Virginia Wesleyan's Zimbabwe delegation will travel to the National Model United Nations conference March 27-31
By Stephanie Smaglo | March 17, 2016
A delegation made up of approximately 20 Virginia Wesleyan students will head to New York City March 27-31 where they will represent not only VWC but the entire Republic of Zimbabwe at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference.
The annual event brings together over 5,000 college and university students, more than half from outside the United States, to discuss current global issues. Delegates come prepared to solve pressing concerns relevant to the 21 simulated UN committees.
VWC participants are part of the College’s “Model United Nations” course, led by Assistant Professor of Political Science Antje Schwennicke. Throughout the semester, the class has studied the inner workings of the UN as well as the politics and culture of Zimbabwe in preparation for their trip.
“Each conference is a unique experience,” says junior political science and business major Christian Spivey, who is taking part in the NMUN conference for a second time. “Drafting resolutions that are applicable and plausible while maintaining the stance of the country we are representing pushes participants to think outside of normal parameters.”
Spivey was also one of 10 Virginia Wesleyan students who collaborated in January with military personnel from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Allied Command Transformation (NATO-ACT) on a “Countering Unmanned Autonomous Systems War-game” scenario at Old Dominion University. According to a NATO-ACT press release, the exercise—called a Disruptive Technology Assessment Game, or DTAG—was designed to assess how emerging, future systems could profoundly affect NATO operations.
When he’s not solving global issues or helping to shape the future of NATO operations, Spivey is busy serving as vice president of the College’s Young Democrats organization and making plans to study abroad in France in next semester. But near and dear to his heart, he says, is Model UN.
“Speaking in front of a few hundred people about realistic issues plaguing the world is an amazing experience,” he says. “The skills and experiences I've gained from participating in Model UN aren't something that can be gained from sitting in a classroom."