Roanoke and Hollins students attend American Model United Nations

For the first time, Roanoke College and Hollins University students joined together to attend the annual American Model United Nations (AMUN) Conference, held November 22-25 in Chicago.

Eight students from Hollins and six from Roanoke made the trip, representing Tunisia and Gabon, respectively. The two delegations worked together on the Economic and Social Council and the Economic Commission for Africa. 

Hollins Professor of Political Science Ed Lynch fostered the collaboration. He is filling in as the Roanoke College Model UN Club's academic advisor while Roanoke's Dr. Joshua Rubongoya, the club's regular advisor, is on sabbatical. 

"Hollins students have attended AMUN in Chicago since 2003 and it made sense for me to accompany Roanoke College students to this conference as well," Lynch explained. "Moreover, AMUN is the best-planned and best-organized academic conference I have ever attended."

Students from Roanoke College have been attending a similar conference in New York each spring. 

"Just like in the actual United Nations, you don't really like everyone, and you're honestly not supposed to," Wes Knowles said. He is president of Roanoke's Model U.N. "There is something incredibly energizing about working towards a common goal with people who care just as deeply about the issue as you do. The resolutions and reports that we drafted are exactly like the ones that we read in our classes or research projects that came from the actual UN. The language, the passion, the pomp and circumstance were all there in Chicago."

AMUN includes over 70 colleges and universities from around the United States, with more than 1,000 students attending. During the conference, students act as country representatives and debate resolutions over issues ranging from human trafficking to arms control. The "diplomats" meet in formal sessions and informal caucuses; intense negotiations take place over the wording of resolutions. 

Alessandra Sella is a junior from Milan, Italy. She's an international relations major. "It has been really interesting to see how it is hard to pass a resolution and how long it can take," she said. "It was also interesting to understand how the UNGA really works and how it can be limited for some aspects."

The conference also includes a graduate school fair, internship opportunities, and chances to see Chicago's many attractions. The timing, just before Thanksgiving, means most of the representatives miss little or no class time. 

"The students from both Hollins and Roanoke welcomed the opportunity for hands-on learning and to practice public speaking, effective writing, one-on-one negotiation, and parliamentary procedure," Lynch said. "I think having both delegations there prompted some competition, bringing out the best in both groups."