Courtesy photos.
CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students have once again distinguished themselves with their diplomacy at the regional Model United Nations (MUN) conference.
The 16 CSUCI students who traveled to Portland last month to compete in the Northwest Model United Nations came away with five awards, one of them an overall award for “Distinguished Delegation,” and four individual awards.
Three students won “Distinguished Delegate” awards and one student won an award for a paper she wrote and presented at the competition, called a “position paper.”
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real world issues with the policies and perspectives of their assigned country. Once a team has registered for a conference, it receives several countries to represent.
For the past 12 years, Professor of Political Science Andrea Grove, Ph.D. and Political Science lecturer Chris Scholl, Ph.D. have been taking students to the three Model UN competitions held each year, and almost never come back without awards. Grove and Scholl co-teach the Model UN class at CSUCI.
“The students have to do research on whatever issues their committee is working on, so they learn so much about particular global issues and they learn in such great depth,” Grove said. “They are building research and writing skills and they have to stand up and speak in front of everyone, negotiate and write a consensus resolution.”
Scholl said many of the students who participate in Model UN are inspired and gain the skills and confidence to go on to graduate school or law school.
“Most importantly, they learn problem-solving, and through that process they really learn and grow,” Scholl said. “All the issues they confront are real issues in front of the United Nations.”
MUN delegate Megan Brown, a Global Studies and Spanish senior, won her award for her work with the UN Population Fund, and Jenny Rios, a Global Studies and Political Science senior, took home Distinguished Delegate for her diplomacy on the Human Rights Council.
History senior Robert McDonald won a Distinguished Delegate award for his work at the MUN General Assembly. This was the first time he attended.
“I represented Tunisia,” McDonald said. “Human trafficking is a major issue in Tunisia. The issue is different for them because a lot of the people are forced into slavery. For them, human trafficking is a source of instability and has delegitimized the government.”
McDonald, who hopes to enter the world of politics, said the MUN experience bolstered his confidence and was also a lot of fun. Communication senior Kayla Bentley has been participating in MUN for four semesters. She plans to become a lawyer or perhaps go into politics.
“I love reading about policy and legislation and international policy and how countries interact with one another,” Bentley said. “I love the environment when I take the Model UN class. I fell in love with it. I kept taking it and fell in love with it even more.”
Liberal Studies senior McKenna Slatlem, who took home an award for a paper she wrote for the UN Population Fund, believes it’s critical that we all be global citizens, especially for younger people like her, who are charged with shaping the future of the United States.
“It’s super important for people my age to be informed about what’s going on globally,” she said. “We are all on this planet together and what affects one country will affect another country. So it’s better to know what’s going on than to be blind and ignorant to anything going on in other countries.”
MUN veteran Tomas Mora, a senior majoring in Political Science with an emphasis on international affairs, said his experience with MUN has compelled him to apply to graduate school and consider a career as an ambassador.
“Originally I was going to be a teacher and coach football but Drs. Grove and Scholl expanded my perspective,” he said. “We owe our current and future generations a better world. Or at least a just world.
About California State University Channel Islands: CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is reimagining higher education for a new generation and era. We are an innovative higher education institution that enables students to succeed and thrive – serving as an engine for social and economic vitality that provides the intellectual resources necessary for a thriving democracy. With more than 7,000 students, 1,200 employees and 14,000 alumni, CSUCI is poised to grow in size and distinction, while maintaining one of the most student-focused learning environments in public higher education. Connect with and learn more by visiting www.csuci.edu or CSUCI’s Social Media.