When Dr. Chris Moore came to Bethel, he not only brought new courses like The Politics of Terrorism and Counterterrorism and Political Psychology, but also the idea of starting a Model United Nations club. Now in its tenth year, that group finds many ways to study and publicize important issues in international affairs, but the high point of each Model UN year is Dr. Moore driving students to Chicago for the American Model United Nations Conference, a multi-day simulation held just before Thanksgiving.
Tasked in 2021 with the difficult assignment of representing the People’s Republic of China (which holds seats on all eleven simulated committees), our delegation of 18 students more than met the challenge. Out of over seventy colleges and universities that competed this year, Bethel was one of just four named to the list of Best Overall Delegations!
Earlier this week we talked to a few of the club’s members about their experience with Model UN, which will next play the role of Pakistan in the November 2022 conference in Chicago.
When and why did you join Model UN? What do you like best about the club?
Sophie Hoffer ’22 (International Relations/Psychology/History – Princeton, MN): I started out at Bethel as an International Relations major exclusively and got to know Dr. Moore while I was deciding to attend Bethel. I have always been interested in international issues so it seemed like a good fit.
Duncan Harro ’23 (Philosophy/Physics – Chicago, IL): I joined Model UN in high school, so continuing in college (in the fall of 2019) seemed like the thing to do. Over my years in MUN, I’ve come to greatly appreciate the relationships I make with my fellow students as we come together to represent a country well. The conference experience is a ton of fun and makes great memories.
Noah Schmit ’25 (History/Spanish – Anoka, MN): I joined Model UN earlier this year, and I have really enjoyed engaging with other students of similar interests to me on current events.
Collins Nyangau ’26 (Undecided – Kisii, Kenya): I joined Model UN in mid-September. I was interested in joining an activity, but the only one that interested me at my high school was tennis during the spring. I wanted to do something in the meantime and when I learned that PSEO students could join Bethel clubs, this was my first choice. I enjoy Model UN because it challenges me to think about global issues through a different perspective: whether it’s a global perspective or that of a foreign country.
Sophie: I really like how the club is able to be both a fun space where we can joke around together while still being a place where we can challenge each other to think about different things. It is also fun having classes with the people you spend time with outside of class.
Give us a glimpse of what the simulation itself is like. What’s a memory you have from a committee you served on at the November event?
Duncan: This past year, I played as China on the Security Council. My favorite memory was when we vetoed a resolution that the entire rest of the Council wanted to pass. It was interesting because the other members knew that we were going to veto it, but refused to budge on their position and used our veto as an excuse to punish our reputation. It was a fun interaction from both sides, and it’s the sort of thing that could only happen when you’re willing to fully embrace the responsibility of representing your assigned country with all of its merits and flaws.
Sophie: I was on a Historical Security Council, which looks different from any other committee because it was set in 1973, with the 15 countries that were on the Security Council in that year. The interesting thing about Historical Security Councils is that we are able to take different actions than what was taken historically. For example, the Yom Kippur War started, so our council was called for an emergency session. The US and USSR made some missteps that almost started World War III in our alternative timeline.
Collins: Making resolutions in the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) was like a giant popularity contest to get other delegates to sign your resolution. I had to find all the delegates who represented countries that had favorable views towards China and do everything to make sure they supported my resolutions. Since China has a lot of influence, it wasn’t hard to keep smaller countries in check. I had to diplomatically remind other delegates that I represented a global power and that I also so happened to be their biggest foreign investor. Even though I represented China, I became good friends with the other delegates representing the big five powers.
Noah: My committee was a report-writing body, so it was collaborative among all the delegates. A lot of our time was spend networking with other people in between voting and speaking on resolutions, so I got to know some of the other participants pretty well while doing some heavy work with them.
What’s something you learned — about China, the UN, international relations, or yourself — from this year’s Chicago conference?
Noah: I learned more about how hard it is for countries to agree on things, especially representing China, which has such a different history and perspective on the world than we do in the US. It opened my eyes to different political and philosophical views on the global stage.
Collins: I learned that China isn’t always as bad as western media portrays. China just wants to be sovereign and respected by other the powers. Another thing that I learned is that the United Nations isn’t as complicated as thought it would be. I previously thought that the United Nations would be the most complicated tangle of bureaucracy that’s ever existed, but it’s nowhere as spooky as I imagined. The level of diplomatic courtesy that they encourage countries to show and their firm stance on advocating for peace makes their past, seemingly hesitant response to crisis make sense.
Sophie: I learned a lot about how complicated Chinese foreign politics were in 1973! It was really interesting navigating how some countries had not yet established diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China. I also learned how useful purely political support is. That this point, China did not have many resources to give their different allies and interests, but being able to give those groups political support changed things (in the simulation) more than I was expecting.
Duncan: I would say that the best thing I learned from the conference this year was to be content with not pleasing others. As China, we couldn’t always be on the side of Western nations due to conflicting values, and we were also often the bad guys in the room. While I didn’t enjoy it, it was satisfying to be a counterweight to groupthink.
Collins: Lastly, I learned that despite being seventeen years old, no one else noticed until high school came up. I’m not sure if it’s my physical build or the way I carry myself, but I’ll take the self esteem boost. My socializing skills are better than I remember; the post-quarantine surprises never end!
What do you all have planned for the rest of the year? If students are interested in joining Model UN, what should they do?
Sophie: We have a guest speaker planned who will very exciting to bring in. We are also in the process of picking a couple UN-recognized days to possibly do an event to raise awareness for certain international issues. Also, stay tuned for a talk presentation from some group members about our experience in Chicago and being recognized for Exceptional Representation of China.
Duncan: Over the rest of the year, we’re planning to be involved in various political awareness activities to help the Bethel community to be aware of some international issues! Additionally, we may attend a conference put on by the University of Minnesota, which is always a ton of fun!
Sophie: If people are interested in joining, email me so that I can get you on the email list. Or just show up to a meeting! We meet in CC 431 at 11:15 on Thursdays, resuming in the Spring!
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