t h e o f f i c i a l n e w s p a p e r o f t h e b e r l i n m o d e l u n i t e d n a t i o n s

BERMUN TIMESFriday Edition November 21, 2014

MUN’s “Joint Venture”: Discover the Relationshipbetween BERMUN and THIMUN p. 4

See our Visual Guide to the European Refugee Situation p. 6-7

Hear the Story of Secretary General Markus Jungnickel p. 4

Learn About the History of the BERMUN Helmet p. 10

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l Commencing the 23rd annual BERMUN conference at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the President of the Gen­eral Assembly, Kilian Justus, greeted the 700 participants, arriving from 23 coun­tries, and introduced this year’s confer­ence theme, “Beyond the 2015 Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) – Empower­ment and Equity for the Collective Global Good”. He described the MDGs drafted by the United Nations in the year 2000 as semi effective, since complete equity in fields such as health, gender, and econo­my is yet to be reached. Following the introduction of

this year’s Student Officers and a short greeting from a representative of the Frie­drich Ebert Stiftung, Florian Dähne, John F. Kennedy American Elementary School Principal, Mr. Steven Pothen, encouraged delegates to consider the impact of diver­sity on global discussion. By asking a se­ries of questions pertaining to delegates’ backgrounds, he demonstrated the variety in the conference alone, urging them to remember that although diversity is diffi­cult, it is also “divine and has given [his] life meaning.” After an informative video cre­ated by the BERMUN Press Corps, de­scribing the MDGs, Markus Jungnickel, this year’s Secretary General, challenged the assembly to ask themselves, “What will it be that our generation is remem­bered for?” Through clear statistics and

stories from personal experience, Jun­gnickel emphasized the necessity of equi­ty to foster development. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of quality over a solely goal­based approach, which he encouraged delegates to consider over the next few days of debate. He stated that MUN is extremely effective when delegates act on their opinions, leaving them with the task, “Don’t reenact the UN. Show them what they can do better.” The eagerly awaited guest speaker from Colombia University, Ms. Elham Seyedsayamdost, held the Lars­Day Lecture with an urgency to bring social issues to light. She outlined a brief history of the drafting and devel­opment of MDGs, and the benefits and... continuation on p.3

Eleanor KellyReporterIsaac DyeText Editor

The Opening Ceremony Speeches.

Equity and EmpowermentNavigating a Post -MDG World for the Next Generation

2 BERMUN TIMES

BERMUN PRESS STAFF

Disclaimer:The opinions and views expressed in the BERMUN TIMES Newspaper do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BERMUN or its advertisers.

John F. Kennedy SchoolTeltower Damm 87­9314167 Berlin (Zehlendorf) Germany(+49) 030 90299 5785e-mail: bermunpress@jfksberlin.orgweb: www.facebook.com/BermunPress

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Chief Executive Layout Artist:Anton Begehr

Heads of Photography:Frity PukallAntony Roczek

Text Editors:Maja MelchingerDavid StrasiewskyIsaac Dye

Reporters: Clara FrickNaledi TilmannAvélina de MentLuisa HemmerlingAlexandra BesteEmilia McGrealAbigail DyeEleanor KellySimona KochJaco MaulRebekka SchoellMadeleine KellyVedika LuthraBerni Botto

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Photographers:Celine ThümlerVictoria StützAnne­Sophie Gramm

Video:Lynn CunninghamLennart PreiningThea Voyles

Security Council Examines International Tensions and

TerrorismClara FrickReporter

Delegates of the Security Coun­cil (SC) are attempting to find solutions to two significant international issues: the ter­ritorial disputes over the Sankaku/Diaoyu Islands as well as terrorism in Libya and Tunisia. China, Japan and Taiwan are cur­rently in disagreement over eight uninhab­ited Sankaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. In 1969, great amounts of nat­ural resources were discovered in the sea surrounding the islands, including valuable gas reserves. Backed by the United States, the Japanese managed to gain control over the rich island group. However, China and Taiwan also claim the islands, which have no exclusive economic zones, to be part of their territory. In addition to these territorial clashes, the delegates are examining the ter­rorist activities that have greatly increased over the past couple of years in Libya and Tunisia. In Tunisia, on the 17th of Decem­

