2018-2019

National Model United Nations Conference
April 2019

Baylor Model UN Named an “Outstanding Delegation” and ties team record for position paper awards at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, NY

Baylor University’s Model United Nations team was named an Outstanding Delegation, the highest team award given, at the 2019 National Model United Nations Conference, Week B. In addition, 11 of the team’s 14 members received Outstanding Position Paper or Outstanding Delegate in Committee awards. Luis Torres, the team’s Assistant Head Delegate was also chosen to serve as Chair of the Economic and Social Council.

The conference, which took place April 14-18, 2019, in New York, New York, brought together nearly 3,000 students from around the world for a week-long simulation of the work of United Nations committees, which culminated in a visit the United Nations Headquarters. Baylor students took on the role of diplomats representing Ukraine in seven committees, serving as delegates to General Assembly Committees (GA), the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP), Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34), and the Human Rights Council (HRC).

At the 2019 conference, Baylor MUN tied a team record previously set in 2017 for position paper awards, with five of the seven committees receiving an Outstanding Position Paper Award. In addition to the overall “Outstanding Delegation” team award given by the conference staff, Baylor University students were named Outstanding Delegation in Committee by their peers in 4 of the 7 committees in which they participated; this is the highest individual award and marks the second most individual awards the team has ever received at a national conference. The team record is five individual awards, set in 2018. The students who received individual recognition in committee or for their research on the position paper are listed below along with a full team roster.

We celebrate these awards, but, above all, the most important take away from these conferences is the academic and professional experience they provide for our students. Head Delegate Bailey Craig (Senior, International Studies & Spanish) wrote, “NMUN gave me the opportunity to work and make connections with other young professionals who have interests and career goals similar to mine. We learned how to bridge divides and work alongside those with whom we disagree, all while researching important issues facing our world.” Bailey’s partner in the General Assembly Third Committee, Sam Howell (Senior, Medical Humanities), echoed these sentiments, adding, “participating in NMUN the past two years has afforded me many professional skills, such as public speaking, researching, and technical writing that will be transferable to any profession.” Junior Assistant Head Delegate Ben Hunt (Junior, University Scholar) attended his third NMUN conference this year and reflected, “this conference was incredibly challenging and rewarding. It taught me how to learn to interact and compromise with people with whom I have no common ground. It was also amazing to form new friendships with people from all over the world.” As Bailey, Sam, and Ben note, these conferences provide the opportunity for students to develop professional and interpersonal skills in addition to the rigorous academic preparation students undertake in advance of conference. The team spent four months immersing themselves in Ukraine’s diplomatic stance on issues related to global security, human rights, development, and sustainability. Each committee is tasked with researching and writing position papers on three topics in advance of conference, and of these is chosen by majority vote in each committee for intensive deliberation. Topics that the team researched for this conference included:

• Nuclear Disarmament and International Security (General Assembly 1^st)

• Ensuring Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable, and Modern Energy for All (General Assembly 2^nd)

• Combating Human Trafficking (General Assembly 3^rd)

• Capacity-Building for Combating Climate Change in Developing Countries (COP)

• Addressing Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics (UNEA)

• Mainstreaming Gender in Peacekeeping Operations (C-34)

• Equitable Access to Safe Drinking Water as a Human Right (IHRC)

For a full list of conference topics as well as more information about the conference, including the full list of participating schools and award winners in both weeks A and B, visit: www.nmun.org.

Outstanding Delegations in Committee

GA 1^st: Ben Hunt, Junior Assistant Head Delegate (Junior, University Scholars) & Matt Walker (Senior, University Scholar)

GA 2^nd: Lauren McLane (Sophomore, Professional Writing and Rhetoric and International Studies)

COP: Jennifer Nguyen (Freshman, Biochemistry and Political Science) and Christine Phan (Freshman, International Studies & Pre-Psychology)

HRC: Sophia Fulton (Senior, Baylor Business Fellows) and Courtney Jewett (Senior, Political Science)

Outstanding Position Paper Awards

GA 1^st: Ben Hunt, Junior Assistant Head Delegate (Junior, University Scholars) & Matt Walker (Senior, University Scholar)

GA 2^nd: Lauren McLane (Sophomore, Professional Writing and Rhetoric and International Studies) and Andrew Person (Junior, Education and History)

GA 3^rd: Bailey Craig, Head Delegate (Senior, International Studies & Spanish) & Sam Howell (Senior, Medical Humanities)

