UMass Model UN

Since its inception, the UMass Secondary School Model UN Conference has provided a superbly enriching educational and social experience for attendees and staffers alike. The conference’s host organization, RSO of the Year award-winning International Relations Club, labors year-round in servicing the campus community as a steward of intercultural dialogue without compromise in its commitment to sound and rigorous scholarship and debate. Through the conference, undergraduates engage prospective college students in a convivial atmosphere that showcases the consummate professionalism and intellectual prowess of University of Massachusetts students. And it is in this fashion that undergraduates have forged a tradition which has become an institution both within the campus and in the broader Model UN community. To uphold and nurture such institutions is a noble and worthwhile pursuit, and is one that merits the University’s full consideration.

What we do 

Model UN is an educational simulation and academic competition in which delegates can learn about diplomacy, international relations and the United Nations. Each delegate represents a country or a person, and participates in debate over issues of historical or current importance in the world. This year the theme of UMassMUN is power, and most of the topics are involving that in some way. Topics of discussion include the refugee crisis, women's rights, and climate change. There are even committees which simulate the Nixon Cabinet and the Arab Spring, both which have in more than one way shaped our present. Over 50 UMass students staff the conference, simulating new situations and ensuring the delegates are always having an interesting time. 

What we need the money for

In order to ensure the conference does not interfere with the academics of staffers, UMassMUN is held during the first weekend of Spring break. However, since the dorms are closed during Spring break, accommodation is required for all the staffers. Additionally, there are many logistical costs involved, such as buses, rooms for the conference, equipment needed, delegate guides, placards and delegate security. The greater funding we receive, the better experience we can make for the delegates attending the conference.