Hundreds of high school students from around the state gathered together to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues. On Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7, a group of Xavier students traveled to Cedar Falls to participate in the Model UN Conference at the University of Northern Iowa. Each student represented a different country and debated with other countries about relevant issues the United Nations faces. Model UN is designed to be as realistic as possible, and is very comparable to the real thing.

Students are each assigned a country that is a part of the UN and are separated into different committees. Each committee then debates multiple topics, making suggestions and compromises based on the views of their individual countries. The process involves a lot of research and preparation, which at times can be challenging.

“There are many rules as far as addressing the committee, which takes some time to get used to, but they are proper because they help to avoid personal attacks and any lack of formality when discussing very serious topics,” senior Sam Martin said. “It is hard getting in front of the people in the committee because all of them are very well-educated on the material. If you have misinterpreted something you are quick to find out!”

The committees are not only focused on hard work and serious issues. Students are still having a good time and are able to get creative when working out a problem.

“My favorite part was when (senior) Peter Deegan passed an amendment creating a death star in outer space funded completely by Russia, since they were not in attendance that day,” sophomore Landon Santel said.

With many unexpected memories and creative solutions being made, students learn valuable lessons through the Model UN process. Not only do the participants get educated on world issues, but they get a unique experience to go along with it.

Noah Lynch

News Writer