SPC’s Model United Nations (MUN) team participated at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) DC conference this past weekend, Nov. 3 – 6. As usual, our students won the Outstanding Delegation Award at the conference, which is the highest possible team award.
This is a prestigious award that is only bestowed on delegations that score in the top 10 percent. In fact, SPC’s MUN team bested the likes of TCU, Clemson, West Virginia, Baylor, BYU and the University of Texas. As such, our students went toe-to-toe with juniors and seniors at the university level and came out victorious.
Some of the categories in which delegations are measured are public speaking, research writing, diplomacy, inclusivity, and consensus-building. Ultimately, these are significant transferable skills for our students, regardless of academic major, to strengthen and polish.
For the most part, the students represented the Republic of Ireland. However, two of the 12 students did represent Portuguese Republic.
Major global topics that students discussed included the current situation in Afghanistan, global vaccine distribution, the spread of chemical and biological weapons, protecting marine habitats, sustainable development, international migration, mental health, and women’s rights. Not only did our students have the chance to learn more about these problems, but they had the opportunity to witness the various perspectives and solutions that different countries bring to the table. Given the diversity of national interests across the globe, participating in MUN opens the eyes of our students as they grasp the complexities and challenges in finding answers to these major problems.
The students who participated in the conference included:
Zhon Butterfield and Caitlin Deal (Security Council)—won best delegates in SC
Ryan Dzialo and Jack Lahm (General Assembly)
Jacqueline Bodon and Madison Gould (GA2)
Caroline Geiger (World Health Assembly)
Richard Pless and Hunter Hise (United National Environmental Assembly)
Felix Nickel and Duke Panagiotis (GA2- Portugal)
Team members who led the team as Head Delegates at the conference included Zhon Butterfield, Jacqueline Bodon and Felix Nickel. According to Model UN faculty members, these team leaders were simply remarkable and some of the most hard-working head delegates that SPC’s Model UN team has ever witnessed. In fact, these delegates worked countless hours in non-faculty led meetings to prepare students, especially those who were new to Model UN.
The team also had the incredible pleasure of visiting the Embassy of Ireland. Thanks to Mr. Cathal McMorrow, who is the Communications and Culture representative for Ireland in DC, SPC’s Model UN students had the opportunity to learn more about Ireland’s foreign policy. Student asked questions regarding Ireland’s stance on the current political situation in Northern Ireland, sustainable development, international migration, and the trafficking of illicit arms. Indeed, McMorrow was very impressed with the questions that our students asked and their overall preparation.
The 2022 NMUN DC team was led by Dr. Heather Roberson and Dr. Randy Lightfoot. They each provided invaluable insights and set a positive tone during the trip. Overall, MUN Faculty members met with the students at the Clearwater campus eight times during the term. The trainings were led by Dr. Douglas Rivero, who is the Lead Faculty Advisor of the program. Additional MUN faculty members who assisted in training our students include Dr. Roberto Loureiro, Dr. Gyldas Ofoulhast, Professor Sonia King, Dr. William Fleming and Dr. Bledar Prifti.
Altogether, SPC MUN students and faculty are grateful for the support they continue to receive from the administration, the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions, Dean Dr. Joseph Smiley and faculty colleagues! We hope to continue the legacy throughout the next conferences occurring during the 2022-2023 academic term, which include Japan and New York.