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In The News
April 28, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CSU Dominguez Hills Political Science
Students
Win Top Honors at Model UN Conference
(Carson, CA)— At
WestMUN (Western Collegiate Model United Nations) XVI in Santa
Barbara April 10-12, political science students from California
State University, Dominguez Hills received two of the top awards,
the most given to a university at the conference.
Thirteen schools from across the western United States took part
in the conference, at which students acting as delegates for various
countries researched, debated and negotiated issues currently before
the United Nations. Among the topics at WestMUN XVI were the Arab-Israeli
conflict, the question of Iran, sustainable development in Asia,
and the rights of detainees, to name a few.
CSUDH students participated in five of the seven committees that
convened over the three-day conference: the United Nations Security
Council, the UN Environmental Program, the International Criminal
Court, the Special Commission on International Law, and the Human
Rights Commissions. They served as delegates from such countries
as Algeria, Cuba, France, Iran, Italy, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan
and Saudi Arabia.
Of the five Best Delegate Awards for outstanding performance handed
out at the end of conference, one was presented to Mele Kaveinga,
a junior majoring in political science, for her role as a witness
and a defense attorney in the International Court, and a second
was given to junior Chikezie Nwafor for his participation as the
delegate from Libya on the United Nations Security Council.
In addition, conference organizers presented junior Joshua Braun
with an honorable mention for his representation of Malaysia in
the United Nations Environmental Program, and commended Diana Vasquez,
also a junior, for her exceptional job as a pre-trial chief justice.
“Winning the two awards was a big surprise. No other school
did,” said Hamoud Salhi, assistant professor of political
science. “All of our students are to be commended. They came
prepared. They knew what was expected of them, and excelled when
it mattered the most, that is, during resolution drafting and lobbying
other delegates to support them.”
Kaveinga, Nwafor, Braun and Vasquez were
among the 32-student contingent from CSU Dominguez Hills at the
conference. All are
students in the political science department’s Model UN class.
Since the mid 1990s, the CSU Dominguez
Hills political science department has offered a Model UN class,
designed to train students
in the art of diplomacy, public speaking, debate, negotiation and
consensus building. Throughout the semester, students take on the
role of delegates for certain countries and conduct research and
draft responses on issues before the United Nations. Much like
at the conference, the students debate their country’s position
and also work to negotiate resolutions.
“One of the benefits of the class is they really develop
their communications skills,” said Salhi, who teaches the
class. “Another gain is it helps them with the research process,
and they learn negotiation techniques and about consensus building.
The class prepares them for the conference, but most importantly,
it provides them with extremely valuable skills they will need
for this field.”
The Model UN program has been around for
decades, and today, hundreds of high schools, community colleges
and universities across the
United States offer the program to their students, either as a
class or a club. The programs are administered independently, but
all have the same goal of enhancing students’ understanding
of current events and the processes of diplomacy.
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---------------------------------------------- About
CSU Dominguez Hills -- California
State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse,
urban university located in the South Bay, primarily
serving the
Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself
on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered
environment.
Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology,
business administration, and digital media arts, new degree
programs include computer science, criminal justice,
recreation and leisure
studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus
is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex
that hosts
world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and
cycling.
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