by Karina Brady, Student Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University’s Model United Nations (U.N.) team returned from the 26th annual Dayton Model United Nations Conference (DAYMUNC) with 10 awards. The conference was held February 1-2 at Sinclair Community College.
The team, advised by Dr. Glen Duerr, associate professor of international studies, will now prepare for the National Model United Nations competition in New York City, April 13-18. The event will take place at the Sheraton New York Times Square and the New York Hilton Midtown hotels, and the closing ceremony will be held at the U.N. General Assembly. Cedarville’s team will represent Kazakhstan in the national competition.
During the two-day event, the 16-delegate Cedarville team competed against students from four Midwest universities including the University of Dayton, Sinclair Community College, Wright State University and Marietta College. The student delegates participated in four committees: Simulated Security Council (SimSec), Security Council, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). In these committees, students addressed current world topics and issues, including famine and war in Yemen, child marriage, violence against women and policies in Venezuela.
The delegates were judged on diplomacy, negotiation, speaking skills, research and committee facilitation. Cedarville’s team was awarded five of the eight top honors, four honorable mentions and an outstanding position paper award.
— Caleb Jackson
Three students received honors for their performance in the SimSec committee. Alexandria Hentschel, a junior international studies major from Flemington, New Jersey, won outstanding delegate — the top award given at the conference. Caleb Jackson, a senior political science major from South Jordan, Utah, received the distinguished delegate award. Senior international studies and linguistics student Mae Dewhurst from Springfield, Ohio, received an honorable mention.
“Overall, we were very impressed with the team's performance,” said Jackson. “Our practice event, a one-day simulation at Wright State University, was canceled due to inclement weather. As a result, DAYMUNC was the team's trial by fire, and our delegates came out on top. We are so pleased with the hard work the team put into preparation and the way in which they represented Cedarville and the gospel of Christ."
Two senior international studies majors, Adrienne Krater of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Jacob Sanders of West Richland, Washington, won outstanding delegate and distinguished delegate to the Security Council committee, respectively.
Junior global business major Silas La Borde from Poughkeepsie, New York, won outstanding delegate to UNICEF. Maury Funez, a junior electrical engineering student from Honduras, received an honorable mention in this committee.
Cole Butaud, senior global business major from Bothell, Washington, won an honorable mention plaque. Chloie Benton, senior adolescent and young adult language arts major from Lee's Summit, Missouri, won an honorable mention award. Benton also won the best position paper award for CCPCJ.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.