Model Congress club hosts conference

The high school students who attended the first Penn Model Congress session this weekend came not simply because they aspire to become great politicians some day -- they also wanted to learn more about life at the University as they go through the rigorous college admissions process. The four-day conference, organized by the Penn Model Congress club, ran from Thursday through yesterday. College sophomore and club President Alex Davie said the event was designed to allow high school students to participate in the simulation of a real session of the U.S. Congress. "Students should, above all, have a fun weekend, but also have an educational experience at the same time," Davie said. "They learn the issues by debating them, and they also learn about the political process as a participant, not just as an outside spectator." Davie founded the club about 1 1/2 years ago and started with only a handful of members debating topical issues. This weekend, the group's goal became a reality, with a conference that brought together nearly 180 students from 13 high schools, many of whom came from New York and New Jersey. Committee sessions, which were each chaired by two undergraduates, set out to debate numerous issues, including those surrounding national security, foreign relations and education. Students from different schools wrote bills before the debates and then met to collectively argue and compromise on the bills. Bills which passed through each of the committees after a vote were then sent to the "House Council" to be further debated and voted upon. These sessions took place in buildings all across campus, including the Newman Center, Steinberg-Dietrich Hall and Houston Hall. Wharton freshman Jonathan Rosner, a conference coordinator and director, said spreading the program throughout campus gave the high school students a good impression of what Penn is really all about. Other events which brought the students closer to college life included a performance by Counterparts, one of the University's a cappella groups, during the conference's Saturday night social gathering at the Newman Center. "We're really trying to incorporate the Penn experience into the conference," Rosner said. "Student response so far has been very positive, and we've been compared favorably to Yale and Princeton conferences." Many of the high school juniors and seniors present at the conference said the event was especially useful because they were applying to the University or considering it. "I applied to Penn earlier this year, and I am more anxious than ever about receiving my letter," said Heidi Tinter, a senior at Ramapo Senior High School in northern New Jersey. "This has been the best conference I've ever attended." According to Rosner, some of the event's planners were concerned that the size of Penn's campus, and feared that some recent high-profile crimes would hurt the high school students' views of the University. But praise from students and teachers on the conference's organization outweighed any potential negative impressions students might have gotten. Several high school advisers said they were impressed that the conference experienced only minimal glitches and, at the same time, gave students a clear perspective on life at Penn. "I was definitely impressed and will make every attempt to come back next year," Ramapo adviser Robin Schamberg said. "It's a vehicle to attract top-notch high school students and has given kids the chance to learn from people who are willing to reach out and guide them."