ber in 2010, Mohammed Bouazizi, in an act of protest, set himself on fire after his fruit and vegetable cart was confiscated by the government, an action that contributed to the outbreak of the Arab Spring movement. The Arab Spring Movement con­sisted of many violent protests through­out northern Africa. In Tunisia and Libya these revolts resulted in the expulsion of the countries monarchical rulers. Now, many freed political prisoners and different groups aim to gain power, creating disorder and terrorism. Jonas Nelle, president of the SC, stated, “Terrorism is all over the media and if you just look at the situation in Libya, it really doesn’t look good for the future. In the real world, there is no clear­cut solution. I mean, you don’t even have anybody you could sit down and talk with, because there is no authority. It’s a complete catastro­phe.” Wednesday evening and Thursday morning delegates spent their time lobby­ing, sharing clauses and opinions, in an attempt to come up with agreements and resolve the global issues at hand.

Debate in the SC.

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Friday, November 21, 2014

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The beautifully intricate Singa­pore Embassy in Berlin was the scene of the opening ceremony for the Youth Assembly (YA) of the BERMUN Conference 2014. As the speaker, Mr. Hong, pre­sented Singapore’s past and present ac­complishments and features, he portrayed its historical significance, egological and economical endeavors. Singapore, mean­ing “Lion’s Town” in Sanskrit, is especial­ly known for it’s impressive skyline and booming trading industry. Surprisingly, 23 percent of the nation’s landscape still con­

sists of original rainforest, earning it the nickname “City inside a Garden”, a charac­teristic that defines the city’s individuality. Being the home of three major ethnicities, Chinese, Malay, and Indian, it has four of­ficial languages, including English as its working language. “Mhmm, toilets!” the key note speaker, Chivy Lee, stated when mention­ing the social­cultural importance of World Toilet Day, on the 19th of November, pro­posed by Singapore to the UN to commem­orate the importance of hygiene and water disposal, a hot topic in the discussion on sustainability. Li also revealed the “three prin­ciples that were critical to [Singapore’s] developmental path […] First and fore­

most: honest and competent government.” Furthermore he mentions “Rule of Law”, meaning the enforcement of the three branches of power and “pragmatic, not dogmatic” laws. All of these, along with the “Three Spheres of Sustainability” men­tioned by co­chair Juliane Gleitze, are as vital to developing countries as they were to Singapore. Regarding the YA’s goals for this conference, Gleitze states, “Our goal for this year is to take the action plans that we will be developing over the course of the conference to a higher level, which means that a sustainable future in cities will be an important topic.” Due to rapid urbanization, the environment suffers from repercussions the YA seeks to counteract.

Alexandra BesteLuisa HemmerlingReporters

The Lion’s EmbassyThe Youth Assembly Opening.

struggles thereof. While many MDGs have been successful, the world faces an increasing number of challenges, such as malnutrition, inadequate mater­nal care, economical inequality, and a rise in CO2 emissions. These have been caused by the MDGs’ slight ambiguity, but also due to the ever­changing world.

The General Assembly proceed­ed to present their country’s policies, while somecommittees already began the lobbying process. In response to a question posed by the BERMUN Press Corps regarding the degree of importance for young delegates to discuss this conference topic, Ms. Seyed­

sayamdost replied, “I think it’s crucial. I think this is a very formative experience. [..] You are idealistic enough to believe you can change the world and all it re­quires is committed people. At the same time, I think you have both the creativity and the ambition and the guts to say ‘I am going to stand up to injustice.’”

... Continuation from Page 1

4 BERMUN TIMES

A Humble Sort of LeaderSimona KochReporter

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Secretary General Markus Jungnickel.

