12/20/2004 
 

Twenty-three CMU political science students got a real-world taste for their subject matter at a Model United Nations summit in Chicago last month.

It was the first time in a decade that an entire class of CMU students has participated in the American Model United Nations International Conference.

The class, led by political science faculty member David Jesuit, prepared for the conference during the fall semester by learning the ins and outs of the United Nations. Jesuit said the course was an outgrowth of student initiative and interest in the United Nations.
 

The students were: Robert Avers of Kimball; Alicia Birach of Lake Orion; Alexandria Fraley of Mount Pleasant; Rikki Franz of New Baltimore; Nina Gardner of Muskegon; Joseph Grasley of Merrill; John Kaczynski of Mount Pleasant; Jenaba Kamara of Detroit; Frank Klackle of Greenville; Jonathon Krajenka of Kinde; Benjamin Machar of Colchester, Vermont; Isabel Montemayor of Lansing; Jessica O’Higgins of White Lake; Michael Pettovello of Standish; Gregory Pollack of Mount Pleasant; Kenneth Proctor of Waterford; Benjamin Ray of Lansing; Jesse Robertson of Mount Pleasant; Tashana Taylor of Benton Harbor; Travis Vanderlaan of Cadillac; Jessica Whipple of Muskegon; Jonathan Young of Monroe; and Greg Schroeder of West Bloomfield.

The class split into two delegations for the conference, representing Portugal and Sierra Leone.

By the time they got to Chicago for the conference last month, they were armed with information about the countries they would represent and about the processes used by the United Nations. They worked with 1,200 students from almost 90 different schools.

“The students had to learn the rules and procedures of the U.N.,” Jesuit said. “After the first full day, there was a good deal of frustration. I think that was an important thing to learn — that when you have 190 countries, it’s very difficult to reach any kind of consensus.”

Topics included coming up with a policy on racism and discrimination and resolving issues related to international atomic energy.

“I think they learned a great deal. They did very well,” Jesuit said.