Clark Model U.N. was on top of the world at McGill conference

Clark University’s Model U.N. team earned first place at McGill University’s Model United Nations conference held last week in Montreal.

Clark took home the Best Large Delegation award ahead of 88 other schools at the conference. The honor goes to the college that has earned the most awards during the conference based on the proportion of delegates who are attending.

“This is a historic achievement for our team, especially as McMUN is the second-ranked conference on the collegiate competitive circuit, only outdone in significance by Harvard’s conference,” said David Sullivan ’20, co-president of Clark Model U.N., who attended the McGill event in an advisory capacity.

The Best Large Delegation Award is based on the total number of commendations a school earns at the conference. Clark’s earned top placements in categories like Verbal Commendation (4th place), Outstanding Delegate (2nd place), and Best Delegate (1st place).

Clark brought 16 delegates to McGill this year. In addition to Best Delegate, the University earned five Outstanding Delegate awards. Three of the awards were given to individual delegates, while the remaining three were given to pairs of students representing the same country, an arrangement known as a double delegation. Valeria Chavez ’21 earned Best Delegate, while Alex Dunhom ’21; Jonah Clark ’23; S Ethan Lutz ’21 and Henry Weiss ’20; Sadie Murray ’21 and Jessie Garbeil ’23; and Cate Brown ’22 and Ryan Freed ’22 won Outstanding Delegate awards.

Model U.N. conferences usually take place over four days, and require immense preparation. Two to three weeks before a conference, delegates are assigned to a topic-specific committee and country (or organization) that they will represent. Delegates then research the interests of their assigned countries and devise creative solutions for the issues they face.

“The end goal for most committees is to write a resolution that addresses an issue in the most comprehensive way possible and gets the most people as possible to vote for it,” Sullivan said. “If you are seen as a leader who is shaping the debate on the issue, has the most creative solutions, and has the most support of other people, then that makes a winning delegate.”

Clark’s Model U.N. team next will compete at the Harvard National MUN conference in Boston over Valentine’s Day weekend. Later in the semester, they will attend conferences at Mount Holyoke College, New York University, and the University of Chicago. Their performances at these events will impact their national MUN ranking.

“We currently rank 20th in North America in terms of competitive Model U.N. programs and are on a mission, and on track, to break into the top 10 by the end of this year,” Sullivan said. “Right now, we are the team to beat when it comes to Model U.N. in North America, and people know that. People know Clark University.”

Keep up with Clark’s Model U.N. team on Facebook (@MUNatClark) and Instagram (@munatclarku).