Ouachita students attend Midwest Model United Nations, Spencer Worth receives Best Position Paper Award
March 11, 2019
- Rachel MorenoOuachita Baptist University was one of 36 colleges to send delegates to the Midwest Model United Nations, which was held in St. Louis, Mo., in late February. Ouachita sophomore Spencer Worth won a Best Position Paper Award at the event.
Spencer Worth, a sophomore political science major from Cabot, Ark., won a Best Position Paper Award at Midwest Model U.N. held in St. Louis, Mo.
Model U.N. “is great for those who not only have an interest in working in international
relations or politics in general, but also for those who want to be courtroom lawyers,
work in business or any other kind of work in which public speaking is vital,” said
Dr. Kevin Brennan, professor of political science.
Ouachita’s delegates included: Cole Alexander, a junior political science, history
and business administration triple major from Forney, Texas; Brittany Parker, a senior
English and political science double major from Clarksville, Ark.; Grace Rapert, a
senior political science major from Conway, Ark.; and Worth, a political science major
from Cabot, Ark. They represented Rwanda in this Model U.N. simulation.
In representing Rwanda, Worth received Best Position Paper Award for the Fourth Committee
of the United Nations General Assembly.
“Each committee is assigned two unique topics to address by the Model U.N. staff,”
Worth said. “My committee was tasked with tackling the peaceful uses of outer space
and assistance in landmine action. My paper provided background on both topics as
well as what Rwanda’s stances would be, to the best of my knowledge, following my
research of both of those topics.”
With the Fourth Committee including approximately 50 countries – delegates from the
other colleges in attendance – Brennan said Worth’s “outcome was excellent.” Brennan
added that this was the third time that the delegation or a student from Ouachita
had received an award.
Midwest Model U.N. is an all-college simulation that provides students with the opportunity
to practice politics. At Ouachita, students enroll in a three-hour course in order
to learn how the United Nations functions and about the country they will represent,
focusing specifically on both the country’s foreign policies and domestic politics.
Each student then serves on a different committee when they attend the simulation
to discuss different topics and advocate for policies to include in resolutions that
would accurately support their country’s interests.
“It was great to be able to be around people who share a love of political science
and international relations like I do,” Rapert said. “The conference truly reinforced
my love for learning about international relations.” Rapert served on the General
Assembly Three Committee to negotiate human rights for Rwanda.
“I learned how parliamentary procedure really works and how the United Nations truly
functions; I learned how to effectively communicate and collaborate with others in
a diplomatic setting; and I made a lot of friends from different cultural backgrounds,”
Rapert continued. “I actually met a guy from Rwanda and became friends with him over
the course of the conference!”
For more information, contact Dr. Kevin Brennan at [email protected] or (870) 245-5346.
By Rachel Moreno
March 11, 2019
You Also Might Like
Recent
