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SPECIAL FEBRUARY 23, 2007 - Page 13 Students travel to Boston for Model UN Trip gives students a 'real-world' experience What really is Model UN? Thursday, at 5 p.m. with an that went into preparing for DJERDJ MATKOVTC opening ceremony where the the trip. Many students partie- The Harvard National Model United Nations is MIKE HABEGGER Harvard staff was introduced. Ipated in a Jan-Term class to an annual conference of students £rom many dif- CO-EDITORS Two guest speakers elucidated prepare documents and posi- ferent colleges, each representin.ga nation. The On Wednesday, February on global issues that were to tion papers on Cuba. purpose is to give students an opportunity to 14, nineteen students from be discussed in individual Committee sessions in the experience the international political arena" and McDaniel College traveled to committee meetings. simulation lasted eight hours Boston to represent Cuba in McDaniel students expressed equally divided into morning to train them in legislative debate, the annual Harvard National their presence at the ceremony and afternoon sessions. This year McDaniel College represented The Model United Nations. by hanging the national flag of After long hours of deliber- Republic of Cuba at the conference. Their goal According to their faculty Cuba on a front balcony. ation and negotiation, stu- Was to play the role of the real Cuban delegation advisor Dr. Charles Neal, the The first committee meet- dents had the opportunity on to the United Nations, With 19 delegates in 10 school has been participating ings were held that night, a Saturday to unwind with a for over forty years. This was time historically filled with meal at Fire and Tee, one of committees, the group debated and deliberated Neal's 28th trip. awkward parliamentary pro- Boston's most unique and on key issues such as the war On terror and tor... "I like the Harvard Model cedures and unorganized exotic dining experiences. ture, sustainable development, nuclear prolifera- UN because it gives students intentions. /I ft gave us a chance to talk tion, economic inequalities and historic issues. an opportunity to practice real "It was an odd experience," about stuff that happened debates, and participate with said junior delegate Jacob inside and outside of commit- students from various COW1- Moriarty-Stone. "It was a tee," said senior delegate tries," said Neal. "It is also a bunch of headless chickens Lydia Eddy. II And we got to chance to compete with some running around with their celebrate Dr. Neal's 'birth- of the best schools around the heads slowly growing back, day.'" world, and a great chance to trying to figure out what they For many students, it was learn about a new country were doing." their second time on the trip, every year." The Harvard National making them mentors for Due to heavy snow that Model United Nations is committee business, and also froze the runway in Boston on divided into 25 committees, experts on Boston nighttime Tuesday night, the delega- grouped five different ways, entertainment. tion's 45-mi.nute flight-to-be closely following United "[I] had a good time," said was cancelled. Nations committee structure. senior Thea Sebekos-willtams "T was frustrated-not Each committee had a specific "I would do it again, but as a because we were not going to agenda that they attempted to delegate, not a Head Delegate fly but because the airline did- work through and pass a reso- because r miss being in com- n't cancel the flight until we lution on. McDaniel students mittee." got to the terminal," said sat on 10 committees accord- Jason Stambaugh echoed Senior Ian Hines. ing to the representation of these sentiments. Thanks to quick action Cuba at the UN. "Being Head Delegate is involving a four thousand Senior delegate Lindsay great because you have a lot of dollar charge to co-head dele- Graham sat on a historical free time, but sometimes it's ig[t~jJ~~lf S:%~t~§h~:,fg,~= gir.i ral s~s;itTblrhvC2Jm~Vtteru: m9re fun to_be ~ committee," tion managed the trip aboard Afghanistan." !iaid Sraffi6i1t1grr. -SOm~rries it just feels good to get up an Am-Trak train from 8Wl to "We got a resolution there and rage in front of the Boston. passed, but not to Cuba's lik- committee.' It took eight hours. ing," said Graham. "[U]n1ike "Before we left, Jason told "It was fun," said senior other committees, the United me that I had to stand up and Ben Yingling. "It gave me an States acted more like the 'rage," said junior delegate opporhmity to meet new peo- United States should have Mike Habegger. "1 was a little ple, discuss different views, acted, playing the role well, hesitant to speak. in committee and overall, the trip was a but I still didn't like the out- at first, but eventually it very good experience." come." became natural for me to Once the delegates arrived Even though students were stand up, and put the rest of in Boston, they encountered obliged to represent their the committee in its place. 1 slippery conditions as the country's positions, some really enjoyed the participato- sidewalks in some places were allowed their personal opin- ry nature of [the UN covered .with ice and snow ions come into play, thus sabo- Development Programme] that was four inches thick. The taging the flow of the simula- committee." delegates had most of the next tion Dr. Mike Brittingham, an day free and used that oppor- "It's frustrating that people advisor to the students with tunity to explore the nuances didn't know their countries' Neal, reflected on his first trip of the Boston area and to get positions which made it hard with the delegation. settled in their rooms. to actually work with them- "I have a lot interest in sim- "We visited the Sam Adams it wasn't hard to represent ulations and 1 believe it was a Brewery," said Jason Cuba," said sophomore dele- valuable experience for stu- Stambaugh. "It took over two gate Jared Luner. "Essentially dents," said Brittingham. "I hours to find that mystical our every position is it is the was happy how well the stu- .place, but it was worth it." United States' fault." dents did and how well pre- The actual conference This is not to undermine the pared they were." began that afternoon, significant amount of work Oh, the joys of being in committee. Djerdj Matkovic saidin the middle of it committee hearing ''1justwanted.to inform you all that Our great leader Fidel Castro is in good health.and will rule Our country for many yeats to cornet" On the l.1.$tday of the conference-Jacob Moriarty-Stone an~wdia Eddy walked out of the ses- slon,.with Stone saying "Our leader is ilL. 'We fear for Our lives and we are leaving!" The Chair responded by saying "This ts out of order! Are you guys really Walking out?" Applause fol lowed. ~rntheUnited Nations I)eve1opment Progranune committee, Mike Habegger and Jared Luner led latenQitiOl1 ot Heppy Birthday to celebrate Kim longD'. 65th birthday on February 16. They also ~C'Ontinuouslyharassed the United States delegates and the "Western Imperialist Pigs."