Model United Nations Team Continues Winning Streak
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2004
CONTACT: Kathleen McPartland
Tel: 530-898-4260
Rick Ostrom, Political Science
530-898-5140
Model United Nations Team Continues Winning Streak
The California State University, Chico Model United Nations delegation won an Outstanding Position Paper Award and the second level Distinguished Performance Award at the National Model United Nations Conference held in New York City, from April 6 through 10.
The delegation represented the Russian Federation. It was the only representative of a “Big Five” (United States, United Kingdom, France, China and the Russian Federation) country to win an award. Big Five countries are assigned based on prior high performance.
The Chico delegation has won Outstanding Position Paper awards every year for the five years and six countries it has represented. Professor Rick Ostrom said, “This shows how well the students are researching and the officers are editing the papers.”
Outstanding Position Paper awards are given to only 8 percent of delegations. Outstanding Performance awards are given to about 8 percent of delegations, Distinguished Performance awards to another 8 percent and honorable mentions to 10 percent. In addition to the Outstanding Position papers, the Chico delegation has won three outstanding and three distinguished presentation awards every year for the five years it has participated.
About 3,000 students from more than 200 colleges located in 23 different countries attended the conference with their delegations. “The conference is becoming increasingly international,” said Ostrom. “Germany had delegations from 23 different universities.”
Head delegate Nathan Davis set up briefings with a Russian diplomat and two UN staff members, one from the Security Council’s Counter-terrorism Committee, the other a coordinator of humanitarian aid programs. The briefings were extremely helpful to the team, especially in the area of terrorism, where policy changes rapidly.
Davis and fellow Model UN student officers Mark Bourgeoise, Sarah Lawson, Tim Self and Eddy Carey welcomed four CSU, Chico international students from Japan to the delegation: Megumi Hagiuda, Makiko Kimura, Asuka Murashima and Teruaki Tanaka.
Although international students have been encouraged to participate in the Model UN by their advisers Mary Kowta and James Luyirika-Sewagudde for the English language practice, it is rare for such a large group to make the team. “The American students were very grateful for the help from their Japanese partners,” said Ostrom. “They came through at the end of the gruelling five-day experience the most energetic and enthusiastic of the delegation.”
Interested students should register for POLS 242 International Organizations next fall semester when 25 new Model UN students will be trained to compete at the America West Model UN Conference in November.
Members of the double award-winning Russian Federation not previously mentioned are Giovanna Adleson, Hilary Anderson, Geoff Frazier, Stephen Geisler, Jon Gulino, Ashley Heiber, Jason Hendsch, Saul Henson, Kristin Matulonis, Suzanna Mohr, Valerie Myrick, Jessica Nelson, Dan Oliver, Christina Sames, Robin Smith, Eric Stecklow, Casey Stice, Taylor Stinebaugh, Robert Taggart, Ben Terhune, Katie Terry, Amanda Tripp and Jordan Wittman.
The Model UN program receives most of its funding from Student Instructionally Related Activities fees. The delegation also held two fundraising dinners for the community last year. In addition, Jeanne Thomas, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences; Byron Jackson, chair of the Department of Political Science; Sue Anderson, director of Alumni and Parent Relations; the Butte County United Nations Association; and dozens of faculty and staff members of CSU, Chico supported the delegation.
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