Students Practice Diplomacy as Israel Delegation at Model UN
Represented Palestine Last Fall in its Bid for UN Membership
Lebanon, Ill. — McKendree University student delegates were once again at the center
of the discussion when the Midwest Model United Nations convened in St. Louis, Feb.
15-19. After representing Palestine last fall at the American Model United Nations
conference in Chicago, McKendree students represented Israel this time.
“With Palestine’s attempts to gain membership in the actual United Nations, the McKendree
delegations were in the middle of this debate at both conferences,” noted Dr. Brian
Frederking, political science professor and Model UN adviser at McKendree. “Our students
did well at each conference. With McKendree representing Palestine last fall in Chicago,
the Model United Nations voted to add Palestine as a member state. This spring, with
our students representing Israel, the Model United Nations conference in St. Louis
voted against adding Palestine as a member state.”
Darren Meeker won the International Press Delegation Award, for playing the role of
a reporter for Arabic news network Al Jazeera. Ben Pollard received honorable mention
as Best Delegate in the Security Council, representing the United States. Mat Myles
received honorable mention as Best Delegate on the Commission for Sustainable Development,
where he discussed mining industries, waste policies, and preventing the illegal trade
of dangerous products as an Israeli delegate.
Other McKendree students participated as follows:
• Brandon Hoeflein and Sage Phillips represented Israel on the Disarmament Committee,
where they discussed biological weapons and preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons
of mass destruction.
• Lance Allen and Tim Rose represented Israel in the Legal Committee, discussing
universal jurisdiction and the criminal accountability of UN officials
• Shawn Printy represented Israel on the Commission of Science and Technology for
Development, discussing renewable technologies, intellectual property rights and biotechnology.
• Brad Thomas represented India on the Security Council, which addressed the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and Security Council reform.
McKendree students attend two Model UN conferences each year, where they learn about
diplomacy, global policy and public speaking as they represent nations from throughout
the world and participate in simulated committee sessions. The university also offers
a Model UN scholarship.
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