2016-2017

Baylor Model UN Students Recognized at American Model United Nations Conference

November 2016 

14 Baylor University undergraduates traveled to Chicago to attend the American Model United Nations Conference. This year’s AMUN conference brought together more than 1,500 students representing more than 100 universities from around the world to participate in a simulation of the United Nations.

Our team, represented Angola at the conference, serving as diplomats in simulated sessions of the United Nations General Assembly committees (GA), the Security Council (SC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The conference provided our students with an unparalleled learning experience, enabling them to take the knowledge and skills they acquire in Baylor’s classrooms and apply them to simulated experiences similar to those they will encounter in their post-graduate careers. Through preparing for and participating in a Model UN conference, our students hone myriad skills, including research, public speaking, technical writing, and small-group negotiation. For this particular conference, our students became experts in contemporary issues facing the international community that include:

• global health and foreign policy (General Assembly Plenary)
• national legislation on transfer of arms, military equipment and dual-use goods and technology (GA 1)
• implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its contribution to sustainable development (GA 2)
• protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons (GA 3)
• assistance in mine action (GA 4)
• the situations in Mali, Syria, South Sudan, and other global crises (SC)
• measures to strengthen international cooperation in nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety (IAEA)
• Ecuador v. Colombia – Aerial Herbicide Spraying (ICJ)
• the situation in Afghanistan (General Assembly Plenary)
• the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity (GA 3)
• industrial development cooperation (GA 2)

For a full list of conference topics as well as more information about the conference, visit this website:www.amun.org .

3 of the 14 team members received individual awards at the conference and were named Outstanding Delegates by their peers in their respective committees. Those students who won individual awards are:

• Kate Farley, International Court of Justice Outstanding Justice (Baylor MUN Assistant Head Delegate; Senior, University Scholars)
• Megan Rollag, Security Council (Baylor MUN Assistant Head Delegate; Senior, International Studies & Spanish)
• Marc Webb, Security Council (Baylor MUN Head Delegate; Senior, International Studies)

Bottom Row (left to right): Sahir Amlani, Junior, Political Science & History; Caroline Caywood, Senior, International Studies & French; Jamie Fortin, Junior, Pre-Business; Jessica Chapa, Senior, Political Science; Avery Godwin, Senior, Baylor Business Fellow & Accounting; Annie Pirrello, Senior, Political Science; Megan Rollag, Baylor MUN Assistant Head Delegate; Senior, Spanish & International Studies; Top Row (left to right): Eric Vining, Senior, Journalism & Political Science; Grant McDonald, Senior, Political Science; Marc Webb, Baylor MUN Head Delegate; Senior, International Studies; Bailey Craig, Sophomore, Pre-Psychology; Kate Farley, Baylor MUN Assistant Head Delegate; Senior University Scholar; David Anaya, Senior, Political Science; Luis Andres Torres, Sophomore, Pre-Neuroscience

Original article available here

Baylor Model UN Students Recognized at Texas Model United Nations Conference

January 2017 

14 Baylor Students attended TexMUN, which was hosted by the Osgood Center for International Studies (https://www.osgoodcenter.org/texmun.php) and held at the Center for International Business Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Our students represented five nations at the conference:

• Angola
• China (Security Council only)
• Germany
• Russian Federation
• Viet Nam

Along with our Baylor University delegates, 120 students from East Texas Baptist University, Lee College, Lubbock High School, Odessa College, the Osgood Center (Washington, D.C.), Texas A&M, Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at Austin, UT-CIBER, and the University of Texas at Dallas participated in the conference simulating four committees: General Assembly First Committee (Security and Disarmament), the United Nations Scientific, Educational, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Security Council. One Baylor alumnus, Eric Vining (2016 Journalism and Political Science), also served on conference staff as a Committee Chair for the General Assembly First Committee.

The topics the students researched and discussed at the conference included:

• Climate Change and the Maintenance of International Security (Security Council)
• Regulation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (GA1)
• Empowering Youth through Access to Information and Communication Technology and Media (UNESCO)
• Improving Border Security to Combat Terrorism and Security Threats (GA 1)
• Investment (APEC)
• Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies in Order to Protect UNESCO World Heritage (UNESCO) Sites
• Energy (APEC)
• The Exploitation of Natural Resources and its Effect on the Outbreak, Escalation, or Continuation of Armed Conflict (Security Council)
• A Crisis Simulation Involving Cyberterrorism (Security Council)

Our students performed admirably at the conference, learning both about the United Nations and how to be an effective diplomat. While awards are not the point of these invaluable educational experiences and should never be the metric by wish we judge how much our students are learning, when our students are recognized for their participation, we should be doubly proud of their efforts. In the caption below, highlighted are Baylor students who received individual awards. We also recognize the award winners for all of the schools who participated, to foster the spirit of cooperation and mutual support advanced by the National Collegiate Conference Association, the organization that sponsors both TexMUN and NMUN-NY, the international conference that 14 Baylor students will attend on April 9-13, 2017, representing Myanmar.

