By Alexis Kalli
kallial@mnstate.edu
This November, the CMU Ballroom will be filled with delegates from around the world.
These delegates are members of MSUM’s Model United Nations (MUN), a club that simulates the UN General Assembly. Students from all majors and all backgrounds come together to study global issues, foreign relations and leadership.
The club is hosting its own conference here on campus for the first time. Registration is open to all MSUM students online until Sept. 30. The club is hoping to get students more involved and interested in joining, hopefully gaining a strong enough turnout to invite other participating universities in next year.
“Fall semester we’ll focus on building the confidence of new members and getting them some experience,” the president of MUN Rahil Pereira said. He hopes this will prepare them for the Arrowhead Model United Nations Conference in the spring.
The majority of MUN members this year are new to the club. There were only about ten returning members because many graduated last spring, but within the first month of school, the number more than doubled.
“Only a few members who have joined have ever done this before, yet by the time of the (Arrowhead) conference, everyone is well prepared,” Pereira said.
Students work together from start to finish, building resolutions together and building the confidence of knowing they can do something that seemed daunting at first.
Each student is assigned a country and committee, and they spend time before the conference learning about commerce and real-world issues. Ultimately, the mock delegates compete against students from other universities in their delegations.
Last year, two students won Best Delegate Honorable Mention within their committees, and another earned a verbal commendation. Two years ago, the club won best delegation for Russia at the Arrowhead conference.
MUN allows students to gain skills in public speaking, as well as to gain more extensive knowledge of how international relations work.
“In the United States, we don’t have a lot of international news. The club exposes students to international politics and keeps students focused,” Pereira said.
Whether someone wants to build a background in politics or just wants to broaden their thinking on how the systems between countries work, the opportunities are nearly endless on gaining concrete global skills in the MUN club.