October 19, 2006

High school students participating in Wayne State's Model UN Program, Oct. 21, will recommend solutions to Iraq conflict

What actions should the United Nations be taking to resolve the situation in Iraq? Some 150 high school students from 17 high schools in Metro Detroit will gather at Wayne State University Saturday, Oct. 21, to discuss, formulate and present their views in a daylong simulated UN exercise.

Centered around the theme “Resolution and Diplomacy in Iraq,” the exercise gives participants -- most of whom are nominated by their respective schools -- an opportunity to learn from experience how the UN works, to practice the give-and-take of diplomacy, to analyze the many facets of difficult issues and to interact closely with other teens they do not know.

The annual event is coordinated by the Honors Program at Wayne State, and the discussion topic changes each year. For the purpose of the exercise, students become “ambassadors” and are assigned to groups that represent individual countries – 20 of them this year. Background materials provided in advance help students familiarize themselves with their assigned country. WSU honors students and faculty members volunteer as committee chairpersons to facilitate discussion and debate.

Following an opening ceremony and orientation, students meet in discussion groups representing their assigned countries. The representatives of each country draft a resolution, which is presented at a simulated United Nations General Assembly session in the afternoon. At the Q&A session that follows, opposing countries can bring up concerns. The countries vote on each resolution and the top vote-getter is adopted by the general body.

The general assembly is presided over by a secretary-general, a role filled for the past three years by Wayne State senior Clarence Dass of Bloomfield Hills. An Honors Program student and history major, he co-founded the Model UN Program at WSU and plans to attend law school following graduation. He points out that the mock UN program “helps students grow as leaders and scholars.” WSU law professor Gregory Fox, an expert in international law, will deliver the keynote address at the opening session Saturday.

“The Model United Nations Conference is an outstanding learning experience for participating students,” said professor Jerry Herron, director of WSU’s Honors Program. “It is an opportunity for them to gain a greater understanding of the UN’s role in international affairs and the role of compromise in reaching important decisions. It also gives students an opportunity to voice their opinion about how to resolve major conflicts around the world.” He added that the university is particularly pleased about growing interest in the program. Participation in this year’s event has almost doubled over a year ago.

When the afternoon “UN General Assembly” comes to a close at 3:45 p.m., each participant will receive a certificate naming him or her a “junior ambassador” to the Wayne State Model United Nations Program.

The Oct. 21 conference agenda is below.

• 9:30 a.m. – Registration (Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium lobby)

• 10: 30 a.m. – Opening Session (Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium)

• 11:00 a.m. – Discussion Sessions; representatives of each “country” gather to formulate their country’s resolution. (Adamany Undergraduate Library)

• 1:00 p.m. – Lunch (Adamany Undergraduate Library Community Room)

• 2:00 p.m. – Model United Nations General Assembly (Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium)

• 3:45 p.m. – Presentation of certificates to participants as “Junior Ambassadors to the Wayne State Model United Nations Program.” (Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium)