CAPITOL CAMPUS READER
Vol. 7 No. 15 Capitol Campus Penn State University
Model U.N.
by Andy Aree
If there was one event which
required a lot of time, meticulous
attention to details and just plain hard
work, it was the sixth annual Model
'United Nations at Capitol Campus,
sponsered by the International Affairs
Association. Planning for this under
taking really started in the fall when
letters were sent out to many high
schools informing them of the time and
place. Further letters were then
required to straighten out logistical
toughs. Much of the early legwork and
details was done by Professor Clem
Gilpin, Linda Rhodes and Loretta
Yeckly, but it became apparent as the
date approached, that additional work
and details were needed. Working
committees were then established to
divide the work. But the details were
done in time, and ft was with a great
sense of relief and satisfaction when
the new arrivals were greeted on
Thursday, February 23, when they
came to register. The excitement on
the high school students faces was
clearly evident during the registration
period in the opening session. They
were prepared!
For many high schoolers it was the
first experience in a college atmo
sphere. Accomodations had to be found
for many of them, and they were
subsequently housed with students at
Meade Heights which was exciting for
the young students. The casual but
disiplined atmosphere made an
impression on them. One high school
student was told by a Penn State
student, "We work hard and we play
hard."
The first two days of the meeting
were divided into three sections: the
Political and Security Committee, the
Social and Humanitarian Committee,
and the Cultural Committee. The
limning speeches at the first meeting of all delegates
Security Council, which is separate
from the three committees and the
General Assembly Plenary, met all
three days in separate sessions. The
three committees met all day and dealt
with issues ranging from human rights
and international trade to satellite
safety. Approxiamately ten resolutions
were chosen from these committees
and presented before the full General
Assembly on the third day. Here is
where the delegates were at the peak
of their skills. They made every effort
to protect the resolutions which they
introduced, or to destroy resolutions
which other countries had passed.
In the morning session on Saturday,
the last day, Linda Rhodes chaired the
General Assembly. Some of the
delegates gave brilliant presentations
defending their position on an issue,
while others proved to be excellent
parlimentarians. Many of the delegates
stayed up all night preparing their
speeches, and on the final session of the
Model United Nations they were not to
be denied. Some, like Rich Evans of
Steelton-Highspire H.S. and Jack
Krissinger of Manheim Township H.S.
were dazzling.
When the chairmanship ,was turned
over to Al Krebs during the afternoon
session the tension had heightened. It
was like walking into a lion's den. Al
said, "if you're not on your toes, these
kids will eat you alive and make fools of
you." I knew what he meant, for I was
to chair the evening and final session.
It was clear that I too was in for a
sobering experience. Though the
session was scheduled to end at 8 pm, it
lasted until 8:30 pm because these
students, unlike those of previous
years, were more interested in getting
their last resolution passed. Some
students dearly were prepared to
filibuster all night.
(Continued page 3)
i*:
Rhodes, and Rich Lewis conducting last minute preparations for
Model U.N.
How does one go about ruling a
'young turk' out of order?
The answer, of course, is very
carefully.
Last Thursday, busloads of the
area's brightest high schoolstudents
arrived at Capitol to participate in the
sixth annual Model United Nations,
sponsored by the International Affairs
Association (lAA).
They came well prepared to
represent their respective 'role
countries' in discussions of major
international issues and concerns.
Formal rules of parlimentary
procedure were strictly adhered to
during the three days of intense
VEEP Resigns
by Maureen Doyle
Stephen Nailor resigned from his
position as Vice-President of the
Student Government Association ef
fective Tuesday, February 28, 1978.
His letter of resignation, addressed to
Joseph Mahar, President of the SGA,
and dated February 24, 1978, was as
follows.
This letter is to inform you and the
Senate that I will be resigning the
position of Vice-President of the
Student Government Assoc., effective
the end of the meeting on Feb. 28, 1978.
I feel that if I resign now, another
person might be able to provide more
continuity. Because I graduate at the
end of the term, I will be unable to aid
in the transition as someone else might.
I would like to take this chance to
say several things to you and to the
Senate. I have enjoyed much of the
experience of the past year. It has
shown a different side of the college
experience from what I had seen
miMMtLt3IOE
March 2, 1978
...Again
By Sheila MeCaftry
sessions where various resolutions
dealing with topics ranging from
satellite safety to human rights in
South Africa were debated.
'These students were very well
prepared, both in knowledge of their
respective role countries and in
knowledge of major world issues,'
commented Clem Gilpin, faculty
advisor of lAA.
Rather than detracting from the
conference, such knowledge and
confidence served to make this Model
U.N. one of the most enjoyable and
exciting ever to be held at Capitol.
(Continued page 4
before. I am sorry, however, that we
didn't get to work on many of the
problems which needed attention.
That lack of attention to those
problems has been troublesome
throughout the year. Perhaps my
desire to professionalize the senate was
misplaced and perhaps it wasn't. It is
my extreme desire in leaving this
campus that some of our actions and
questions will have created a basis for
action next year.
In closing, I'd like to challenge those
Senators who will be here next year to
do a better job than what we have done
this year, and to start early in order to
define problems so that solutions might
be more expediently arrived at.
Dave Nikoloff was nominated to fill
the vacancy and the nomination was
approved by the Senate. He resigned
from his position as Senior Social
Science Senator to accept the post. The
vacancy in the Senate will be filled
through nomination by the President
and approval of 2/3 of the Senate.