Rider’s Model United Nations Team to Compete in New York

Representing Malawi, a small country in southern Africa, Rider’s Model United Nations (NMUN) Team 2003 is getting ready to travel to New York for the annual competition by the National Collegiate Conference Association. This international event in practical diplomacy takes place Tuesday, April 15 to Saturday, April 19 at the Hilton New York in New York City.
     Rider’s NMUN program is now in its 36th year. This year’s team will compete against over 200 universities and colleges from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. The team will represent Malawi in seven committees, dealing with 21 specific topics, including weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, globalization and its effects on the role of the United Nations, regional disarmament, and children and the environment.
     Serving as “the Leadership Trio” for Team 2003 are team leader Sadika Jubo, a senior political science/French major, and co-leaders Guertalene Noel, a senior economics major, and Chidinma Ahia, a senior interpersonal communications/political science major. Other members of the team are: Melissa Andus, a sophomore English major; Ryan Cohen, a sophomore psychology major; Louis Harrigan, a junior business economics major; Dennis Hester, a junior political science/philosophy major; Jared Levinson, a freshman finance major; Maria Lopez, an exchange student from Spain and an advertising major; Ryan Middlemiss, a senior political science/global multinational studies major; Katie Sebastian, a sophomore management and human resources major; Michael Shea, a sophomore computer information systems management major; Melissa Sperrazza, a sophomore human resource management major; and Doug Tomson, a senior political science major.
     A notable fact: out of some 40 open positions at the 2003 NMUN conference, five former Rider NMUN members will be on its staff -- an unprecedented number for any school, according to Dr. Chau T. Phan, professor of political science and director of the NMUN at Rider. They include Steve Sutow ’00, Director, Free Trade Area for the Americas (FTAA) Preparatory Committee at the Conference. Other former members serving on the conference staff are: Nargis Afzal ’01, Assistant Director, Crime Congress (ECOSOC); Juan Nunez, a senior political science and theater major, Assistant Director, Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean; Blair Saxman, Assistant Director, Security Council; and Adam Storm ’02, Administrative Assistant, Conference Services.
     “This truly marks the culmination of national and international recognition of the quality and the depth of Rider’s Model UN program. At the NMUN conference, Rider teams are known for their competence and professionalism,” said Phan, who is retiring in May after 35 years of service at Rider.
     With the war raging in Iraq, Jubo, Noel and Ahia quickly admit that the NMUN experience has broadened their way of thinking. Experiencing first-hand the atrocities of war in her native Bosnia has sparked team leader Jubo’s interest in fostering diplomacy.
     “The NMUN is one of the most practical experiences that any Rider student can have,” said Jubo. “Not only are we expected to interact professionally but to think and do everything in just the way that the people of our particular country, in this case, Malawi, would do. We have our heart and soul in this. It will definitely be an unforgettable experience.”
     According to Noel, this is a critical time to be a part of the NMUN, considering “the mixed opinions” regarding the usefulness of the United Nations. “This war, more than ever, reinforces our conviction that there needs to be a vehicle of communication between nations and that there needs to be a body whose rules are followed in order to protect the well being of all nations and that of their citizens,” said Noel, a native of Haiti.
     Ahia agrees. “Being aware of the position that other countries hold will allow us as individuals to avoid the possibility of being propagandized by one news source. Every country, whether big or small, has equally important rights and views that should all be respected.”
     Throughout the years, delegations from Rider have been cited for numerous awards, including the top honor of being named “Outstanding Delegation” four times, “Distinguished Delegation” three times, and “Honorable Mention” 10 times.

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