Bottom Row (left to right): Wyatt Fraga, Senior, Political Science; Grecia Sarda, Junior, Political Science – Outstanding Position Paper – UNESCO - Angola; Cat Haseman, Sophomore, University Scholar; Carolina Gutierrez, Junior, International Studies; Jessica Chapa, Senior, Political Science; Kim Andrade, Junior, Political Science –Outstanding Delegate – APEC - Russian Federation; Caroline Caywood, Senior, International Studies & French - Outstanding Delegate – Security Council – Russian Federation; Top Row (left to right): Matt Walker, Sophomore, University Scholar –Outstanding Position Paper – GA 1 – Viet Nam; Outstanding Delegate – GA 1 - Viet Nam; Brian Ordonez, Senior, Political Science; Ben Hunt, Freshman, University Scholar; Megan Rollag, Senior, International Studies & Spanish; Kate Farley, Senior, University Scholar, Outstanding Delegate – Security Council – Russian Federation; Andrew Juwono, Junior, Marketing & Management Information Systems; Luis Andres Torres, Sophomore, Pre-Neuroscience

TexMUN 2017 – Full List of Winners

Outstanding Position Papers (Staff awards)

• APEC: Australia (University of Texas), Canada (Osgood Center)
• Security Council: United Kingdom (Texas A&M), Venezuela (UT Dallas)
• GA 1^st: United States of America (UT Dallas), Viet Nam (Baylor University – Matt Walker)
• UNESCO: Angola (Baylor University – Grecia Sarda)

Best Delegates in Committee (Peer awards)

• APEC: Russian Federation (Baylor University – Kim Andrade)
• Security Council: United States of America (UT Dallas), Ukraine (UT Dallas), Russian Federation (Baylor University – Caroline Caywood & Kate Farley)
• GA 1^st: Iran (Lone Star High School), Viet Nam (Baylor University – Matt Walker)
• UNESCO: Republic of Korea (Texas A & M), South Africa (Texas A & M)

Delegation Awards (Staff awards)

• Honorable Mention: University of Texas, Texas Tech, Osgood Center
• Distinguished Delegation: Lone Star High School, Texas A & M
• Outstanding Delegation: Baylor University, UT Dallas

Baylor Model UN Recognized at National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, NY

April 2017

Baylor University undergraduates traveled to New York to attend the National Model United Nations Conference. Each year, the two week-long NMUN-NY conferences host nearly 5,000 students from more than 100 nations around the world. At these conferences, students participate in a simulation of the United Nations, and the conference culminates with a much-anticipated visit to the United Nations Headquarters. Attached is a photo of the full group (roster below), as well as photo of some Baylor students on the General Assembly floor at the Closing Session.

Our team represented Myanmar in 6 committees and the Russian Federation in the Security Council at the conference, serving as diplomats in simulated sessions of the United Nations General Assembly Committees (GA), the Security Council (SC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), and the High Level Political Forum (HLPF).

The conference enabled our students to take the knowledge and skills they acquire in Baylor’s classrooms and apply them to simulated experiences similar to those they will encounter in their post-graduate careers. Through preparing for and participating in a Model UN conference, our students develop research, public speaking, technical writing, and small-group negotiation skills. For this particular conference, our students became experts in contemporary issues facing the international community that include:

• Global Nuclear Disarmament (General Assembly 1^st)
• Harnessing the Green Economy to Eradicate Poverty (General Assembly 2^nd)
• Improving Coordination in Humanitarian Response to Natural Disasters and Other Emergencies (General Assembly 3^rd)
• Youth Leadership and Education for Sustainable Development (HLPF)
• Implementation of the Paris Agreement (UNEA)
• Improving Science and Technology Activities through Technical Cooperation (IAEA)
• The situation in Libya (SC)

For a full list of conference topics as well as more information about the conference, visit this website: www.nmun.org .

While we should celebrate the educational experience above all, the team of 12 students representing Myanmar was named an “Honorable Mention Delegation” by the conference staff. In addition, Baylor University received Outstanding Position Paper Awards in five of the seven committees in which we participated, an impressive total that equals the number of position paper awards the team received in the previous three years combined. Those students who contributed to researching, writing, and editing the papers in class and club are:

• GA 1: Sahir Amlani, Cassie Exum, Ashley Luong, JD Merritt, Matt Walker, Ryan Weaver>
• GA 3: Kim Andrade, Jessica Chapa*, Rebecca Liu, Dalilah Negrete, Grecia Sarda*, Kylie Smith, Jackie Wittry
• HLPF: Tutu Adeyeni, Caroline Caywood*, Katie Galgano, Carolina Gutierrez, Ben Hunt*, Dustin Jaoude

UNEA

• David Deulofeu*, Cat Haseman*, Diana Le, Omar Mosqueda, Macy Munz, Joe Yope*

Security

• Kate Farley*, Megan Rollag*

*Denotes traveling team member.

The College of Arts and Sciences reported the conference on their website here.