Written by:
Jackie O’Rourke
Staff Reporter
What is the Model UN?
“The point of the club, in general is to model the United Nations’ work which essentially means coming up with solutions to global problems,” said the club’s vice president, senior Brian Hardiman, a Global Studies major.
According to the United Nation’s homepage, “The UN provides a forum for its members to express their views in the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and other bodies and committees. By enabling dialogue between its members, and by hosting negotiations, the Organization has become a mechanism for governments to find areas of agreement and solve problems together.”
This is essentially what the club models with their 13 club members on campus at Sacred Heart.
“To me, Model UN means gaining a better understanding of the world around you. This is such an important thing because global events happen everyday and they have a much more direct impact on our personal lives than we realize,” said the club’s president, senior honors student Jessica Bland, a double major in Global Studies and Political Science.
“I love going to Model UN and being a part of the club because it is such a great opportunity to learn about current events and also to improve my skills as a leader, debater, and thinker,” said the club’s retention coordinator, freshman Matteo Menta, a political science major.
“Model UN also helps develop professional skills in students such as collaborating respectfully in groups and listening to and respecting opinions that may be different than yours,” said Bland.
“The best part of the club is probably learning more about the world and the opportunity to meet people from all around the world through the conferences. People interested in joining should know a huge part of the club is going to international conferences as mock country delegations to compete,” said Hardimann.
Sacred Heart’s Model UN Club is currently preparing to take on the Model United Nations New York in April by having practice conferences with their club members. “Model UN is about recognizing and learning everything that makes countries and individuals unique. It provides students with a place to celebrate those differences which will hopefully create a more tolerant world in the future,” said Bland.
Sacred Heart University’s Model UN club meets every other Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in the Main Academic Building in room HC 202.
