Penn hosts Model U.N. tournament

Holding signs inscribed with countries ranging from Ecuador to the United Arab Emirates, 1,400 high school students from across the country gathered in the Wyndham-Franklin Plaza Hotel this weekend for the 14th annual Ivy League Model United Nations Conference. Highlighted by guest speakers United States Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Ambassador Alvin Adams, the event began Thursday and ended yesterday afternoon. The conference was organized and staffed by 200 Penn undergraduates involved in Penn's International Affairs Association. A Model United Nations is designed to simulate the proceedings of the real U.N., noted College senior Robin Kawikami, the secretary general of the conference. As secretary general, her duties consisted of organizing the event, including developing countless debate topics for the delegates to resolve over the course of the conference. Business Liaison and Engineering sophomore Joshua Lloyd explained that each school participating in the conference is given certain countries to research and represent. The Model U.N. simulates four different types of U.N. organs -- U.N. agencies, general assembly committees, the economic and social committee and crisis committees. The crisis committee provides the delegates with background information on an ongoing international dilemma. The delegates are then provided with a specific crisis which requires immediate resolution, said College sophomore Edoardo Vignani. Examples of real-world scenarios created by the committee heads included simulating the security council's deliberations during the Korean War, explained Vignani, the under secretary-general of the crisis committee. Kawikami, who has been involved in model U.N. organizations since high school, emphasized the numerous benefits of participating in the model U.N. "It's something which helps you grow not only in terms of academics? and is relevant in every aspect of [your] life, including problem-solving, speaking skills, writing and working well with others," she said. Gifted students from across the country come to the conference, providing exposure to the University, said College senior Andrew Schmuhl, the event's chief of staff. Ambassador Alvin Adams, chief economic officer of the United Nations Association of the U.S. -- an organization that focuses on influencing U.S. policy decisions in the U.N. -- spoke during the opening ceremony of the conference. Adams noted that the delegates at the Model U.N. would address many of the same issues and predicaments that countries will inevitably face in the future. Specter, a Republican and a Penn alumnus, spoke during the closing ceremony yesterday. He emphasized the international implications of the conference. "An interest in international affairs is vital to the United States," he said. Emphasizing his connection to Penn, Specter held a picture of College Hall given to him as a gift and announced he will state his plans for Senate re-election in front of College Hall.