Markus Jungnickel, Secretary General of this year’s BER­MUN conference, admits that, initially, he was forced to join the school’s MUN program by a friend. “He had to drag me, I actually really didn’t want to go.” Within the three years he has now been part of the John F. Kennedy School’s MUN program, Jungnickel has learned to have a high regard for the extracurricular activity. De­spite the fact that his passion for debate and politics has increased, his time as a member of the BERMUN conference is slowly com­ing to an end. BERMUN 2014 thereby marks the conclusion of the reign of a “humble sort of leader,” as expressed by director Jason Lang. Contemplating about what characteristics make him stand out to previous Secretary Generals and what impact he has had on the conferences, director Karin Hövermann asserts, “Markus is ex­tremely diligent. He really wants to make a difference.” Being promoted to Secretary General in eleventh grade, merely one year after he joined the program, highlights his abilities in leader­ship and public speaking. Additionally, his experience as Deputy Secretary General at the THIMUN conference in the Hague has shaped his capabilities, as Hövermann continues, “he took what he learned here to THIMUN and brought back what he learned there to BERMUN. His influence on BERMUN has made it easier for the next generation (of students) to serve in the capacity of the Secre­tary General.” Regardless of how Jungnickel has influenced BERMUN, what truly stands out is how the activity has shaped him. The Sec­

retary General admits, “It has given me more than I’ve given BER­MUN, and I’m thankful for that.” His three years in the program have given him a different perspective of the world around him, changing him as a person. As a senior, Jungnickel will be graduating from JFKS this year. In prospect of his future, the directors Lang and Hövermann wish him “seriously all the best,” and “that he finds his spot where he can use everything he’s learned, keep his good heart and straight­forward understanding of the world.”

THIMUN’s Children and GrandchildrenMaja MelchingerText Editor BERMUN was brought to life thanks to former John F. Kennedy student Lars Day. BERMUN Director Dr. Peterson re­members the situation, stating that “David Williams [president of THIMUN Affiliation] visited our first MUN conference when we had only 50 students […], and witnessed the young men […] Lars Day and Stephen Elbe who were chairing the session, and [Wil­liams] said, ‘I want Lars to be president of the General Assembly at THIMUN.’” Day took up the position the following conference and came back inspired to hold such a conference at the JFKS as well. “Lars was the one who came up to me and asked, ‘Dr. Peterson, should we set up an MUN conference and call it BERMUN?’, and that was the beginning of BERMUN!” Without a doubt, BERMUN is what it is today because of

THIMUN. Not only was the initiative for the conference inspired by THIMUN, but BERMUN was one of the first conferences to become part of the THIMUN Affiliation, which has affiliated con­ferences all around the world, from Singapore through Qatar to Uruguay. In the same manner, BERMUN has also established other regional affiliated conferences. By the means of this partnership, MUN conferences around the world are assessed on their fulfillment of certain THI­MUN criteria and meeting standards concerning procedure and aca­demic content, which follow closely the rules and regulations of the United Nations. Peterson adds, “THIMUN gives us new, shall we say, in­put, new ideas for innovation that we can develop the way we see fit and that fit our circumstances,” in order to constantly improve the conference. Karin Hövermann, BERMUN director, states, “The Affil­iation is not only there to give their blessing to us, but they really depend on our experience. […] It’s not a one­way street.” Co­Chair of the THIMUN Foundation Alain Meidinger adds in agreement, “It’s a joint venture.” BERMUN receives a ‘quality seal’ and is internationally connected with other schools that participate at THIMUN conferences around the world, but through internation­al assessments, the affiliation collects different perspectives on and approaches to MUN that contribute to the improvement of all THI­MUN-affiliated conferences. BERMUN is now twenty­three years old, and THIMUN has been a great parent.

