Penn's Model UN conf. draws 1,200

For the roughly 200 students who orchestrated the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference, the weekend was not spent cramming for midterms, but rather debating issues ranging from terrorism to the World Health Organization. Over 1,000 collegiate delegates from all over the United States and Canada gathered at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel for the four-day conference, which ran from Thursday to Sunday. The event was conducted by the International Affairs Association which, as the University's largest undergraduate student-run group, boasts more than 300 members. Keynote speaker Stanley Bedlington's speech proved to be one of the highlights of the conference. As a security expert in Islamic terrorism who spent four decades in espionage and international affairs for both the U.S. and the United Kingdom, Bedlington "is not merely a celebrity? He has been in the field and been out there," IAA Secretary-General Josh Einiger said. The College senior added that Bedlington received "a lot of positive feedback," noting the audience members' numerous questions. After Thursday's opening ceremony and keynote speech, delegates spent the weekend analyzing and debating a plethora of internationally important topics, all researched and organized by 16 student committees. Half of those are "crisis staff" who orchestrate and develop model crises for the delegates to solve and discuss. The event, modeled after and conducted much like a real UN conference, required a great deal of time and effort. Einiger joked that "I haven't really slept since last July," explaining that as it came close to last weekend, the group spent 15 to 20 hours a day on the conference. The nine members of the Secretariat, headed by Einiger, acted as the core of the group, but Undersecretary-General of the Economic and Social Council and Specialized Agencies Emily Hoffman, a College sophomore, recognized the staff as a whole for "an absolutely amazing job." "If it wasn't for them it wouldn't have been a success," Hoffman said. Although Wharton senior and IAA Director General Vikas Tandon admitted that it was "an amazingly insane amount of work," the rewards repaid their effort in full. Hoffman added that knowing "that the impact touches the lives of 1,200 people makes it all worthwhile." "It was amazing to see a year's worth of effort" culminate in four days, she said. Indeed, the IAA members' dedication seemed to materialize in an experience that Einiger believes was invaluable. Many of the attendees thought that "it was the best model UN conference they ever attended," he said. Besides the experience of the conference itself, Einiger emphasized that the IAA is also "an incredible way to make friends and meet people," adding that the other Secretariat members "will always be my best friends." "It is a great bonding experience," he added.