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So Many Flags On Campus

February 28, 2008

I haven’t written much about the Model UN club a friend and I started last semester here at Rollins but I wanted to wait until we got the opportunity to settle and establish our presence before dedicating an entry to what constitutes my life.

Ariane Rosen and I founded Rollins Model UN last September under the mission of dedicating an hour a week to focus on issues debated on the international scale. I’ve been doing Model UN since the 6th grade and since then I have attended six conferences in Caracas, Venezuela and one in New York City. My experience has been interesting because I learned the most representing Cuba in two opportunities and Venezuela once at separate conferences. Having opposed the leftist governments of Cuba and Venezuela all my life, representing them at the Model UN level opened up my eyes and allowed me to become impartial and centered.

On our first meeting, we had a turnout of around 30 students, and since then we’ve had a loyal group of around 15 attending our weekly meetings. After much hassle, we earned a grant from the Office of the Provost that would provide for a team of 12 students and our advisor Associate Professor of Political Science Mike Gunter to participate in the Harvard National Model United Nations Conference held in Boston from February 14 to the 17th. We represented the delegation of Malta in nine committees and in several of them we were successful in allying with powerful nations to pass resolutions on their respective topics.

As part of our commitment to bring to campus what we learned from the conference, we will be hosting our own small-scale Model UN conference for Rollins students. This will likely resemble a large panel discussion that will take place on April 5, the Saturday preceding “Peace Week” on campus. As part of furthering my Model UN experience, I will be on the admin staff for the National High School Model United Nations conference to be held in New York City from March 12 to the 15. Last year I was a high school delegate representing Barbados in the Commission on the Status of Women, and this year I return as a college student to be part of the Admin Staff for this conference.

To continue on this note of internationality and bringing globalism on campus, I’ll change the subject to a film screened last night at the SunTrust auditorium. Dr. Boniface, from the Political Science department, brought filmmaker Chris Moore last night to show his recent documentary “¿Puedo Hablar?/May I Speak?” Chris Moore is an ’06 graduate from Trinity College in Connecticut and is traveling around the country showing the movie on different college campuses. His film accurately represents both sides of Venezuelan contemporary politics and it makes me proud as a Venezuelan that students in the U.S. would take interest in my country.

There was a group of about 10 Venezuelans that went to see the movie that evening, and we were there to make sure no myths were dispelled and let the truth be known about our country. To finish off, it is both realistic and feasible to get an organization/club started on campus and get funds for events. From movie screenings to conferences to student panels, there is always something an organization can do to raise awareness.

Photo 1: My roommate, Artie, is also part of Rollins Model UN.
Photo 2: Artie, Dr. Gunter (faculty advisor), Amanda, and I ice skating at Boston Common.
Photo 3: A group of Rollins Model UN delegates.

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