'Such a rewarding thing': UNC hosts 15th annual UNCMUNC conference

The 15th annual session of the University of North Carolina’s Collegiate Model United Nations Conference — better known as UNCMUNC XV — was held Nov. 21 to Nov. 24 in the Student Union, with committee meetings and debates taking place in buildings including Peabody Hall, Dey Hall and Greenlaw Hall. 

Model UN began as an extracurricular activity in which students simulate the actions of the United Nations. The program is divided into two main types of conferences — General Assembly and Crisis Committees. Carter Kohl, a sophomore at UNC and head chair for UNCMUNC, said GA resembles the United Nations’ General Assembly and has a more formal debate structure, whereas Crisis has a faster pace in which events are played out in near real time. 

“One of the big skills that we try to encourage here is public speaking skills and teamwork ability, compromise, negotiation — it's a lot of speaking,” Kohl said.

In the 15 years it has been active, the conference has received accolades on both a national and global level. From being the number one Model UN conference in the South to the seventh in the world, UNCMUNC has become a recognizable name across the nation. Over 4,000 delegates from across North America have attended the conference in years past.

UNCMUNC is one of several programs under the Carolina International Relations Association. Adolfo Alvarez is a junior at UNC and this year’s co-director general for UNCMUNC and vice president of CIRA. He said that the conference connects people in an era of divisiveness. 

"I think bringing people together and giving people the feeling that what they're doing matters is such is such a rewarding thing," he said. "I wouldn't trade that for anything."

UNC sophomore and UNCMUNC Secretary-General Violet Johnston said Alvarez, her predecessor, was a "massive turning point" in the conference's history. Johnston said that it was Alvarez who incorporated over 20 committees and 400 delegates from across the continent. 

Johnston also said that the conference is only possible because of the 15 additional members of Secretariat and additional staffers who volunteer at UNCMUNC. 

Alvarez said the conference aims to help the community because they receive so much support from them, saying that last year, UNCMUNC partnered Transplanting Traditions, a refugee-run farm. This year, he said the conference fundraised for a women’s health nonprofit.

While Model UN can facilitate connections and teamwork, the group is also a large time commitment. Johnston said she had to drop a chemistry class in order to keep up with the workload UNCMUNC entails. 

"CIRA is my only club, because it has so many rewarding opportunities, but it takes up so much time," she explained.

Additionally, Aldair Solis Sanchez, a junior at the University of Iowa in his first year of participating in Model UN, said the conference can be intimidating and "cliquey" for first-timers. 

Still, he said the conference allowed him to represent both his university and his Hispanic community, along with helping him hone his public speaking abilities. 

"It definitely has helped me in building the skills that I wanted to build," he said.

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com