The Patriot

Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Campus

Representatives from Francis Marion took home an Honorable Mention award at the annual National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, placing them in the top fifty of the over three-hundred universities competing from around the world.
The award comes in only FMUs third team appearance, a remarkable feat as far as these conferences are concerned. Members of the delegation were Brittany Nance, Jonathan Edwards, Heather Lewis, Brian Kennedy, Adrianne Rizer, and John Sweeney, along with faculty advisors Drs. Scott Kaufman and Alissa Warters.
Representing the small Mediterranean island nation of Malta, the team worked with other students from around the world to write resolutions and reports on some of the most volatile issues facing the international community today. From the global financial crisis to the transportation of nuclear materials, delegates worked long hours during the five day conference April 5-10.
While two students, Sweeney and Emily Brandenburg, took home the same honors at the NMUN conference held last November in Xi'An China, they did so as a part of a joint effort with Ursinus College from Philadelphia.
This win marks the first ever by an all Francis Marion delegation.
"It is pretty special to be a part of this," senior head-delegate John Sweeney said after the win. "Especially since I have had the chance to see our program evolve from two years ago. It is really special to see where FMU is going with this."
Sweeney was a part of the inaugural team that made its way to New York the last two years and came home empty handed each time. Advisor Dr. Alissa Warters, assistant professor of political science, was hoping the delegation this year would change that. Her approach was fairly straight forward.
"I want to win," Warters said at the beginning of the conference. "I want to bring home an award."
"It was really important to win something this year, especially because of what happened in China," Sweeney went on. "It was really nice for Emily and me to have done well, but it just didn't feel as fulfilling. That award wasn't just Francis Marion; it was shared with someone else. To have something that is ours and no-one else's is so much sweeter."
For the rest of the delegates it was their first time at the conference, some their first time in the New York City, but that did not stop them from impressing staff members at the conference.
Winners for the NMUN are determined by a complex mathematical formula that considers how well a delegation portrays their country, the accuracy of their portal, their knowledge of procedure within the conference and their ability to work with others, as well as a number of other factors. This data is gathered and calculated by NMUN staff and then announced at the closing ceremonies in the United Nations' General Assemble Hall at the UN headquarters.
"To be able to stand up in the hall, after two years of having to sit and applaud other university, that is the best," Sweeney said.
The team hopes to return to the conference next year, but will do so with almost entirely new members. Nearly all members will be graduating this year or participating in conflicting academic events when the conference rolls around next April. Applications for the team will be available next year from Warters and Kaufman.

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