Bringing home eight awards and several Verbal Commendations at the Boston University’s BarMUN VIII Conference, MSU’s International Relations Organization is a forced to be reckoned with.
The only competitive Model UN team on campus left for Boston last month to contend against Ivy League colleges like Harvard and Georgetown. Four days were spent debating international crises, historical and current events’ solutions.
“Competing against Ivy League schools is a huge challenge for us. It is mostly due to the fact that many of these organizations are so heavily financed by their universities that allow them to travel and compete for free,” MSU IRO Vice President of Technology and Operations Matthew McLaughlin said in an email. “But that makes us more proud when we are able to beat them as individuals in committees as well as a whole delegation.”
Vice President of Membership Emily Weiner and McLaughlin received Best Delegate honors for their participation.
“The idea of competing as a delegate over international topics was exactly what I found exciting and fascinating,” McLaughlin said. “I constantly get (overjoyed) to see a new delegate receive an award or walk out of a committee session with a smile on their face because they know they performed the greatest out of all those in that room.”
The organization is not something its delegates take lightly. Those who do commit to attending and traveling to conferences spend their time and money on making the conference as beneficial as possible.
“Being on the executive board is no small task," McLaughlin said. "Often any one of us has to put in between five to 15 hours a week on normal weeks and well over 30 hours on the weekends of our conferences, which doesn't include the actual five-day conference itself. We cannot afford to fly to these conferences, so we rent vans and drive twelve hours overnight to get to the conferences on time.”
Delegates received several verbal commendations and honorable mentions. MSU IRO has taken home the Outstanding Large Delegation award for the third year in a row. The organization remains in the top 50 for national Collegiate Model UN teams. Delegates plan to attend the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference this weekend and bring home more awards and commendations.
“It’s really cool to say we beat Harvard as a delegation,” comparative culture and politics sophomore Katie Higgs said in a text message. “The upcoming conference (in Pennsylvania) is one of the most prestigious conferences we get to go on every year, and I think our delegates are really prepared to go and be competitive.”
McLaughlin said he has similar hopes for this weekend’s conference.
“I hope that they can have an incredibly positive experience," McLaughlin said. "I hope they get to both explore the beautiful city and do well in their committees. I can only hope these members fall in love with this organization as I have.”
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