foreign affairs in an exceptional setting? Contact Dr. Clark Merrill in the politics department at extension 3188 or vice president Jenifer Gehringer at gehringj@salve.edu.
