Model U.N. at Lehigh
By Melissa Collins ’13
While students were away on spring
break, Lehigh University welcomed
local high school students to campus
to participate in its annual Lehigh
Valley Interscholastic Athletic
Conference Model United Nations
competition. The event was sponsored
by the LU/UN Partnership at Lehigh.
Lehigh has been hosting high school
students for Model U.N. conferences
annually for about 10 years, Mike
Flynn said.
Flynn, organizer of conference, noted
that about 350 students from Emmaus,
Parkland, Nazareth Area, Whitehall,
Easton Area, Central Catholic,
Belvidere high schools and East
Stroudsburg High School South
participated in the event. Flynn is
also the advisor to the Emmaus High
School team.
“Our Secretary Generals for this year
were senior Aliraza Soonasra and
junior Marc Primello,” Flynn said.
“The event begins with an opening
ceremony in Packard Auditorium. Dr.
[William] Hunter was the keynote
speaker. Then we proceed to Rauch
Business Center and move to one of
nine rooms. Each room is a committee,
for example Security Council, General
Assembly, Environmental, Committee on
Women and Children, Disarmament and
International Security, Economic and
Financial, World Health Organization
and two [others].”
In the committees, the students, who
represent various countries depending
on their school, debate pre-written
resolutions, Flynn said. Each school
has a set of chairpersons, who are
predetermined at the beginning of the
event. Those students choose the best
debaters from each committee who will
then receive awards at the closing
ceremony in Packard Lab.
“Students often have great experiences
at the Model U.N.,” Flynn said. “It
allows them to take on the persona of
a person from a different country and
argue from that point of view. It also
gives them a forum to debate
logically.”
The Model United Nations conferences
allow students to be analytical of
global issues, as well as critical of
possible resolutions. By debating
various viewpoints, the students gain
insight into how the U.N. really works
and allows them to communicate their
ideas to others. It is through the
Model U.N. conferences that many
students harbor leadership and
communication skills that they can
help them gain success in the real
world.
Student participants from Easton Area
High School won the conference,
earning free registration to Lehigh's
United Nations Academic Impact
Conference on Friday, March 23. The
second place winners were from Central
Catholic High School, and they were
awarded a chance to meet the
Ambassador from Nauru, who will be
visiting Lehigh on April 5.
