For the third year, Heidelberg served as the host school for the Model United Nations of the Far West Conference in San Francisco. This year’s late April gathering brought together about 500 students in a simulation to address world issues with the theme was “Old Threats, New Threats: Global and Human Security in 2017.”
Seniors Bethany Beaver and Colin Higgins fulfilled the key roles of General Secretary and Under-Secretary General, overseeing the entire conference and assuring its smooth administration.
“Colin and I leaned on each other a lot to keep calm and keep order,” said Bethany, who was participating in her fourth Model UN. But before that, there was a massive amount of advance organizational work they managed, which Colin called “stressful but fun.”
Once under way, the conference wasn’t without its usual drama. But the experienced ‘Berg leadership stepped in to manage it with a degree of professionalism and efficiency that impressed their advisor, Dr. Marc O’Reilly.
“I was so proud of both of them. They put out diplomatic fires very skillfully,” Marc said. “They made it about the conference and the delegates, which it should be. Egos were held in check. They did an exceptional job.”
All agreed a highlight of the conference was the keynote address by Jim Rodehaver, a 20-year UN veteran human rights investigator, analyst and advocate. Rodehaver used his personal experience of serving in nine conflict zones to add a practitioner’s perspective to the conference. He shared incredible stories of human cruelty and despair but also of compassion and resilience.
“He was so willing to speak to any of the delegates who approached him,” Bethany said. “He was an amazing delegate to the conference.”
The Model UN simulation is designed to broaden the student delegates’ understanding of the principals and means by which international relations are achieved and maintained. The program helps students develop a greater understanding of the nations of the world, the relations between them, their policies and the nature of their work in the U.N.
Some 30 students spent the semester learning about the UN in Marc’s political science 361/362 course. They delved more deeply into the positions of three countries – South Korea, Ukraine and Iraq – which they represented at the conference. Heidelberg’s Iraq and Ukraine delegations brought home certificates of diplomatic achievements, based on their country profiles, policy statements, draft resolutions and performance. For their part, the South Korean delegates, who started the conference with a Q&A session with Jimin Kim, their country’s San Francisco-based Deputy Consul General, received kudos from a number of participants.
As Secretary General, Bethany delivered a closing speech at the Diplomats’ Banquet, which Marc called “one of the best, if not the very, very best I have ever witnessed in my 16 years of Model UNs.” The crowd gave her a well-deserved standing ovation. Delegates, advisors and board members also recognized Colin’s many contributions to the conference.
During the five-day event, advisors selected Heidelberg as the 2019 host school – further validation of Heidelberg’s MUNFW success, according to Marc, who has selected freshman Hannah Petitti and sophomore Robert Atha to lead the Secretariat as Secretary General and Under-General Secretary. They could not have asked for better role models than Bethany and Colin.