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Friday, November 21, 2014

Refugee Relief in Berlin

Hans ten Feld, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Berlin, recently told the Ger­man news station “Deutsche Welle” that “Europe should follow Germany’s example on Syrian refugees.” Indeed, Germany has received and accepted the highest number of refugees in Europe. Due to the increasing number of refugees, the Berlin Senate plans to build

six refugee container camps in the capital city, the first of which is scheduled to open on December 22nd, 2014 in the Berlin bor­ough of Treptow­Köpenick. According to the German news service “Rundfunk Ber­lin­Brandenburg”, these camps will host 2400 refugees altogether and will cost 43 million Euros. In Berlin, there are many organ­izations that strive to protect the rights of refugees and also work to combat the ref­ugee crisis politically. The BERMUN Press Corps had the opportunity to speak with a woman wishing not to be named, who ex­plained she works for the German branch of an organization which aims to solve issues

Refugees in Berlin.

Europe’s Chechen CrisisVedika LuthraReporters

or in other words, no other place domesti­cally where the individual can go. As Rus­sian citizens, Chechens are given the possi­bility of fleeing to Russia. However, acts of violence in Russia carried out by Chechen extremists have instilled a sense of hostility in locals. So most choose otherwise. The implications of the Chech­en­Russia situation are vast – thousands of Chechens illegally cross national borders yearly by means of trucks and underground systems. They are detained in refugee centers where they spend up to six months waiting for refugee status. If caught after their applications are rejected, Chechens may be detained. Regardless of legality, in refugee

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of the Syrian Crisis not handled by the UN. In a further effort to solve this cri­sis, Berlin’s Federal Foreign Office hosted a conference on October 28th, 2014 with representatives from about 40 national and international organizations. The main goal was to provide solutions and ensure the sta­bility for the host countries of Syrian refu­gees. The participants pledged their support of the Syrian people and their region. Even though there remains much debate in Berlin as to how to handle the growing number of refugees, it is evident that the Berlin Senate is striving for sustain­able solutions.

Terrorism prevails. Casualties are mounting. People are fleeing. The Chechn­ya of today is plagued with violence and un­rest. An unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Russian occupation in 1999 drove Russia to tighten its grip on Chechnya. This has led to further disorder, prompting an influx of refugees in Europe, including Poland and Germany. The number of asylum seekers in Germany alone reached 53,255 in 2011, according to the BBC. But asylum or official refugee sta­tus is particularly difficult to attain, granted only if there is no internal flight alternative,

centers, each habitant receives a monthly allowance. However, this sum isn’t nearly enough to cover the costs of basic necessi­ties such as food or clothing. Some refugees may apply for small jobs nearby, where they work for less than minimum wage. But most choose not to as they face prosecution by the public, who view them as “outsiders” or as people who prevent locals from obtaining jobs. Similarly their children are ostracized at school for cultural differences. The situation may improve if the public opinion changes and people begin to somewhat integrate Chechens into their so­cieties. NGOs and volunteer programs help, but at this point Chechens still struggle to find stability.

Refugees in Europe

MadridOf the approximately 5,000 refugees which Spain hosts,

most seek refuge from civil war in Syria; and although Spain

receives aid and funding from the UNHCR to manage refugees, the

process of finding asylum is slower and more tiresome than in other

countries. The few refugees who are granted refuge then have

much trouble finding work, due to the high unemploy­

ment rates and economic recession.

LondonAlthough only 0.23% of the British popula­

tion is comprised of refugees, the UK hosts thousands of

refugees from Pakistan, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries.

Due to high immigration rates, England has not been able to provide as

much asylum as other European states. However, in January of 2014, the

UK agreed to begin hosting more refugees, and help lift the burden

off other European countries: in March, the first 500 Syrian

refugees were welcomed into the country.

Rome

In 2014, 150,000 refugees from

North Africa alone entered Italy seeking

asylum. In Rome specifically, many residents are

outraged at the poor conditions in which refugees live; yet,

earlier this month, there were anti­refugee riots in Rome, where sev­

eral were forced to flee their temporary housing. The situation for refugees

in Italy continues to be complicated, and many are struggling to rebuild their lives.

