MSUMUN: Our Sister OrganizationMSUMUN is MSUIRO’s sister organization, a Model United Nations conference staffed by Michigan State students, including many MSUIRO members.
A letter from MSUMUN XIV’s Secretary General, Robbie Coon:
Esteemed Delegates, Advisers, and Friends,
It is my pleasure to officially announce the fourteenth session of Michigan State University Model United Nations (MSUMUN) as well as the third session of Red Cedar Model United Nations (RCMUN).
After two remarkably successful conferences in 2013, our staff is excited and ready to continue hosting our Midwestern Model UN conferences. At MSUMUN XIII and RCMUN II delegates engaged in educational and exciting debates on topics ranging from the role of media in combating human rights violations to the delicate position of the UN Security Council in the era following the fall of the Berlin Wall. In our historical simulations they worked on such issues as figuring out how best to put a man (or woman) on the moon and who should have represented the Democratic Party in the 1932 Presidential Election. Students participated in committees such as the World Health Organization, the Special Commission on Responsible Genetics, the Parliament of the Weimar Republic, and even the executive council of the Iroquois Confederacy. With roughly 100 MSU volunteer staff members we hosted over 100 middle school students and nearly 600 high school students as they participated in two of the nation’s premier Model UN conferences held on the nation’s most beautiful college campus.
At this time I am excited to officially announce that MSUMUN XIV will remain on Michigan State University’s historic campus and that it will be held March 14-16th, 2014. The conference will be relocating to the Kellogg Center, Michigan State’s own renowned hotel and conference center. The new location will allow us to centralize most of the conference activities, including opening and closing ceremonies, committee sessions and our delegate social activities. While we are sad to leave our old home in the MSU Union, we are confident that the new space will improve the MSUMUN experience for all involved. We look forward to showing delegates the best of what MSU has to offer while continuing to provide the dynamic and educationally enriching experience that MSUMUN has always been.
I am also looking forward to the third session of our middle school conference, RCMUN III. The conference will be held on February 15, 2014 and will be relocated to a new place on campus so that we can better accommodate new delegates. RCMUN has been an incredibly positive experience for all of its delegates, advisers and staff and I am pleased to see it into its third session. Our excellent Undersecretary-General of RCMUN, Mary Connolly, who oversaw RCMUN II, will be returning to her position for RCMUN III. She is excited to see RCMUN grow and expand as a conference and I have the utmost confidence in her vision and ability to manage a wonderful Model UN conference. If for any reason you may need to contact her, Mary can be reached at [email protected].
As we continue to prepare for MSUMUN XIV and RCMUN III, we also plan to work with our schools, advisers and delegates outside of the conference setting through our Outreach Program. As in past years, MSUMUN and RCMUN staff members will be traveling to schools in order to help students and teachers engage in research, public speaking, writing, debate and many other valuable skills associated with Model UN. I expect our Outreach Program to continue to strengthen the relationships MSUMUN and RCMUN have worked hard to develop with our schools and advisers while it provides valuable educational opportunities to all students, whether they are in high school, middle school or college. If you are interested in requesting staff members from MSUMUN or RCMUN to help in your high school or middle school classroom through our Outreach Program, please do not hesitate to contact our Undersecretary-General of Internal Affairs, Kevin VanLiew at[email protected].
If you have any general questions, comments or concerns relating to either of our conferences, please feel free to contact me personally at [email protected]. I am looking forward to working with all of you this year as the Secretary-General of MSUMUN and cannot wait to see all of you at RCMUN and MSUMUN next year.
As I prepare for my final year of Model UN at Michigan State University, I know that MSUMUN and RCMUN will continue to be just as important to me as they always have been. I have been involved in these conferences since attending MSUMUN VII as a freshman in high school and they have played a considerable roll in making me the college senior I am today. I have cherished every moment that I have spent as a delegate and as a staff member of MSUMUN and RCMUN.
