Tech hosts annual Model UN conference

It is known that Tech students come from diverse backgrounds. Many students display skills and passion in not only their majors, but also in areas that are only remotely related to their majors. On Monday, Oct. 8, the Georgia Tech Model United Nations (GT-MUN), a dedicated team of students consisting of almost all majors on campus, kicked off its ninth annual conference.

GT-MUN is a two day conference for high school students. Created in 1998, this conference has worked to bring the importance of international affairs to high school students in the Southeast and given them an opportunity to research and discuss the global issues that they enjoy.

"GT-MUN is a conference for high school students to come and simulate a session of the United Nations. It serves to facilitate education about politics, international affairs and the United Nations. It also teaches students how to use diplomacy and pass resolutions regarding international issues," said Matthew Bufford, the conference director of GT-MUN.

"Our goal is to provide an experience that is enjoyable and educational for both delegates and advisors," said James Hatten, the Director General of GT-MUN.

Hosted by the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and with the support from the College of Management, GT-MUN kicked off its opening ceremony in the Ferst Center for the Arts.

Ambassador Andrew Young, former Mayor of Atlanta and the nation's first African-American ambassador to the United Nations, was brought to the ceremony as the keynote speaker.

"We are extremely honored and pleased that we are able to feature Ambassador Young as our keynote speaker. His exceptional experience brings an unparalleled level of knowledge, insight and history to our organization, delegates and advisors," said Brian Johns, the Secretary General of GT-MUN.

"It was directed in his speech that you don't have to be an International Affairs major or a Public Policy major to take an active role in the international community. The important thing is to learn to work with other people and find the common ground," Johns said.

After the opening ceremony, students proceeded to the Management building to separate into their committees and participate in the United Nations simulation projects.

"During these projects over the course of two days, students are learning about the topics, forming resolutions that are comparable to the resolutions of the United Nations and voting on the resolutions. The projects not only teach them about international political issues, but also public speaking skills and concession," Bufford said.

The topics discussed in the conference ranged from "Protecting Non-Nuclear States from Nuclear Threats" to "Promoting Alternative Fuel Research and Usage" and "Disease Mapping and Tracking."

"The committees present in the actual United Nations, we have them here. For instance, we have roughly 143 students signed up for the Plenary Committee, which is the largest committee in the UN. Those students discuss 'Right to Water,' 'Piracy' and 'the Foreign Implication of Russian Energy Policy,'" Hatten said.

"The topics we're dealing with are the topics that are very close to the UN. The topics in our Security Council, for example, are 'The role of peace keepers in conflict zones' and 'State sponsored terrorism,' which are very topical," Hatten said.

To better prepare the students, the GT-MUN leaders extensively researched and provided the historical backgrounds and current situations of the topics.

"The wide range of topics [is] thought of by Tech students. These are the topics they are interested in, which really shows the diversity of Tech students participating in GT-MUN," Hatten said.

"We pretty much wrote a 200 to 300 paged book on the topics last year. It serves as a good background to the students, who have to read it, research more on the material and write papers before they come," Johns said.

Although only high school students actually participate in GT-MUN's simulations, planning for the conference bring various kinds of skills and experiences that many Tech students seek.

"Having such a prominent figure on campus is a great opportunity for students to not only hear an amazing speech but to experience the person. By being involved in GT-MUN, students can really learn about research skills, when you're writing the papers, document management, communication, team-building, time management and so on," Hatten said.

"Some of the most valuable skills that I've got out of being a part of GT-MUN are the managerial, business related skills like human resources and leadership abilities," Johns said.

With the success of this year's conference, the GT-MUN staff has already moved on to planning for next year's conference.

"Starting next week, we're literally starting to do research for next year's conference. We've made a lot of progress throughout the years, and we're hoping to see a bigger staff and more improvements for next year's conference," Bufford said.

Students who are interested in being a part of GT-MUN can go to their website at www.gtmun.org and fill out a volunteer application. They can also e-mail James Hatten at dirgen@gtmun.org.