COBE students Geoff Moore, a senior with a double major in international business and French (economics minor); and Adriana Villafana, a senior in international business, are members of Boise State’s Model United Nations Club which was awarded the Distinguished Delegation Award at the National Model United Nations conference in New York City on April 5.
The prestigious and competitive conference is attended by more than 5,100 students from around the world. Boise State students represented the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and had the opportunity to meet and speak with a representative from the Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations. Other participating students included Alex Emanoff, interdisciplinary studies and political science students Sean Murphy, Jayson Vial, Mike Fitzgerald, Chris Fries, Andrea Orozco, Nancy Orizaba, Jesse Martin, Ingrid Ebbers, Kerry Dougherty, Alexa Walker, Ashley Prince and Rialin Flores. They are part of a model UN course taught by Garry Wenske, executive director of the Frank Church Institute.
The delegation spent three months preparing for the conference, where they debated real issues that confront the international community, such as human trafficking, an arms trade treaty, disaster relief and emergency preparedness, and the upcoming Rio+20 Conference.
Over the course of five days, the summit acts as a simulation of the United Nations, where students learn to negotiate, compromise and pass resolutions while bearing in mind the interests of their assigned country. Delegations are evaluated by how well they remain in character, participate in committee and properly use rules of procedure.
Organizations supporting the Model United Nations Club include the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, ASBSU, the College of Business and Economics, and the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs.
Our programs provide a diverse group of informed students and faculty a forum for addressing global concerns in a “real world” context. Conferences address important issues including regional conflicts, peacekeeping, human rights, women and children, economic and social development, and the environment. In its simplest sense, we work to
provide student participants with a better understanding of the inner working of the UN as they build skills in diplomacy and compromise.
