Office of Admission’s YUNMUN a Success

Record Number of Students Participate

VERNON VALLEY, NJ - Yeshiva University National Model United Nations VIII, an Office of Admissions function, was a success once again this year. The conference took place from February 6-8 and hosted over 500 students from more than 30 yeshiva high schools from across the continent.

The official purpose of the event is recruitment. Students come, however, to partake in an educational, social, and, oftentimes, competitive conference.

While the effectiveness of YUNMUN as a recruiting event is difficult to ascertain, participants agree that the conference is representative of the University’s Torah u'madda motto in the form of a positive experience. "YUNMUN definitely made me reconsider YU as a serious contender," said one student who was waiting to hear from Harvard, Columbia, Penn, and YU. "I never realized the role that Stern had under the YU umbrella until now. It’s fantastic," said one young woman.

Each high school sent a delegation representing one or more countries, onto an array of committees patterned after the structure of the United Nations. The conduct of the committee sessions was also similar to the parliamentary procedure used in the United Nations. Committee issues ranged from peaceful uses of space to international problems with narcotic drugs. There were 15 committees, with Stern students serving as chairs and assistant chairs on more than half of the committees, and YC/SSSB students serving on the others.

This was the second year that YUNMUN was held at the Seasons Resort and Conference Center in Great Gorge, New Jersey. Once again, the peaceful snow-capped mountain environment proved to be conducive to both work and play.

The festivities began Sunday with the arrival and registration of each of the schools. In contrast to the disappointment with the décor of the rooms last year, most were pleased with the newly renovated rooms. Also, the catering, for which YUNMUN is well known, maintained its fine reputation.

After dinner and Maariv, the opening ceremonies included a d’var torah, as well as an address by Roniel Weinberg, a YC senior and Secretary-General. Weinberg expressed his excitement about the event which set the tone of the conference. Traditionally, the first committee sessions are spent addressing procedural concerns. Said one chair, "Not only does this get the ball rolling, but it gets the delegates excited about discussing the topics."

Monday’s schedule consisted of nonstop committee sessions throughout the day interrupted only by davening, shiurim, and meals. The delegate handbook includes a section titled, "Speeches, Speeches Everywhere." Indeed. Speech after speech; delegate after delegate; proposal after proposal. The conference yielded many effective and bold resolutions, each committee only to be outdone by the next.

After Shacharit and breakfast on Tuesday morning, delegates either had their final committee sessions or participated in the General Assembly Plenary. Final resolutions were passed in committee, while others were ratified in General Assembly votes. Upon completing final meetings, tensions rose as delegates awaited the Awards Ceremony.

While not the sole purpose of the conference, the Awards Ceremony adds a touch of competitiveness and seriousness where it might not otherwise exist. The goal of each committee session is to solve the topics at hand, not to beat an opponent. The criterion for Best Delegate and runners-up awards included speaking ability, working with others to form coalitions, ability to write and pass resolutions, and general participation. While the individual awards were generally dispersed, MTA walked away with the award of ‘Best Delegation’.

YUNMUN Times, the daily paper that updated current issues on each committee, came out each day. Watching the delegates get on their buses to make their trips back home, one could see the paper clutched under each arm to be taken home. As one participant said, "The paper provided an informative and fun way to preserve YUNMUN memories."