I have been returning to these conferences every year for seven years, and I guarantee that you will want to do the same once you experience Model UN at Michigan State University.
Sincerely,
Robert Coon
Secretary-General, MSUMUN Session XIV
Our Story
MSUMUN was founded in 2000 by students from James Madison College, MSU’s public affairs college. Hoping to create a conference that was fun, educational, and delegate-friendly, these students watched their dream become a reality at the first conference in 2001. Eight schools with sixty-seven delegates tackled topics that became extremely relevant just a few months later – the Historical Security Council dealt with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Legal committee debated the problem of state-sponsored terrorism.
In 2002, the conference grew to 15 schools and 204 delegates. Interesting topics included the Historical Security Council, which dealt with the creation of Israel, and a conference-wide crisis dealing with outer space. Each committee dealt with specific aspects of the crisis, made all the more in-depth by keynote speaker Charles Davies from the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs in Vienna.
In 2003, the conference expanded even further to 18 schools and 218 delegates. New committees were added to meet the growing participation – the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and NATO. The conference-wide crisis was removed in favor of committee-specific crises, and committees dealt with interesting and relevant topics such as UN reform. The keynote speaker was Principal Officer in the Executive Office of the United Nations Kevin Kennedy.
MSUMUN 2004 drew 18 schools and 250 delegates and took on new committees such as the WHO and the UNDP while continuing to foster fierce debate in the tried-and-true committees like DiSec and the UNSC. MSUMUN 2004 also played host to a most successful experiment – the Joint Crisis, in which Russia and China clashed over numerous issues while their respective cabinets did diplomatic acrobatics to tackle the issues the joint crisis staff threw at them.
MSUMUN 2005 was the final year spent at MSU’s Kellogg Center, as by now the conference had grown too large to be held there. MSUMUN hosted seven committees that year, once again providing stunning GAs such as SocHum and SpecPol, and tackling thornier issues in the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Once more, the Joint Crisis was run, linking the UN Security Council and the Filipino Cabinet’s decisions on how to proceed in the War on Terror. MSUMUN’s first application-only committee was a success, allowing the best delegates to debate the policies of the Bush National Security Council.
MSUMUN 2006 exploded in growth thanks to a new venue, expanding to a record eleven committees. In South Lansing, delegates took on an expanded range of specialized and crisis committees, as well as the tried and true General Assemblies. Topics included human rights in Myannmar, Pan Avian flu epidemic prevention, and free trade in the Americas.
MSUMUN 2007 was a banner year for MSUMUN, with 26 schools and 12 committees. 2007 also saw the first international school take part in MSUMUN, the Dunham school from Singapore. It was also an experimental year, with the first ever Plenary-in-Simulation session on the Sunday of conference, allowing delegates the opportunity to pass through the resolutions each committee had worked on as a whole.
MSUMUN 2008 brought 20 schools to Lansing, for another year of debate and resolution. Delegates again took part in Plenary, discussing matters of international importance, including the situation in Zimbabwe, the impact of HIV/AIDs on developing economies, and conflict in the DR Congo. 2008 also marked a the beginning of a renaissance in crisis committees, focusing our desire to provide the most realistic and entertaining crises we can devise.
After three years away, MSUMUN 2009 marked the triumphant return of MSUMUN to MSU’s campus. Now housed in the MSU Union, MSUMUN took on a new life, more closely linked with the East Lansing community. Delegates from 23 schools faced issues from protests at the Democratic National Convention 1967 on the steps of the Union, to women’s rights in the 5th Women’s World Conference. The return to campus also marked the return of the joint crisis as NATO and Russia sparred for dominance in Eastern Europe.
MSUMUN 2010 hosted an astounding 417 delegates from 28 schools. With 12 different committees, delegates covered topics ranging from the FAO, the House Un-American Committee, to British Counter-intelligence during WWII.
MSUMUN 2011 had the largest delegate count in the history of MSUMUN with a count of 500 delegates from 28 schools. With 12 different committees, delegates participated in committees as varied as the UNPBC, The US Senate, UNSC 1948, and the CDC.
