School of Arts and Sciences Review Winter 2014 | Page 19

The

Art of
Persuasion

A Closer Look

SBU Model UN group
scores six awards at
conference

By Julia Andretta, ’15

order to debate with representatives of other countries within their respective
he SBU Model United Nacommittees.
tions organization, under
“So, for example, if your
the leadership of Dr. Ibrahim
country is Timor-Leste and
Zabad, assistant professor of
your committee is Migrapolitical science, attended the 2012
tion, you would debate
Lake Erie International Model United
topics having to do with
Nations (LEIMUN) conference. The
every aspect of migration,
SBU group competed against nine
such as human trafficking
other schools, receiving not only the
in your country,” said
Small Delegation Award, but also five
Chojnacki.
Excellent Delegate awards. In attenStudents are called upon
dance (listed with the country they
to do an immense amount
represented and the committee they
of research; they must
served on) were:
know enough about the
• Kathryn Moore (Head Delegate),
country they have been
’15, an international studies
chosen to represent and
major from Castleton, N.Y., repthe committee they have
resenting Denmark on the Eurobeen placed on to be able
pean Council
to debate intelligently and
• Miguel Nesbitt, ’15, a journaleffectively about a vast
School of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Wolfgang Natter
ism and mass communication
(left) and Dr. Ibrahim Zabad are pictured with a trophy
array of topics within that
major from Plattsburgh, N.Y.,
earned by the university’s Model UN team.
committee.
representing Togo on the Secu“We wrote position parity Council
pers … we even made PowerPoint presentations about cer• Matthew Edwards, ’13, an engineering physics major
tain topics,” Chojnacki said.
from Bolivar, N.Y., representing Timor-Leste in the Inter“It’s good to have such highly motivated students,” said
national Organization for Migration
Zabad. “Good inspiration and good research — each of those
• Leanna Chojnacki, ’13, a political science and international studies double major from Eden, N.Y., representing things delivers positive results. Motivation, preparation, research and practice, as well.”
Timor-Leste in the International Organization for MigraA scrimmage at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., helped to
tion
test their motivation and their preparation.
• Paul Leonardo, ’14, a political science and Spanish double
“They went there
major from New York, N.Y., representing Jamaica on the
and they observed
Historical Security Council
Visit us online:
others and then they
• Lauren Loftin, ’14, a political science major from Springwww.sbu.edu/ModelUN
wrote an essay on
field Gardens, N.Y., representing the Philippines in the
what they did in the
Commission on Sustainable Development
conference and what the others did, and why the others
• Erika Fleischman, ’15, a political science and history douwon, and what they could do to win the next time. That projble major from Atlanta, N.Y., representing the Russian
ect helped a lot,” Zabad said.
Federation in the Mystery Security Council
“I think the learning experience of going to that scrimmage
• Ashley Oliver, ’12, a political science major from
and realizing that if you get involved and you prepare well
Marienville, Pa., representing the Russian Federation in
you will start to enjoy yourself and it will start to become natthe Mystery Security Council
ural was what really pushed me,” said Nesbitt. “When I went
Prior to conferences of this kind, each student in a Model
UN group is assigned a country to represent and a committee to LEIMUN it was kind of awkward at first, but once I got settled in I knew what I was talking about and I was well prein which to do so; the students then prepare information in

T

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