On Nov. 7, St. Bonaventure University’s Model United Nations students will depart to a conference that will be held at Lake Erie, Ohio. These students will be gone from Nov. 7 to 10 and will be staying at Castaway Bay in Cedar Point.
This conference is the annual Lake Erie International Model United Nations conference, also known as the LEIMUN. Dr. Ibrahim Zabad, associate professor of political science, currently teaches the Model United Nations (MUN) program at St. Bonaventure.
“We’ve been going to LEIMUN as long as I’ve been here, so at least eight years,” Zabad said.
LEIMUN is a tradition for MUN students. Right now, Zabad’s students are studying in preparation for their respective committees within the conference. A total of 25 students will be attending the conference, where they will be representing St. Bonaventure.
The six committees that will be conducted during this conference are the Security Council, the Historical Security Council 1956, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Council.
With 193 countries in the United Nations, LEIMUN has many options to choose from when designing their committees. The committees will commence during a total of five sessions. These sessions will span over the course of 3 days, from Nov. 7 to 9. Students have already been assigned the roles of countries within a specific committee, and during the conference they will debate international affairs on behalf of their respective countries. Topics range from climate change and disaster displacement, to accelerating structural transformations and stepping up the fight against terrorism.
Special events are planned into these sessions, such as the 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. professional party on the 7th, and the 9 p.m. to midnight delegate dance on the 8th. The debates are still the main event. When asked what is usually the delegates’ favorite part of the trip, MUN president Taylor Elliot gives an answer as to delegates’ favorite part of LEIMUN.
“I actually like the debates,” says Elliot. “It’s fun to see the different countries get heated in debate.”
There are hundreds of students and only one gavoll to bring home from LEIMIN.
By Grace Usala , Staff Writer
usalagc19@bonaventure.edu
