For the first time in three years, Mississippi State University students competed last week in the 2003 National Model United Nations Congress.
The group of 12 students spent a week in New York City participating in NMUN, representing Chad, an African nation. Students represented Chad in several mock bodies of the United Nations including the General Assembly, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Group of 77.
During the course of the week, students used compromise and cooperation and engaged other students in formal debate or caucusing to help write and develop policy papers for their respective U.N. organizations. The U.N. bodies each addressed a separate series of topics such as terrorism, access to freshwater and human rights.
According to Dr. Hannah Britton, political science professor and a sponsor of the trip, selection of students for the trip was based on their respective GPAs and coursework in international politics. Students’ participation in the Mississippi Model Security Council Program at MSU and the Southern Regional United Nations Program in Atlanta, Ga., as were considered as well.
One of the students, Frank “Smith” Lilley, a senior political science major, said it was very important for MSU to be represented at the conference.
“NMUN brings over 2,500 students from four continents to New York, the ‘capital of the world,’ to discuss the world’s most pressing needs,” Lilley said. “As a forum for international communication among college students, this program is second to none.”
In addition, Lilley commented on the experiences and difficulty of having to represent Chad.
“Representing the Republic of Chad, one of the world’s poorest countries, forced us to summon all of our intellectual and diplomatic skill,” he said.
In addition to the competition, students also were given opportunities to tour New York City, visiting places such as Times Square, the Empire State Building, Broadway and the World Trade Center site.
Sara Peters, former SA Vice President and another attendee of the conference, said the trip was a very valuable experience.
“I wanted to go to the NMUN because it’s an opportunity that only comes around every two or three years for the participants here,” Peters said. “I couldn’t go my freshman year and finally had another chance to go. The NMUN is amazing because it is located in New York City, where the actual United Nations is headquartered, and because so many different schools all over the nation come to learn and compete.
“[The trip] was definitely worth it,” Peters continued. “Not only did we get to visit the United States Mission to the United Nations, but we also got to go to the actual United Nations. New York has so many diverse cultures-it really is the melting pot of the world.”
The conference ended Saturday evening following two sessions that were held at the United Nations building.
Students were given the opportunity to present their final resolutions and reports within the General Assembly Hall and other parts of the building, participating in the very same seats where actual ambassadors often sit and work during official U.N. sessions.
Kyle Frazier, a junior majoring in civil engineering, said he had gained valuable skills by participating in the conference.
“I learned a lot about the practical applications of analysis and compromise while participating in the NMUN conference,” Frazier said. “Working to address world issues in a committee of nearly 200 delegates, each representing the interests and values of a different country, required careful diplomacy and negotiation to reach a position acceptable to everyone.
“NMUN was a wonderfully enriching experience, both educationally and culturally,” he continued. “I enjoyed the trip immensely.”
The trip was made possible by a variety of sponsors, including Marty Wiseman of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government; Rex Buffington of the Stennis Center for Public Service and Jack White of the University Honors Program.
The political science deptartment also had several people involved in the preparation for the trip, including Col. Jeff Donald, a lecturer in the department who arranged for students to be briefed by experts in African politics in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
In addition, Col. Donald arranged for the former U.S. ambassador to Chad, Ambassador Robert Pugh of Columbus, Miss., to meet with the students to help them prepare for the trip by discussing the politics of Chad and the potential for development and growth in the region. Dr. Rick Travis, Ms. Tracy Britt, and Ms. Marla Catledge also played a large role with the trip, helping to coordinate its planning, fundraising, and execution.