COP: Jennifer Nguyen (Freshman, Biochemistry and Political Science) and Christine Phan (Freshman, International Studies & Pre-Psychology)

In addition to the students who represented Baylor at conference, other team members in the class and club also assisted on the paper for COP:

Augusta Tostrud (Senior, Political Science)

C-34: Andres Cruz (Senior, International Studies) and Anna Kate Walker (Freshman, Economics & International Studies)

In addition to the students who represented Baylor at conference, other team members in the class and club also assisted on the paper for COP:

Jennifer Nguyen (Freshman, Biochemistry and Political Science)

 

 

Texas Model United Nations Conference
February 2019

On February 1-3, 2019, the Baylor Model United Nations team participated in the 5^th Annual Texas Model United Nations Conference. The Osgood Center for International Studies facilitated the conference and Lee College in Baytown, Texas were hosts for the conference which brought together approximately 100 students who played the role of diplomats in simulated sessions of four United Nations committees: General Assembly First Committee, General Assembly Second Committee, General Assembly Third Committee, and the Security Council. At the conference, ten Baylor University students represented the Member States of China and Kuwait.

The topics our students researched in advance and debated at the conference included:

• Addressing the Use of Chemical Weapons (GA 1)

• The Role of Emerging Technologies in International Security and Disarmament (GA 1)

• Development Cooperation with Middle Income Countries (GA 2)

• Ensuring Access to Affordable, Sustainable, and Reliable Energy for All (GA 2)

• The Elimination of All Forms of Religious Intolerance (GA 3)

• Ensuring Equitable Access to Education (GA 3)

• Countering the Evolving Global Threat Posed by Non-State Actors (Security)

• Reviewing the Central African Republic Sanctions Regime (Security)

While awards are given at Model UN conferences, they are not properly called competitions, as the emphasis is on collaboration as the delegates work together to reach consensus on resolutions. Model UN conferences confer awards delegates and teams to recognize excellence in both preparation and participation in committee, and at TexMUN the awards are based both on staff and peer voting.

We are delighted to share that at TexMUN 2019, Baylor students received multiple awards at both the team and individual levels, including Outstanding Delegation Awards in every category – staff, peer, and position paper. A full list of award winners is provided below. In addition, we are proud to recognize Eric Vining, a 2016 Baylor alumnus who served as a chair at the conference in GA 1. For more information about the conference, visit the Osgood Center website: http://osgoodcenter.org/texmun2019.php.

Baylor MUN benefits from the generous support of the Political Science Department and the College of Arts and Sciences. In April, Baylor MUN will travel to New York to participate in the National Model United Nations Conference, representing Ukraine.

 

TexMUN 2019 Awards

Overall Delegation Awards – Staff Awards

Outstanding Delegations
Kuwait – Baylor University
Sophia Fulton
Courtney Jewett
Shelby Toles
Anna Kate Walker
Russian Federation – University of Texas at Dallas

Distinguished Delegations
China – Baylor University
Bailey Craig – Head Delegate
Lauren McLane
Daniela Pacheco
Andrew Person
Luis Torres – Assistant Head Delegate
Noah Wiatrek

Cote d’Ivoire – Texas Wesleyan
France – University of Houston  

Honorable Mention Delegations
Germany – University of Texas at Dallas
Netherlands – Lee College
Syrian Arab Republic – University of Texas at Dallas

Outstanding Delegate in Committee – Peer Awards

General Assembly First
China – Baylor University Noah Wiatrek
Kuwait – Baylor University Anna Kate Walker
General Assembly Second
Germany – University of Texas at Dallas
China – Baylor University – Daniela Pachecho
General Assembly Third
China – Baylor University – Lauren McLane & Andrew Person
Kuwait – Baylor University – Sophia Fulton & Courtney Jewett
Security Council
China – Baylor University – Bailey Craig & Luis Torres
Russian Federation – University of Texas at Dallas

 

Outstanding Position Papers – Staff Awards

General Assembly First
China – Baylor University Noah Wiatrek
Kuwait – Baylor University Anna Kate Walker
General Assembly Second
China – Baylor University – Daniela Pachecho
Syrian Arab Republic – University of Texas at Dallas
General Assembly Third
Israel – Lamar University
Kuwait – Baylor University – Sophia Fulton & Courtney Jewett
Security Council
Ethiopia – University of Houston
Kuwait – Baylor University – Samantha Howell - Student was unable to attend the conference due to an Equestrian Team conflict.

