Students win awards at 2017 Model United Nations Summit

A team of 15 students from the University of Indianapolis won several awards recently during the Model United Nations Summit competition.

The Model UN is a simulation exercise organized by the Indiana Consortium for International Programs. Several universities from Indiana and Kentucky participated this year at the summit, which was hosted Nov. 9-11 at Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Ind.

Summit participants competed in two separate groups. Topics discussed included North Korea, nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems, Syrian and Yemen conflicts and climate change as a global security issue. The participating UIndy students major in international relations and/or political science.

Results of the first group competition included:

• Dan Miller (political science): Third-Best Delegate
• Brittany Motley (criminal justice and political science) and Dan Miller (political science): Third-Best Delegation, representing the United States

Results of the second group competition included:

• Dominic Peretin (history): Second-Best Delegation, representing the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and Third-Best Delegate
• Tosin Salau (international relations and political science) and Mary Anne Schneider (history education): Fourth-Best Delegation, representing France

Jyotika Saksena, associate professor with the department of history and political science, helped the students prepare for the event.

“This is a very important learning tool for the students,” she explained. “They not only study important topics facing the world today but learn to see these different issues from specific perspectives. The simulation teaches students to negotiate with those of a different point of view without antagonizing them, the art of diplomacy and public speaking skills.”

Congratulations to each UIndy participant: Katie McDonald (political science and international relations), Zion Lutz (political science), Tosin Salau (international relations and political science), Mary Anne Schneider (history education), Nkechi Nnachetta (political science), Erin O’Riley (international relations and political science), Kiley Harmon (international relations and political science), Melissa Kapsalis (psychology and political science), Dominic Peretin (history), Brittany Motley (criminal justice and political science), Dan Miller (political science), Heather Reid (history and international relations), Ben Osborn (political science), Aml Alkhatib (political science), Tobiloba Olakunle (international relations and political science)