Camarillo, Calif., May 1, 2012 – The Model United Nations Team at CSU Channel Islands (CI) recently captured six top awards at two regional conferences.
The first event was the Western Model United Nations, which attracted more than 140 participants from 10 colleges and universities to Santa Barbara City College from March 29 - 31. Senior political science major MacKenzie Garcia, acting as Uganda in the Human Rights Council, received the top award as Outstanding Delegate. Junior economics and political science major Steven Jordan, portraying Ecuador in the Historic Security Council, was named Best Delegate. Senior political science major Kurt Harris received an Honorable Mention as Uganda in the General Assembly First Committee. MacKenzie Garcia was also chosen as Under Secretary General for next year’s conference, and will serve with a Secretary General from Occidental College.
In April, CI’s team won three awards at the Model United Nations of the Far West, which draws competitors from all around the U.S., Canada and Russia for a five-day conference near San Francisco. This year, all three of CI’s delegations—Ecuador, Guatemala, and Zambia—received recognition.
Led by Dr. Andrea Grove and Dr. Chris Scholl from the Political Science Program, the 2012 team includes students Matthew Bateman, Kristina Cervi, Sofia Farid, MacKenzie Garcia, Stephanie Garcia, Kurt Harris, Kyle Harris, Steven Jordan, Robert Lestak, Andre Ross, Sara Sanders, Pieter Turley, David Winston, Markus Wurtz, and Trevor Yslas.
The CI Model United Nations team formed in Spring 2008 and has competed in three events each year since then: Northwest MUN in Seattle in the fall, and Western and Far West MUN in the spring. The events are funded by CI Instructionally Related Activities fees, the Center for Community Engagement, and the Political Science Program.
Model UN is a simulation of the UN’s committees. Students step into the shoes of ambassadors from UN member states to research and debate current issues on the organization's agenda. While playing their roles as ambassadors, student "delegates" make speeches, prepare draft resolutions, negotiate with allies and adversaries, resolve conflicts, and navigate the Model UN conference rules of procedure – all in the interest of mobilizing international cooperation to resolve problems that affect countries all over the world. Each spring semester, students enrolled in POLS 490: Special Topics—Model UN will earn course credit for their studies.
For more information, contact Dr. Andrea Grove at 805-437-3124 or andrea.grove@csuci.edu or Dr. Chris Scholl at 805-437-8972 or christopher.scholl@csuci.edu.
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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.