Refugees in Europe

IstanbulTurkey has held the burden of providing asylum to the

majority of Syrian refugees. The UN has registered 822,000

refugees in Turkey, although others estimate that up to 1.2 mil­

lion Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey, seeking asylum

from the ongoing civil war.

WarsawThe majority of refugees in Poland hail from Rus­

sia, Syria, and surrounding states. But as of 2013, finding

housing for the crowd of over 16,000 refugees has proven difficult.

According to the UNHCR, up to 10% of refugees in Poland

live in extreme homelessness, and only 20% live in

“secure and adequate” conditions.

ParisSince 2013, France has received the sec­

ond largest amount of asylum applications in Europe.

The majority of those seeking asylum are stateless people,

namely from the Roma population, although recently there have

been many Syrian refugees as well. Up to 30,000 seek asylum,

even though France has recently been tightening migration

laws and restricting the entrance of refugees into

the country.

Data retrieved from: UNHCR, The Guardian, BBC News and The Telegraph

Berni BottoReporter

Image courtesy by: www.geodus.com

8 BERMUN TIMES

Committee ReportsSpecial Conference: Pro and Con of Microfinance

WTO’s NewPerspective

To Act or not to Act - That is the Question

Youth Assembly: Creating an EnvironmentallySustainable Future

Jaco MaulReporters

Simona KochReporter

Madeleine KellyReporter

Naledi TilmannReporter

The World Trade Or­ganization (WTO), BERMUN’s newest committee, focuses on the themes of international trade and labor standards. While coming to agreements among the dele­gates, the chairs highlight that the WTO is not truly part of the United Nations, nor the Gen­eral Assembly. In order to fit the structure of BERMUN, the responsibilities of the organiza­tion have been modified. The organization orig­inally solely focuses on the liberalization of international trade, setting aside the human rights perspective. The delegate of Thai­land emphasized this, believing that “working inside the UN BERMUN framework Guestspeaker Irwin Collier.

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The Historical Secu­rity Council (HSC) ventures back 20 years into the past, and faces the calamitous situation in Rwanda on April 21, 1994. Just as the country plunged into violence, so does the HSC plunge into discussion about whether interference is the next step forward or not. The main point of discussion for Thursday’s lob­bying session was the Refugee Camps. The points that del­egates were able to agree on were that all camps need well­trained medicalstaff, appropri­ate shelter for all refugees and access to essential resources. Diversity of opinions appeared when the location of these camps was discussed.

The question of whether they should be placed inside Rwanda, or be estab­lished in neighbouring coun­tries, was brought up. Dedicated delegate of China, Maya Lugani, advocated the establishment of the camps outside of Rwanda, stating, “Why should we put refugees who have just been in a danger­ous environment into another dangerous environment? This would only cause mistrust of the UN.” The majority of coun­tries felt that they should be based outside of Rwanda, but the delegates of the United Kingdom felt very strongly that these camps be built in Rwanda itself. They discussed that plac­ing these camps outside of the conflict area would cause chaos to spread. The council will con­tinue to debate this controver­sial topic.

At the welcoming re­ception in the large aula, the chairs of the Youth Assembly­(YA) presented the mission of their committee, stating that they seek to empower and en­courage young people to in­volve themselves in global affairs. “BERMUN ends when the conference ends...the YA only gets started,” states Robin Aurich. Delegate Isetou Jawara explains that “ if we want to do something we have to actually stand up and do something...I think all the ideas I’ve heard, I’m going to jot down and see how they could benefit my community and New York City widely.” The country presenta­tions, most of which addressed the issue of achieving environ­mental sustainability,

commenced after the welcom­ing reception. Most countries were able to find plenty of ways they could improve to keep their nations’ air clean, food safe, and waste recyclable. One point addressed (strategy suggested) by a German delegate was that children should be taught how to lead environmentally con­scious lives. This is just one of many ideas the delegates hope to introduce in their home coun­tries after BERMUN.

