Returning from the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference in New York in late March, the University of Illinois Springfield Model United Nations (MUN) has won an Outstanding Delegation award for the second consecutive year. This will be the third time in the history of the UIS Model United Nations for a UIS MUN club to have won the award. 

For the New York conference this year, the UIS MUN selected Zimbabwe, the birthplace of one UIS delegate Munashe Ariwamwari. 

“That’s the main reason we chose Zimbabwe” stated Erik Motyll, Head Delegate of the UIS MUN. “He argued it and he was very passionate.”

Delegate Ariwamwari won the Outstanding Delegate Award in his committee—one of three UIS students to win individual awards. 

The position paper (a paper which sets forth state positions on key issues) of Rosie Dawoud and Heba Quazi also won the Best Position Paper award. This will be the first time in club history for UIS Model United Nations to have won all three awards in a single year.

Furthermore, with around 300 schools participating, three separate UIS student delegates were accepted into conference leadership positions—an achievement in its own right. 

When asked about the secret to the group’s rising successes over the past few years, Head Delegate Erik Motyll stated, “It’s just the dedication of the group. They are a lot more focused. They spend the entire class doing their research […] they took that effort to the conference.”

Effort was the name of the game at The New York Model United Nations conference. The schedules are typically erratic, with some engagements requiring very long or late hours. Of particular note, Tuesday the 27th was dubbed “Meltdown Tuesday” by the group, as it lasted a full 14 hours. 

As the group continues to excel, those interested in applying to join the UIS Model United Nations club can contact Graduate Assistant Erik Motyll ([email protected]), Dr. Adriana Crocker ([email protected]), or Dr. Ali Nizamuddin ([email protected])