Model UN team makes impressive showing at international competition

Members of Oakland University’s Model United Nations team raked in individual honors at the recent North American Model UN Competition in Toronto. All told, 12 OU students traveled across international boundaries to debate and discuss hot-button international issues.

Student Scott Farida received an honorable mention for portraying Somaliland on the Security Council and Spencer Schredder was named outstanding delegate for portraying Angola on the Disarmament and International Security Committee.

“This is a great activity for students who like to debate and who want to engage in a more hands-on way with international affairs,” said Dr. Paul Kubicek, professor of political science and team coach. “Students report that this is a valuable activity that makes them think in different ways and refine their research and communication skills.”

Model UN is an exercise where students assume the role of a particular country and debate contemporary issues in international politics as if they were on a real UN committee, Dr. Kubicek explained.

OU's Model UN team turned in a successful performance at a recent competition.

To prepare, students must have contemporary knowledge about the issue, what the UN has done in the past, and use the information to uncover or craft a position that befits their country.

For the North American Model UN in Toronto, Oakland students were on the Disarmament Committee, which discussed the global arms trade and cyber warfare, and on the Security Council, which discussed piracy and terrorism in Somalia.

All told, 18 schools participated at the competition, including McGill University, University of Toronto, University of Pittsburgh, and Brown University.

Model UN is open to students of all majors and can be taken as the two-credit course PS 362. This is the Oakland’s fifth year in the program, and the team consistently wins awards at conferences. This fall, OU will participate in the Lake Erie Model UN in Cleveland.

For more on Oakland’s Model UN team, contact Dr. Kubicek at kubicek@oakland.edu.