Monmouth University’s Model United Nations (MUN) team competed at the Boston Area Model United Nations Conference (BarMun) from Oct. 6-9. BarMun took place at the historic Park Plaza Hotel in Boston and attracted students from 44 universities around the U.S. and abroad, including Georgetown, UC Berkeley, the University of Chicago, Michigan University, American University, the Naval Academy, McGill, and the University of Montreal.
At MUN conferences, students represent countries, sit on policy committees, and, over a four-day period, simulate the activities of the United Nations system. Students compete for awards based on public speaking, policy writing/research and policy resolutions, and group negotiation skills. For decades, MUN has been the most popular academic extracurricular activity at the university level and high school level in the U.S.
Nick Yalch, senior finance student and Monmouth’s head delegate, provided strong leadership for the delegation, and was joined by nine other Monmouth students representing the countries of Argentina and Hungary on a diverse range of UN committees. James Bellinger, sophomore political science student, and Oliver Gaines, senior homeland security student, took home speaking awards after competing on the largest committee (85 students) at the conference. The focus of their speeches and policy proposals centered on UN efforts to extend health care access globally.
Also registering strong performances were Yalch, Catherine Melman-Kenny, senior anthropology and political science student, and Sarah Reutti, senior political science student. All Monmouth students presented policy initiatives and delivered formal speeches to their committees. Rounding out the Monmouth delegation were Eric Machnicki, senior political science student, Tom Rosta, junior anthropology and political science student, Sabria Smith, senior political science student, Emily Pustam, sophomore criminal justice student, and Angel Valerio, senior political science student. The faculty advisor on this trip was Ken Mitchell, Ph.D., professor of political science and sociology.
Next month, Kevin Dooley, Ph.D., department chair and associate professor of political science and sociology, will bring 45 Monmouth MUN students to compete at a conference in Washington, D.C. Then, Mitchell will travel with six Monmouth students to compete in Oxford, England.
Students from all majors and departments can participate on Monmouth’s MUN teams. New members will be invited to join next semester, when Monmouth sends teams to conferences at Harvard, London and Charlotte, North Carolina. Interested students should reach out to Yalch, Dooley, or Mitchell.
