Chico Students Prepare for Formidable Task Portraying U.S. at Model U.N. in New York
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2002
Joe Wills
530-898-4143
Chico Students Prepare for Formidable Task Portraying U.S. at Model U.N. in New York
After one more fund-raising event this weekend, 33 California State University, Chico students will be ready to leave for New York City, where they will assume the daunting but prestigious task of portraying the United States at the 2002 National Model United Nations conference for more than 200 schools around the world.
CSU, Chico, winner of numerous awards at past Model U.N.s, has never represented the United States before, which typically requires the largest delegation at the conference. Consequently, the university has never before sent a delegation of as many as 33 students.
“The students will spend up to 12 days in New York City,” said political science professor and Model U.N. adviser C. Richard Ostrom. “ Costs will run very high per student —a major burden for them.”
To defray the costs to students, the public is invited to a dinner of international food and music from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16, at Guzetti’s Catering, 117 W. 14th St. in Chico. Tickets are available at the door for $20 per person, $35 per couple. CSU, Chico students attending the Model U.N. conference will be present to discuss the trip and foreign policy issues they expect to face.
It was a tremendous honor for CSU, Chico to be chosen by the National Model U.N. to represent the United States at the 2002 conference. Schools put in requests for what countries they would like to portray, but last fall, in the post-Sept. 11 climate, no university team asked to be the U.S. Because of CSU, Chico’s track record—awards in 10 of the last 11 conferences—the Model U.N. asked Chico to be the U.S., and Chico accepted.
This spring’s conference runs March 25-30. More than 2,000 student delegates will deliver papers and debate in general sessions, Security Council meetings and various other U.N. meetings. Participating schools will range from large research universities, such as the University of Wisconsin and Brigham Young, to community colleges. International universities are also well represented.
“It is so challenging to be the U.S. delegation, particularly now,” Ostrom said. “Diplomatic positions are changing almost daily, due to the war on terrorism. U.S. foreign policy not only changed with Bush’s presidency, it changed again after Sept. 11. The Model U.N. mirrors the real U.N.—if the U.S. attacks Iraq while we are in New York, then our delegate to the Security Council will be talking about attacking Iraq.”
CSU, Chico’s U.S. delegation must staff 18 U.N. organizations and committees during the Model U.N., more than any other country. All student participants have to be knowledgeable about their country’s policies, but the burden is greater when the country is the United States, Ostrom said. “Everyone at the conference thinks they know what U.S. policy should be. If the U.S. isn’t any good, it ruins the whole conference,” he said.
Ostrom said the CSU, Chico student delegates will have to deal with the added attention that comes from representing the United States. “Students from other schools will be jealous of us,” he said. “And they will be picky when listening to our arguments.”
Staying up to date with current events is critical. The university paid $1,250 for the students to be able to access a U.N. Web site for diplomats and government officials. The students are required to subscribe to the New York Times.
The CSU, Chico students will likely get an opportunity to meet U.S. representatives to the U.N. during the conference. Ostrom said it is typical that when a U.N. representative sees how well informed the students are on policies and issues, higher ranking officials are brought in to meet them.
Seventeen of the 33 members of the CSU, Chico delegations have attended a prior Model U.N. conference. Four of the CSU, Chico delegates are international students: two are Palestinian, one is Japanese and one is a French citizen whose family is originally from Morocco.
CSU, Chico has won delegation awards at 10 of the past 11 Model U.N. conferences. Representing the country of Belarus, the team won the outstanding delegation award in 2000, the top honor any school can receive.
The CSU, Chico Model U.N. team is made up of students who are enrolled in a political science class taught by Ostrom. The National Model U.N. conference started in 1923 as a simulation of the League of Nations before adopting its present form in 1946.
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