UNSC

Delegates

Though I know the conference is a ways away, I want to clear the air about some committee related issues early so we can take care of them early. I anticipate a great committee sessions, and these recommendations are here to only help make it better. So, here are some things to keep in mind for the conference.

1) Delegates will not permitted to have Laptops in committee. This is for several reasons, but the most important and pressing in my mind is that we want the competition to be based on a level, skill based, playing field, and not one where you can buy an advantage by purchasing and bringing a laptop. All resolution writing will be done through OPI, which is located very close to our committee room.

2) I want to reiterate that there will be no pre written resolutions. As with the plagiarism policy, I have no toleration for it. I will be erring on the side of suspicion in this regard, so don’t attempt to circumvent the committee.
3) Do not bring pamphlets, tracks, or handouts for committee summarizing your position or policy. If you have visual aides or slides that is acceptable, and I will get back to you through this blog about what sort of audio/visual equipment we will be able to allow you to use. I will be going through all material before you show it to the rest of committee just as a quality assurance measure.

4) Lastly, I managed to get an amazing guest speaker for the committee. George Willcoxon is currently a PhD student in the Louis and Marie Travers Department of Political Science, specializing in Security Studies. He has studied at Princeton, and has spent time abroad studying and evaluating UN and NATO peace keeping operations in the Balkans. I’m excited to have him come speak, and I know that you’ll have some great questions to ask him.

I apologize for making this so serious, but I did end on a positive note. My next update should be a bit more fun.

- Richard Hill

“Peace is our Profession”

Delegates,

My name is Michael Lin and I have the pleasure of being your other vice chair for the March conference. I’m a junior at Cal, majoring in bioengineering, and intend to go into medical research and alternative therapies. Music and hiking, among others, are my school-unrelated interests. That’s a bit about me for now. I look forward to meeting you and a great conference weekend with all of you. See you in March.

Hi,

My name is Rahim Dharssi, and I will be one of your vice chairs for the 2008 Berkeley Model United Nations. I really look forward to meeting you all and am anticipating an action packed, fun-filled committee this year. I look forward to listening to your intelligent discussions as you strive to solve some of the world’s greatest problems.

I am currently a freshman at Berkeley and I am intending to double major in economics and chemistry (I know its a weird combination). Outside of the classroom, I am involved in various activities, including MUN (obviously) which I find to interesting as I am interested in important international issues (especially economic ones).

I hope to get to know you all better during BMUN. I ensure you that the UNSC will be awesome.

Delegates!

In light of the upcoming deadline for your position papers (which you should be researching now, and not waiting to the last minute), I have a couple brief reminders about paper criteria. These tips should be helpful in maximizing your score.

1) Sections: Make sure that you have four different sections. Of these four, your background should be the shortest, and your proposed solutions should be the longest (and most well thought out). Follow the guidelines for paper format found in the delegate guide and the committee specific requirements in the topic synopsis.

2) Research: Remember, you need to use two sources that are books. Make sure to go to the library! If your school library is insufficiently stocked for a research paper of this magnitude, then your local public library is a great stop. Encyclopedias, whether online or in print, are not acceptable as sources. When citing, make sure to use the MLA standard formating for history papers. There are several good sites that detail MLA format for all types of sources (you can either use this one: Purdue MLA Formatting Guide or punch “MLA Formatting” into Google). Make sure to use footnotes (I don’t like endnotes, and since I will be grading your paper, you would do well to not make it harder for me). If you have any trouble with citing or formatting, let me know via this blog or email and I will help you out. This paper is meant to be challenging but not impossible, so give it your best effort.

3) Plagiarism: In that line of thought, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any quotation or idea that is not of your own origin should be cited and put in quotation marks (if it’s a direct quote). Taking credit for someone else’s research in your paper or lifting material will constitute a an act of plagiarism, and as I mentioned in the topic synopsis, your adviser will be asked to replace you. Since I expect the Security Council to field the best delegates, we have a higher standard for all of you. Cheating has no part in BMUN.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reply to this post, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I’m excited to get a chance to take a look at your papers and see what new ideas you’ve come up with to take Peacekeeping into the 21st century.

- Richard Hill

“Peace is our Profession”

Delegates of the 56th BMUN Security Council,

I, Richard Hill, have the distinct honor and pleasure to be your head chair for the upcoming conference. I’m excited about the weekend, and look forward to fun, entertaining, and intellectually promising debate. I’m a Junior at Cal, majoring in Political Science and minoring in European Studies. Outside of BMUN, I am also a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, and hope to become a commissioned officer after I graduate, and some day hope to enter the State Department.

Over the next few weeks, my vice chairs will also be introducing themselves too. We all are looking forward to having a great committee. Please feel free to use this blog to ask any questions or voice any concerns you might have about anything related to the conference (papers definitely included). I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Any updates or topic clarifications that are posted on this blog you will be expected to be aware of come conference day, so use this new medium to the fullest.

Till March, research hard and stay plugged in! SC delegates are expected to be the best…

- Richard Hill

Chair, UNSC

“Peace is our Profession”<— (first delegation that can find where this quote comes from and responds will get a BMUN related prize come conference weekend)

Delegates

I hope that you have all been keeping aware of the international scene while away from school on winter break. While I don’t want to give too much away, I would highly encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the current situation in Pakistan. Though our topic is very abstract and theoretical, you may have the opportunity through out the weekend to apply the theory in a “real world” situation, so being well versed in the back story of many flash points across the globe will certainly be helpful.

- Richard Hill

Chair, UNSC

“Peace is our Profession”