The meeting of the Special Conference on Thurs­day started with the presidents, Valentin Conrad, Ayhan Okcal and Sarp Celikel reading the attendance list and splitting the delegates into 8 different lobby groups to agree upon a resolu­tion. Eventually guest speaker Elham Seyedsamdost arrived and discussed micro­finance and microcredit. Mi­crofinance promotes economic growth for those without bank­ing access to provide financial services for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Microcredit is a credit of small value which is given to a less economically privileged client who wants to start a business.

Seyedsamdost stated that “there are in fact a lot neg­ative aspects and we need to be aware of them.” This includes corruption and the inability of some loaners to repay bor­rowed money. She also pointed out a positive aspect about mi­crofinance, for example, that it has helped many young people to get a job.

makes it clear that the WTO is something great to de­bate in BERMUN, but the two don’t tie together.” Co­Chairs Mari Bothner and Rob Helbock be­lieve this gives the WTO an interesting role, stating, “It was a risk of us to choose the WTO, we’ve never done this before”, but “this is a great opportunity to pave a new way.”

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Speakers in the Youth Assembly.

9

Committee Reports

Heroes to theDebate Table

If You Were a Politician For One Day…

Unification at its BestShe desires “cohesive resolu­tions that come to a point; that are not just suggestions, but have a real action within them. It would be a success if every­one participates and no country acts as a bystander.” There was a large di­versity of delegates in the room, but this did not stop these future pediatricians, astronauts, jour­nalists, and world savers from joining together to find plausi­ble environmental solutions and working to make this BERMUN conference a success.

Alexandra BesteReporter

Fake It Till You Make It

Every year at the BERMUN conference there are numerous delegates, press members, admins and chairs who participate in BERMUN for their first time. The presi­dents from the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) have given some helpful advice and tips on how to overcome one’s inner wallflower, especially since many of the delegates are new to the whole MUN scene. On Wednesday after­noon, the ECOSOC started out with some ice­breakers, before moving on to lobbying and dis­cussing the more serious topics, such as the social and econom­ic inclusion of refugees, ex­ploitation of natural resources and universal minimum health standards.

Avelina de MentReporter

Luisa HemmerlingReporter

Abigail DyeReporter

Guestspeaker Thomas Rohland.

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With the unfamiliarity of the delegates, the first En­vironmental Committee (EC) meeting of BERMUN 2014 sought to successfully unify the group. Shortly before the lob­bying, the chairs began taking attendance in a very clever way. One of the chairs, Jasper Kam­radt, called on each of the rep­resented countries and request­ed them to share their dream job. This enabled the delegates to feel at ease and become ac­quainted with one another. Once the attendance was taken, the delegates began lobbying. They quickly began introducing themselves and formed groups to decide upon a resolution. They were to discuss universal guidelines for reduc­tion of greenhouse gas emissions and the problem of exploiting fossil fuel reserves in the Arctic The other chair, Char­lotte Elz, expressed her hopes for this BERMUN conference. .

Guestspeaker Lisa Ann Elges.

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“Anyone except Aq-uaman, because he’s lame,” a delegate of the Human Rights Committee (HRC) declared. As an icebreaker for this year’s debate, the Chairs asked their delegates to identify themselves with a cartoon character or su-perhero. With a single Toothless here and a Mr. Krab there, many a Catwoman and Superman were present. Yet the Spidermen owned G102. The delegates’ powers will come in handy when dis-cussing the prevention of do-mestic violence as well as the protection of Syrian refugee rights. Speaking to Chair Dan-iel Stein, he mentions the im-portance of “shedding light into the darkness,” of the privatized, furtive treatment of domestic aggression.

His Co-Chair, focus-ing on the Syria conflict, Netra Nambil-Veetil, is considering the “economic and political strain” the Syrian Civil War generates in neighboring countries. Yet her concern centers on the refugees. She stated, “At the end of the day, these people are human. It is our right and responsibility to take care of them.”

