Delegates attend North American conference at the University of Toronto
The University of Guelph’s Model United Nations attended the annual North American Model UN (NAMUN) conference from Feb. 18 to Feb. 21, 2016. Before delegates embarked on the conference, The Ontarion had the opportunity to sit down with two students from the model UN to discuss the organization’s structure, as well as the roles available for students interested in joining.
Mallory Ament is a University of Guelph student who serves as the secretary for the Guelph model UN. According to Ament, though anyone can register for a conference as an independent delegate, the Guelph delegation is primarily comprised of current students.
“[Delegates] are all in their own individual committees, so they repreent either a country or a person,” said Ament in an interview with The Ontarion. “When you’re in a General Assembly, Specialized Agency, or Security Council committee, you’ll always be representing a nation.”
Ament is a delegate in a crisis committee for the Congo Crisis of 1960. As such, she plays the role of an individual who was part of the crisis.
Emerson Wargel is a third-year political science student at the University of Guelph. He was part of the delegation that attended the 2016 NAMUN conference. Wargel also attended the 2016 McMaster model UN conference, and the 2015 NAMUN conference. At NAMUN 2015, Wargel was awarded the best delegate in his committee.
Wargel explained that the model UN is a great organization to join for those interested in bettering their public speaking, debate, leadership, and teamwork skills.
“I did model UN in high school, and I’ve always been someone who’s been engaged by interesnational politics,” said Wargel, in an interview with The Ontarion. “I relish the opportunity to develop one of my interests in a manner that also develops my skills [that are] important for my career later on.”
At NAMUN 2016, Wargel represented the USSR during the Congo Crisis of 1960. Despite the fact that history has already been written and the effects of the crisis’s conclusion have already been charted, Wargel explained that model UN actors aren’t necessarily confined to their roles in history.
“It’s the best representation of the nation at the time, and to actually represent the interests of the nation,” said Wargel. “Obviously, as the USSR, I’d lose credibility in the eyes of the Dais [the judges] if I was buddy-buddy with the U.S. and just agreed with everything the U.S. did. But that being said, there’s a lot of latitude to come up with different arrangements.”
Ament explained that delegates typically write a position paper before attending model UN conferences. The paper allows delegates to understand their goals and expectations for the conference itself.
Delegates are adjudicated by a Dais present at every committee.
“The Dais run the committee,” said Wargel. “They’re the ones with the gavel who assign who’s going to speak. They’re usually the most influential.”
In the instance of NAMUN, the Dais would most likely be comprised of University of Toronto volunteers, in addition to members who are part of the model UN circuit.
“When they’re at the U of T, they work under the organizational staff and make sure everything runs smoothly,” said Wargel.
Students looking to join the university’s model UN are advised to connect with the organization through Facebook, or via email at mun@uoguelph.ca.
“We are trying to really work on expanding our club,” explained Ament. “The best way to get in touch is through email. We are running one more conference at the end of March – the York model UN, so if new students want to join, they can.”