A letter from MSUMUN XIV’s Secretary General, Robbie Coon:
Esteemed Delegates, Advisers, and Friends,
It is my pleasure to officially announce the fourteenth session of Michigan State University Model United Nations (MSUMUN) as well as the third session of Red Cedar Model United Nations (RCMUN).
After two remarkably successful conferences in 2013, our staff is excited and ready to continue hosting our Midwestern Model UN conferences. At MSUMUN XIII and RCMUN II delegates engaged in educational and exciting debates on topics ranging from the role of media in combating human rights violations to the delicate position of the UN Security Council in the era following the fall of the Berlin Wall. In our historical simulations they worked on such issues as figuring out how best to put a man (or woman) on the moon and who should have represented the Democratic Party in the 1932 Presidential Election. Students participated in committees such as the World Health Organization, the Special Commission on Responsible Genetics, the Parliament of the Weimar Republic, and even the executive council of the Iroquois Confederacy. With roughly 100 MSU volunteer staff members we hosted over 100 middle school students and nearly 600 high school students as they participated in two of the nation’s premier Model UN conferences held on the nation’s most beautiful college campus.
At this time I am excited to officially announce that MSUMUN XIV will remain on Michigan State University’s historic campus and that it will be held March 14-16th, 2014. The conference will be relocating to the Kellogg Center, Michigan State’s own renowned hotel and conference center. The new location will allow us to centralize most of the conference activities, including opening and closing ceremonies, committee sessions and our delegate social activities. While we are sad to leave our old home in the MSU Union, we are confident that the new space will improve the MSUMUN experience for all involved. We look forward to showing delegates the best of what MSU has to offer while continuing to provide the dynamic and educationally enriching experience that MSUMUN has always been.
I am also looking forward to the third session of our middle school conference, RCMUN III. The conference will be held on February 15, 2014 and will be relocated to a new place on campus so that we can better accommodate new delegates. RCMUN has been an incredibly positive experience for all of its delegates, advisers and staff and I am pleased to see it into its third session. Our excellent Undersecretary-General of RCMUN, Mary Connolly, who oversaw RCMUN II, will be returning to her position for RCMUN III. She is excited to see RCMUN grow and expand as a conference and I have the utmost confidence in her vision and ability to manage a wonderful Model UN conference. If for any reason you may need to contact her, Mary can be reached at [email protected].
As we continue to prepare for MSUMUN XIV and RCMUN III, we also plan to work with our schools, advisers and delegates outside of the conference setting through our Outreach Program. As in past years, MSUMUN and RCMUN staff members will be traveling to schools in order to help students and teachers engage in research, public speaking, writing, debate and many other valuable skills associated with Model UN. I expect our Outreach Program to continue to strengthen the relationships MSUMUN and RCMUN have worked hard to develop with our schools and advisers while it provides valuable educational opportunities to all students, whether they are in high school, middle school or college. If you are interested in requesting staff members from MSUMUN or RCMUN to help in your high school or middle school classroom through our Outreach Program, please do not hesitate to contact our Undersecretary-General of Internal Affairs, Kevin VanLiew at[email protected].
If you have any general questions, comments or concerns relating to either of our conferences, please feel free to contact me personally at [email protected]. I am looking forward to working with all of you this year as the Secretary-General of MSUMUN and cannot wait to see all of you at RCMUN and MSUMUN next year.
As I prepare for my final year of Model UN at Michigan State University, I know that MSUMUN and RCMUN will continue to be just as important to me as they always have been. I have been involved in these conferences since attending MSUMUN VII as a freshman in high school and they have played a considerable roll in making me the college senior I am today. I have cherished every moment that I have spent as a delegate and as a staff member of MSUMUN and RCMUN.
I have been returning to these conferences every year for seven years, and I guarantee that you will want to do the same once you experience Model UN at Michigan State University.
