Model UN team scores big at National Security Collegiate Conference


FIU’s Model United Nations (Model UN) team placed first in the “Best Small Delegation” category at the 41st annual National Security Collegiate Conference at Georgetown University.

More than 40 universities from the U.S. and Canada competed at the event Oct. 24-27. FIU was one of two public universities from Florida to participate in the conference, and the only one from the Sunshine State to place. This victory comes after FIU’s Model UN team was ranked seventh “Best Delegate” in North America and first in Florida by BestDelegate.com in the 2012-2013 Final College Rankings.

“I was thrilled to witness our team’s success at Georgetown this past weekend,” said John Stack, executive director of the School of International and Public Affairs. “The National Collegiate Security Conference is one of the most challenging and strenuous competitions in the circuit. The competition was ferocious from Harvard, the University of Chicago, U Penn and Columbia. The victory underscores the teamwork, determination, intelligence and accomplishment of these remarkable and gifted students.”

The FIU Model UN team pose with Dr. John Stack (center) at the 41st annual National Security Collegiate Conference.

The FIU Model UN team pose for a photo at the 41st annual National Security Collegiate Conference. From left to right: Antonio Ferguson, Anthony Mercado, Gabriella Guadelupe, John Stack, Mark Hodgson, Adnan Samma, Maylin Hernandez, Peter Lynch, Ethan Roberts and Randolph Amaya.

Model UN participants role-play as diplomats representing a country or non-governmental organization (NGO) in a simulated session of a committee of the United Nations. At Georgetown, 10 FIU students competed in a variety of committees, including the “Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, 2012,” which replicated the internal structure of the brotherhood before the 2012 presidential election, and “Cyprus, 1974 Joint Crisis Committee,” which seeks to shape a national identity for Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus. Hosted by the Georgetown International Relations Association, the conference has served as a dynamic forum for detailed debate on the world’s most serious crises.

This is the second of three conferences the FIU Model UN team is competing in this fall. In October, FIU earned second place in the “Small Delegation” category at the Columbia Model United Nations in New York (CMUNY). In November, they will compete at the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference.

FIU MUN is a political science course that provides an interactive environment engrossing students in the different aspects of political and international affairs. It is supported by the College of Arts & Sciences, School of International and Public Affairs and Student Government Association. The FIU Model UN team is currently recruiting for the Spring 2014 semester and is open to all majors. For more information and an application click here.

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