At first sight, the Polit­ical Committee (PC) only looks like a couple dozen students, exhibiting their Sunday­wear for the sake of BERMUN. Once lobbying begins however, the students transform into debating politicians creating and defend­ing resolutions. “I would change the situation in Palestine – help the children,” delegate Christina Al­sous answers when being asked her first order of business if she were an important politician for a day. Valera Kochin states, “I would support the program of recycling,” and Dan Quinlan, delegate of Iraq responds, “It would be corruption trials and then figure out what to do next.” Abruptly interrupting the ac­tual question, “If you were a real representative of Amnesty

Zuhaib Badami, Assistant President of the ECOSOC, declared, “What can make or break a delegate is the confidence they give off.” The presidents agreed that confi-dence is essential and people believe in others who believe in themselves. So, as Assistant President Wera von der Osten suggested, “Fake it till you make it.”

International—”, the addressed delegate exclaimed, “I would be very happy!” Although it was only a hypothetical question, many delegates actually hope to be­come successful politicians one day – to which the MUN pro­gram is a promising start.

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Guestspeaker Paul Zoubkov.

ECOSOC Delegates.

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Friday, November 21, 2014

10 BERMUN TIMES

History of the Helmet

Madeleine KellyReporter

Kilian Justus fully armored.

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At the opening ceremony, one might have noticed a blue helmet laying on the desk and mentioned by the President of the General Assembly, Killian Justus.The history of this helmet dates back to the very first BERMUN conference, which was founded by two students, Lars Day and Stefan Elbe, in 1992. During a visit to Rostock, with the first conference approaching, Dr. Peterson, former head of the John F. Kennedy

Dr. Peterson also mentioned other items, such as gavels and country placards and how these came to be for the first conference, “BERMUN started with a very primitive base, first of all the blue helmet, wooden gavels that we used for carpentry purposes (...) ,these aspects were really the beginning steps of BERMUN.” These symbols and essential items that have evolved into such meaningful traditions, help lay the foundation for such successful conferences.

School history department, and Mr. Pothen, a fourth grade teacher at the time, found an ol-ive green GDR helmet. Their intention was for it to symbolize unity, as it was just three years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. They had a sudden inspiration to paint it blue, the official color of the United Nations (UN), and use it at the BERMUN conference. After purchasing the helmet and spray paint, the official stamp of the UN was printed onto the helmet. There-after, Day and Elbe made it a tradition to have this helmet present and collecting ballots for all the following conferences.

Silent Avengers

Everyone knows they exist, but how often are they acknowledged? This year’s Heads of the Administrative Staff Janaina Liesenfeld, Lucie Lange, and Jason Zilberkweit have been working their or­ganizational magic from behind the scenes this past month. Where could those heaven­ly cookies during the cookie breaks come from? Lidl? No! From the altruistic hands of the hardworking admins. Without admins the whole conference would fall apart. When asked about his own opin­ion about the role of admins, Jason Zilberk­weit stated that he enjoys the fact that ad­mins take matters into their own hands and pursue the immediate issues they are con­fronted with. He agrees with the importance

Emilia McGrealAvélina de MentReporters

of formally discussing problems, however he believes that actions speak louder than words, stating, “the people on farms actual­ly doing things are far more important than the minister of agriculture, because without them there is no need for a minister of ag­riculture.” This means the Heads of Admin are just as needed as the other Student Of­ficers, as they hold everything together.He proceeds by remarking, “The people that come from all around the world change once they come through these doors. I know the BERMUN personality they have – [but their true personality] comes out at the par­ty.” According to Zilberkweit, his fa­vorite part of BERMUN is the party, as it reveals the metamorphosis from the busi­nesslike delegates into casual people. Based on this, he concludes “we’re all pretending like we’re 50 and sitting in a room and talk­ing about saving the world – we’re not”.

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BERMUN Admins.