CSULB to host conference

By Jacqueline Pedroza
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

This year the Model United Nations Intercollegiate team, also known as MUN, will mark their first annual BeachMUN conference for high school students at Cal State Long Beach.

MUN is an organization that began more than 25 years ago and is offered as a class and a club. The focus of MUN is on international politics where students are trained in skills needed to represent assigned countries at MUN conferences. During the school year they travel to conferences throughout the United States as well as abroad.

Students and faculty involved in the project have been working hard putting together the first annual BeachMUN conference.

"We distributed applications to various high schools throughout Southern California that have MUN organizations at their school. So far seven schools have confirmed," said Secretary General Drew Schneider.

The theme for the conference is "Beyond the Scourge of War." The high school students who will be attending the conference will be assigned to a committee and specific topics to research that they will debate on. They will have the chance to meet with policy and topic area experts to help guide them in the right direction. The main topics that will be discussed are: refugee repatriation, power sharing agreements and long-term sustainability. The conference is going to take place on May 21 and 22, according to the BeachMUN Web site.

Schneider also mentioned that they are trying to start MUN programs at high schools that don't offer them. This conference works to give high school students the chance to challenge themselves and become educated in international politics in the hopes that they will continue their education by going to college.

"I'm really excited about the high school conference, I wish that my high school had a MUN program when I was in school, it's such a great experience for high school students to become educated at a young age about international politics," said CSULB BeachMUN member Tene Kelly. Kelly, along with roughly 30 other MUN team members, will be hosting the conference.

"It's great that we get to experience what it's like to host a conference instead of just being the ones who are debating, but it's still a lot of work."

MUN meets every other Tuesday at 5 p.m. in SSPA-207. Anyone interested in joining is welcome to attend the meetings. The first conference is the Bonn International MUN in Bonn, Germany in November.

For more information regarding the first annual BeachMUN conference for high school students or for information about the MUN team on campus, go to www.Beach MUN.com.