Sincerely,
Robert Coon
Secretary-General, MSUMUN Session XIV
Our Story
MSUMUN was founded in 2000 by students from James Madison College, MSU’s public affairs college. Hoping to create a conference that was fun, educational, and delegate-friendly, these students watched their dream become a reality at the first conference in 2001. Eight schools with sixty-seven delegates tackled topics that became extremely relevant just a few months later – the Historical Security Council dealt with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Legal committee debated the problem of state-sponsored terrorism.
In 2002, the conference grew to 15 schools and 204 delegates. Interesting topics included the Historical Security Council, which dealt with the creation of Israel, and a conference-wide crisis dealing with outer space. Each committee dealt with specific aspects of the crisis, made all the more in-depth by keynote speaker Charles Davies from the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs in Vienna.
In 2003, the conference expanded even further to 18 schools and 218 delegates. New committees were added to meet the growing participation – the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and NATO. The conference-wide crisis was removed in favor of committee-specific crises, and committees dealt with interesting and relevant topics such as UN reform. The keynote speaker was Principal Officer in the Executive Office of the United Nations Kevin Kennedy.
MSUMUN 2004 drew 18 schools and 250 delegates and took on new committees such as the WHO and the UNDP while continuing to foster fierce debate in the tried-and-true committees like DiSec and the UNSC. MSUMUN 2004 also played host to a most successful experiment – the Joint Crisis, in which Russia and China clashed over numerous issues while their respective cabinets did diplomatic acrobatics to tackle the issues the joint crisis staff threw at them.
MSUMUN 2005 was the final year spent at MSU’s Kellogg Center, as by now the conference had grown too large to be held there. MSUMUN hosted seven committees that year, once again providing stunning GAs such as SocHum and SpecPol, and tackling thornier issues in the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Once more, the Joint Crisis was run, linking the UN Security Council and the Filipino Cabinet’s decisions on how to proceed in the War on Terror. MSUMUN’s first application-only committee was a success, allowing the best delegates to debate the policies of the Bush National Security Council.
MSUMUN 2006 exploded in growth thanks to a new venue, expanding to a record eleven committees. In South Lansing, delegates took on an expanded range of specialized and crisis committees, as well as the tried and true General Assemblies. Topics included human rights in Myannmar, Pan Avian flu epidemic prevention, and free trade in the Americas.
MSUMUN 2007 was a banner year for MSUMUN, with 26 schools and 12 committees. 2007 also saw the first international school take part in MSUMUN, the Dunham school from Singapore. It was also an experimental year, with the first ever Plenary-in-Simulation session on the Sunday of conference, allowing delegates the opportunity to pass through the resolutions each committee had worked on as a whole.
MSUMUN 2008 brought 20 schools to Lansing, for another year of debate and resolution. Delegates again took part in Plenary, discussing matters of international importance, including the situation in Zimbabwe, the impact of HIV/AIDs on developing economies, and conflict in the DR Congo. 2008 also marked a the beginning of a renaissance in crisis committees, focusing our desire to provide the most realistic and entertaining crises we can devise.
After three years away, MSUMUN 2009 marked the triumphant return of MSUMUN to MSU’s campus. Now housed in the MSU Union, MSUMUN took on a new life, more closely linked with the East Lansing community. Delegates from 23 schools faced issues from protests at the Democratic National Convention 1967 on the steps of the Union, to women’s rights in the 5th Women’s World Conference. The return to campus also marked the return of the joint crisis as NATO and Russia sparred for dominance in Eastern Europe.
MSUMUN 2010 hosted an astounding 417 delegates from 28 schools. With 12 different committees, delegates covered topics ranging from the FAO, the House Un-American Committee, to British Counter-intelligence during WWII.
MSUMUN 2011 had the largest delegate count in the history of MSUMUN with a count of 500 delegates from 28 schools. With 12 different committees, delegates participated in committees as varied as the UNPBC, The US Senate, UNSC 1948, and the CDC.