Model United Nations "Together we aspire, together we achieve"

Nargis Afzal
General Assembly Plenary Committee
Third Year in NMUN

In comparison with other 3-credit courses, how much effort did the NMUN participation require of you?

NMUN requires an enormous amount of time, energy, enthusiasm, preparation, and planning.  This class demands top priority from its students.  Students will start the semester knowing they will be preparing speeches for three hour long intensive simulations, and making up work for missing an entire week of classes, in addition to completing background reading and research, required team activities, and individual meetings with partners and the instructor.

This course is more than an academic class – it is also a campus club with responsibilities to the University community.  The Model United Nations team requires its members to not only expand their knowledge, but also represent Rider with character and integrity.  Team members are role models who should be actively involved in other organizations and events so they may be aware of their surroundings and apply similar attitudes to their surroundings in a global community.  It NMUN is to be a life changing experience, one must be equipped for that transformation academically, socially, and mentally.

What academic benefits did you derive from participating in the 2001 NMUN?

I wonder why this class is only ranked as POL 295 and isn’t at the 300 level. Academically, I noticed that because MUN required so much discipline and hard work, my work ethic spread to other classes as well.  I also noticed that the harder the committee, the most organized I had to be, and the better I did overall.  I was lucky enough to have done this for three years and that gives me a great perspective on the evolution of academic benefits I have gained from Model UN.

What non-academic benefits did you derive from participating in the 2001 NMUN?

The beauty of this year’s team is that we all heard each other’s stories and shared in each other’s joys and pains.  Just take a look at our team pictures – they tell a story of their own. In addition to meshing with teammates, New York City provides ample opportunity to go out and have a good time.  The NMUN conference brings together delegates from all over the world and I still keep in touch with people I met the first year.  It’s amazing how such a diverse group of students can mingle and bond together so well.

 
Overall evaluation of the 2001 NMUN experience

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.
                               Ivy Baker Priest, in Parade, 1958

Three years of doing NMUN leaves an imprint on one’s heart and mind.  I can remember the first time I met Dr. Phan on Awareness Day and was told I was too young (freshman) to be on the team and I stubbornly refused to take rejection.  And now I am leaving behind a new group of young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow.

As for the experiences of this past year, I have sharply refined my leadership and communication skills.  I have explored new method of research and analysis and have learned a tremendous amount about group dynamics.  I have also trusted my ability in public speaking and taking initiative.  NMUN has turned this stubborn freshman into a well focused and diplomatic senior and I thank the professors and team members who enabled me to have this amazing opportunity.

If there is one thing that I have learned with the NMUN experience: it is the importance of teamwork and solidarity not only on the college level, but in the world.  This class is an eye-opening experience.  We are not alone and we must work together with one another to solve the global problems that plague us.

Kofi Annan once said, “Ours is a new world of collapsing borders and connections among people. It can be bewildering and intimidating. Some of you may be apprehensive about moving out into it. But it is time for you to blossom or take wing.”  NMUN let me do just that.

Self-Evaluation index

Faculty Adviser: Dr. Chau T. Phan, 896-5262,phanc@rider.edu