By Emily Carson
News Editor
Members of Model UN traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, for the 19th Lake Erie International Model UN Conference (LEIMUN) last weekend to compete against other schools.
The conference lasted from Nov. 8 to Nov. 11 at the Sheraton Airport Hotel. Eight Bonaventure students represented various countries in several diverse committees with 185 other students from all over the world, as well as from local area schools, including Youngstown State University, Mercyhurst University and Baldwinsville University, according to Secretary General Leanna Chojnacki.
Senior engineering physics major Matthew Edwards and senior political science and international studies major Chojnacki represented the International Organization for Migration on the topics of Diaspora and development, irregular migration and involuntary return migration and won the Excellent Delegate Award.
Junior political science major Lauren Loftin represented Sustainable Development on the topics of forest and economic development, conservation of biological diversity, sustainable tourism and sustainable mountain development. They also won the Excellent Delegate Award.
Sophomore international studies major and Head Delegate Kathryn Moore represented the European Council on the topics of the sovereign debt crisis, European Union relations with the Russian Federation, combating extremism within the European Union and the Syrian situation. She won the Excellent Delegate Award.
Sophomore journalism and mass communications major Miguel Nesbitt represented the Security Council on the topics of drug and weapons trafficking in Mexico, mercenaries and private military organizations in armed conflict and global inter-organizational cooperation. He also won the Excellent Delegate Award.
“Originally, he was to represent Mauritius in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), but the committee was dismantled after the Thursday night session and after the opening ceremony,” Chojnacki said. “He ended up working with another student from another school with barely any research done and still received an award.”
Sophomore political science major and Undersecretary General for Public Relations Erika Fleischman and Senior political science major Ashley Oliver represented the Mystery Security Council for the Russian Federation on the topics of emerging popular uprisings in the Arab world, the situation in Darfur, nuclear non-proliferation regarding North Korea, global threats to security from cyber terrorism, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international piracy and global inter-organizational cooperation.
“Due to the nature of the committee, these students were given topics in their president’s letter, but unlike other committees they were given their country upon arriving to committee on the first day of the conference,” Chojnacki said.
Senior political science major Paul Leonardo competed and represented the Historical Security Council for Jamaica on the topics of the situation in East Timor, the impasse in Georgia and the violence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Chojnacki said a delegate represented St. Bonaventure in every single committee at the conference, and the group also received the Small Delegation Award for overall achievement.
“This past weekend’s experience as a delegate has definitely made me realize that Model United Nations can make a world of a difference,” she said.
Model UN will also compete in the International Model NATO conference in Washington, D.C. from Feb. 14 to 17.
“It is a great way of interacting with other schools through debate and learning about the various issues each nation tries to resolve on a daily basis,” said Loftin. “All of our hard work had paid off and it definitely showed how everyone had grown in knowledge and experience by participating in the LEIMUN Conference.”
