|
Mars Hill Trio Inspired by Mock U.N.
by Matt Welch
Mary Lela Weathers, Jocelyn Young, and Katie Holsclaw en route to Thomas Jefferson's University
|
Inspired by attending a Model United Nations International Conference at the University of Virginia, three Mars Hill students have come back to campus with a vision for raising consciousness of world affairs among students.
The Conference, held in Charlottesville April 6-9, was open to any student affiliated with a U.S. school. Sophomores Mary Lela Weathers and Katie Holsclaw and senior Jocelyn Young joined 300 other students, including delegations from big-name schools like Princeton, Georgetown, Wake Forest, and Rutgers.
Student delegates to the conference were broken up into small "crisis committees" of 12-15 members. Each delegate was assigned a country to represent. The moderators, UVA students and faculty who acted as the "crisis staff," gave each student a list of possible crises that they might encounter. They were then left to do research on their own about the different scenarios. The difficult thing about accumulating the resources for the different debates is that the information had to reflect the country's point of view.
Weathers represented Japan, Young Denmark, and Holsclaw Egypt. "We took positions that were supposed to be representative of those that these particular nations would take under those circumstances," Young explained.
Young's committee debated the position of the former Soviet Bloc nations with relation to NATO and how Russia was dealing with the Commonwealth of Independent States (nations like Ukraine and Belorus that became independent when the Soviet Union broke up). Weather's group dealt with the idea of Taiwan seceding from mainland China. Holsclaw spoke for Egypt concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All three had to invest a good amount of time in research in order to represent their nations well and avoid off-the-wall positions in debates.
A large amount of their weekend was devoted to work, but they did have some free time and enjoyed the opportunity to meet delegates from different schools. Holsclaw and Weathers especially enjoyed a meal they shared with the delegates from Rutgers University. "They had never been any farther south than Virginia, so they had never heard of things like sweet tea and Southern hospitality," said Weathers. The meal was seasoned with a conversation about the North and the South.
The Mars Hill delegation also found great pleasure in standing toe to toe with and debating the students from the big name schools. "We felt a strong sense of equality with all of the delegates," said Jocelyn Young.
"After getting in a good one on a representative from Princeton or Wake Forest, we really felt like we were no different than the rest of the students," said Weathers. All three women felt that more people now know of their "small mountain school near Asheville."
They now want to start an International Affairs Organization at Mars Hill. It will be open to all students who have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and who have an interest in international affairs. "It will be a good opportunity for us to get our school's name out in a positive way," said Young.
Club members will attend Model U.N. Conferences and serve as liaisons for international students. The organization will keep in touch with Mars Hill students who are studying abroad. It will also serve as a refuge for international students who want to get involved on campus. Immediate objectives are to create a display that will show current events around the world to bring awareness to the Mars Hill Students and to create a web page for the organization.
"We will have a tri-lateral executive board," said Weathers. She, Young, and Holsclaw will serve as the administration for the organization. All three believe the Model United Nations offers a good way for Mars Hill students to see the diversity at different colleges and to build networks among different people and schools."
"There are many faculty members behind our efforts because it is a way for the school to promote something other than athletics," Young says. "Not only is it a good way to develop debating skills, it also looks great on a graduate school or law school application.
"The conference and the club will be ways students can develop a new way of thinking that is not really promoted at Mars Hill. It is time for Mars Hill to host a strong group of intellectual students who are interested in global affairs."
The executive board of IAO plans to present their organization to the student government early next Fall. There will be flyers posted and e-mails sent out with the details. "All students who may be interested are encouraged to attend," says social coordinator of the organization, Mary Lela Weathers.
Give us your feedback. We value your opinions.
The Hilltop reserves the right not to post anonymous comments or any that could be judged slanderous, that make unverifiable allegations of fact, or use language we consider in bad taste.
All fields must be filled in.
HOME
| 
