By Associate Editor Natalie Gates
VIU’s Model United Nations (MUN) club took home six awards at the University of Victoria MUN Conference October 21–23.
The conference was attended by colleges and private high schools in the area. Twenty nine VIU MUN students attended—the club’s largest traveling delegation yet.
“This conference differed from others because I could see the growth in students,” said VIU MUN President Shantel Beute. “This growth is just how I imagined it when I took leadership in 2013. The fact that we left with six awards just showed that our preparations were well worth it and that the students were very committed to being there.”
Kai Huculak and Shantel Beute were awarded “Most Diplomatic” in the General Assembly (GA) and Human Rights Council (HRC), respectively; Chelsea Bellingham and Timur Shaban took home “Best Position Papers” in the GA and HRC; and Andrew Gair and Lauren Rogers received “Best Delegate” in the International Press Corps and HRC.
Dr. Mark Williams teaches the political studies course, “Diplomacy and Power at the United Nations”, which helped many VIU students prepare for the conference.
“I could not have asked for a more dedicated and sincere group of delegates,” Williams said. “Their participation greatly enhanced the experience of diplomacy that MUN is designed to emulate.”
The VIU MUN club is looking forward to attending the UBC MUN conference in January. They are also planning to host an MUN conference at VIU next spring, the first one hosted at VIU since 2011.
If you are interested in joining the club or learning more, email <mun.viu@gmail.com> or drop by their meetings Thursdays from 1 – 2:30 pm in bldg. 355, rm. 203.
Now in her fourth and final year of a political studies major and journalism minor, Natalie has been on The Nav team for about two years. When she’s not brainstorming stories or studying, she’s usually on her yoga mat, going for a hike, listening to Springsteen, or fantasizing about what to cook for dinner.