At Iowa State, the Model United Nations club serves as a forum for students to receive real-life education about global politics and diplomacy.

That education was tested last month when the ISU Model United Nations chapter traveled to Chicago to take part in the Midwest American Model United Nations conference.

ISU’s chapter took part in mock U.N. divisions ranging from the Security Council to the International Court of Justice.

Wayne Osborn, adviser of ISU Model United Nations, said ISU students were playing the role of the nation of Slovenia.

Like in the real United Nations, Slovenia currently is one of the rotating members of the AMUN’s Security Council, which Osborn, assistant professor of history, described as the place “where all the action is.”

Molly Klein, sophomore in political science, represented ISU on the Special Political and Decolonization Committee.

Klein said each country’s delegation on her committee was required to write a position paper describing their nation’s stance on a variety of issues. On the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, some of the main issues were peacekeeping in general, as well as peacekeeping in Central America.

Klein said the ISU delegation suggested providing refugees in the Balkan area with health care, shelter and education as a top priority, since Slovenia is part of that area.

She said during a meeting session, a country’s delegates present resolutions they wish to discuss.

They are only given three minutes to explain the importance of discussing the resolution. Any delegates with opposing opinions also have only three minutes to explain their objections.

Klein said a vote then is taken to decide whether a resolution should be discussed. A simple majority is needed to bring a resolution to the floor.

She said 15 delegates from Central American countries walked out of one meeting session because, unlike most other delegates, they wanted to discuss peacekeeping in Central America more than peacekeeping in general. Since the 15 delegates couldn’t bring up the issue they thought was their top priority quickly enough, they decided to leave, Klein said.

Klein said participating in the conference has made her more aware of the world issues, and it also improved her communication skills.

“I believe that I would be able to do politics a lot better now,” she said. “It’s a great way to learn how to work with people and to work for a cause.”

Besides committee work, Model United Nations students also have an opportunity to learn how the United Nations is covered by reporters.

Lisa Klocke, sophomore in English, was an International Press Delegation reporter at the conference.

She said members designated as being part of the press put out the Chronicle every day of the conference to cover the debates that took place during the sessions and resolutions that were passed or voted down.

Klocke said one of the articles she contributed discussed the World Health Organization’s creation of a health care plan titled “C-Prime,” which sets up programs and research for diseases such as AIDS and malaria.

Klocke said her experience as a reporter during the conference was very useful. “You understand the concepts so much better,” she said.

Justin Holdridge, president of ISU Model United Nations, was the deputy director of the Chronicle. He assigned reporters to beats and wrote a couple of articles.

Holdridge, senior in political science, said participating in Model United Nations is an invaluable experience in learning about global politics.

“It aids in your understanding of diplomacy and how tough it is,” he said.

Holdridge also said Model United Nations forces students to actually learn about another nation’s culture. For instance, ISU delegates had to be aware of Slovenia’s population, official language, form of government and its main issues of concern.

“We do actually have concerns for what’s going on,” Klocke said.

Osborn echoed his students’ sentiments, describing participation in Model United Nations as “absolutely essential.”

“It is an excellent opportunity for U.S. students and international students to interact in a learning environment. That extends their horizons beyond the boundaries of the campus,” he said. “It fulfills the mission of internationalization at Iowa State University.”