In a world of civil strife, faltering economies and terrorism, Chico State students grasped the issues better than most by having - yet again - a good showing at the American West Model United Nations Conference from Nov. 22 to 25 in Las Vegas.
The university's "Model United Nations" class was awarded 11 out of 36 possible awards, including the conference's top award, Outstanding Delegation.
In preparation for spring's national conference in New York, Chico State has dominated the regional conference in Las Vegas in the past decade, team adviser John Crosby said.
"It's kind of like spring training," he said. "We are just getting prepared for nationals."
The preparation worked, Crosby said. Chico State entered the national tournament in the top five percent.
The program sent 37 students, who were each assigned a country and a topic to research, Crosby said. Students wrote position papers and worked together to produce realistic U.N. resolutions.
"Coming in, students don't know what to expect, but when we get there and they see how prepared they are, their confidence goes up," he said.
For the "Model United Nations," that's the key, said Sudan representative Lela Crandall.
"Before, I was really nervous. I didn't think I was prepared, but in Vegas it all came together," Crandall said. "But we were overprepared - super-uber prepared."
In the program's recent success, the basis still has roots in teaching students about world issues, Crosby said.
"It gives students a greater appreciation of what's going on in the world from a world's perspective," he said. "It's not as simple as black-and-white."
A group of elected students from the previous year taught the class, Crosby said. The students included Head Delegate Chelsea Schick, Secretary General Chad Brackett, Anna Birch, Jenny Cox and Lynda Kooi.
Next semester the student officers will cut the class, selecting 22 students to take to New York from April 5 to 11.
The same success is expected on the next trip, despite the increased difficulty, said Amanda Sayre, who won an award for her India position paper.
"The schools there are all big league, Ivy League and even from abroad," she said. "I expect great things from Chico State."
Connor can be reached at sportseditor@theorion.com
Be the first to comment on this article!