American Model United Nations Conference
November 2018

Baylor MUN Breaks Team Records at the 2018 American Model United Nations Conference

 On November 17-20, 2018, 18 Baylor undergraduates represented the nations of South Africa and Lesotho at the 29^th annual American Model United Nations Conference (www.amun.org) held in Chicago, IL. The conference brought together more than 1,300 students representing approximately 150 Member States in simulated UN committee sessions, where students take on the role of diplomats, debating about and writing resolutions devoted to reaching international consensus on some of the most pressing global problems. Baylor students participated in eight committees at conference, and they researched and wrote papers on a broad range of topics related to international security, human rights, and sustainability, including:

• “Education for democracy” (General Assembly Plenary)

• “Consolidation of peace through practical disarmament measures” (General Assembly First Committee)

• “Women in development” (General Assembly Second Committee)

• “International cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem” (General Assembly Third Committee)

• “Criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission” (General Assembly Sixth Committee)

• “Sound management of chemicals and waste” (UN Environment Assembly)

• “International migration and development” (Commission on Population and Development)

In addition to work on these contemporary topics, one of our students also participated in a select historical and special committee, exploring themes including:

• International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur (Commission of Inquiry of 2005)

• Commission of Experts to Review the Prosecution of Serious Violations of Human Rights in Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) in 1999 (Commission of Inquiry of 2005)

At the 2018 conference the students representing South Africa were named Overall Outstanding Delegation by their peers; this is only the second time the team has received this award at the AMUN Conference in the ten years we have participated, with the last overall award occurring in 2014 when the team represented Portugal. In addition, Baylor MUN broke a team record for the most in-committee awards received at this conference. Our students were named Outstanding Delegation in Committee by their peers in six of the eight committees in which they participated. The previous team record was set last year at the 2017 AMUN conference when the team received recognition in four of the seven committees in which they participated.

The students receiving recognition as Outstanding Delegates in Committee at the conference were:

• Sophia Fulton (Senior, Baylor Business Fellows) and Jennifer Nguyen (Freshman, Biochemistry and Political Science) for their work in General Assembly Plenary representing South Africa

• Youshay Rizvi (Senior, International Studies) and Matt Walker (Senior, University Scholars) for their work in General Assembly First representing South Africa

• Jonathan Chew (Sophomore, Baylor Business Fellows) and Katie Galgano (Senior, International Studies) for their work in General Assembly Second representing South Africa

• Glenn Buchanan (Sophomore, International Studies) and Lauren McLane (Professional Writing and Rhetoric and International Studies) for their work in General Assembly Third representing Lesotho

• Bailey Craig (Senior, International Studies) for her work in Commission of Inquiry of 2005 representing South Africa

• Sam Howell (Senior, Medical Humanities) and Zane Zovak (Senior, International Studies) for their work in Commission on Population and Development representing South Africa.

 Along with the students named above, other members of the “Outstanding Delegation” representing South Africa included:

• Andres Cruz (Senior, International Studies)

• Daniela Pacheco (Senior, International Studies)

• Oliva Perez (Senior, Great Texts and Political Science)

• Andres (Luis) Torres (Senior, Neuroscience)

• Noah Wiatrek (Junior, Political Science)

In addition to these awards, Baylor MUN’s Head Delegate, Bailey Craig, was also elected President of the Commission of Inquiry for its hearing on East Timor.

While the primary purpose of these conferences is educational, and the tone of Model UN conferences is intended to be collaborative rather than competitive, these awards are certainly to be celebrated. They mark our students’ excellent achievement in pursuit of these educational goals. This Baylor MUN program is successful not only because of the work of our wonderful students, but also because of the generous support we receive from the Political Science Department and the College of Arts and Sciences.

 

2018 MUN Fall Club Awards

Outstanding Issue Briefing #1
Sam Howell
Matt Walker 

Distinguished Issue Briefing #1
Glenn Buchanan

Honorable Mention Issue Briefing #1
Jonathan Chew
Katie Galgano

Outstanding Issue Briefing #2
Sophia Fulton
Sam Howell

Distinguished Issue Briefing #2
Glenn Buchanan

Honorable Mention Issue Briefing #2
Katie Galgano

Outstanding Policy Memo
Sophia Fulton
Katie Galgano 

Distinguished Policy Memo
Sam Howell

Honorable Mention Policy Memo
Jonathan Chew
Andres Cruz
Angeliza Lapid
Jennifer Nguyen
Matt Walker