BOMUN Chronicles

2012 Issue 2

IV Annual Session

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Table of Contents

What is BOMUN? - pg. 3

BOMUN IV Annual Session - pg. 4

What were they thinking?- pg. 6

Fashion at BOMUN - pg. 7

The Delegates - pg. 8

Our Mentors - pg. 10

MUN Dictionary - pg. 11

Additional Photos - pg. 12

What is BOMUN?

MUN and UN aren’t really that different from each other. They can be considered as siblings; UN being the bigger one. The main difference between them is the age group of the people tak-ing part. MUN is nothing but a real life simulation of UN and a great experience for the stu-dents who participate. It follows the same procedure of UN but, it’s not as complex and obvi-ously, the decision of the house isn’t for real. MUN may not be the real deal but, it dramatically improves a participant’s talking and debating skills and also prepares them for UN; if they de-cide to take part in it. Each and every aspect of MUN and UN are similar except MUN isn’t on as big of a complex scale. For example, both have special position, dress code and the press. In MUN, the Press clearly doesn’t have to do as much work but, our job is similar and does re-quire a lot of effort. We have to make a magazine based on MUN within the given time. In this magazine, we cover all of the events which happen throughout MUN. We also have a “Best” section which tells the reader about best dressed, best quoted and so on. Our final product is a magazine with a selection of good photos, well written articles and a few letters from editors. It sounds really good but, to put the magazine together, the editors need to put to be committed to the process. The press needs students who are willing to show dedication and time towards making the magazine. Our job is really dynamic since we have to go around to different events, take notes on them, take a variety of photos, interviews and write an article on the event. The articles we write also need to be edited before we can publish them. This job takes a lot of effort and commitment but, the final product is something which the editors can be very proud of. The “BOMUN Chronicles,” the product of hardworking ASB press editors covers the MUN which takes place in our school. This is annual event which starts and ends in May. Last year, the debate took place in the ASB sweat room but, this year it took place in the MPH. Only tenth graders are allowed to take part since it’s considered as their final exam for Social Studies.

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BOMUN

Forum: GA1 (Disarmament and International Security) Question of: How well the delegates fared in terms of their debate over the non proliferation of nuclear weapons. Submitted by: Press THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Acknowledging that many delegates had very little MUN experience whereas others were very well versed in MUN procedure Applauding the delegates on looking very professional in their formal attire.

1. Opening Speeches were given by a few select delegates that were selected by Mr. President. All delegates were very clear concise and had well written and well rehearsed speeches,

a. Australia, Belgium, Brazil, DPRK, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Libya, Russia, South Korea, US,

2. Main Submitter of the resolution was the UK and Anshel Kenkare did a fine job of reading out the resolution in a British accent. Although the accent did not last through the entire reading and the Madame chair later told the house that accents were not in order, we applaud Anshel for his attempt.

a. Delegate of the UK was very clear and stressed that the resolu-tion was a comprehensive framework and urged delegates to make amendments to add to the resolution. He stated that he was very proud of this resolution and that it was extremely passable,

b. POI’s were asked by Russia, USA and Pakistan, c. The delegate of Germany, a co submitter of the resolution, also

spoke in favor. She told the house that oftentimes with the issue of nuclear proliferation that we take one step forward and two steps back and that this resolution is crucial in helping to solve problems,

Honorable Chair and Esteemed Fellow Readers, The Press team was delighted and honored to be invited to the BOMUN 2012 conference. The prestigious conference went off without a hitch and all the delegates did an amazing job speaking and advocating for their respective nations. Sincerely, The Press

Anshul Ambani

Melanie & Carsten

Kana Morikawa

Uriah Khambatta

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IV Annual Session 3. For the Resolution there were no speakers at the beginning despite the large

number of delegations that had co-submitted the resolution, 4. Against the Resolution both the DPRK and Pakistan spoke and they both

brought up some interesting points, a. Resolution was extremely flawed, attacks certain member nations, b. Various clauses such as 7 were either vague or contradictory, c. Many nations such as the USA with more nuclear weapons were

not as largely affected as countries with minimal weapons such as Pakistan or India,

5. Amendments were submitted by 5 delegations and surprisingly not a single amendment passed. In fact they all failed with a rather large majority,

a. Russia proposed to Strike Clause 6 and was met with some opposi-tion,

i. Amendment failed 5: 13, b. India proposed the addition of a Clause 10 and was supported by

Pakistan, i. Amendment failed 3: 16, c. Israel proposed to strike Clause 2 Sub Clause c as it was extraneous

information, i. Amendment failed 5: 14, d. Pakistan too proposed an amendment that was not taken well by

the other delegates, i. Amendment failed 7:12, e. Belgium proposed an amendment that the DPRK felt was very in-

significant, i. Amendment failed 4:15,

6. For the Resolution the delegate of Libya, Magda Nalewajko, took the floor to share her views,

7. Against the Resolution the delegate of Japan, Krish Mehta, stood and stated that though this resolution was a good begging as no amendments had been passed he felt that it should be voted against.

8. Voting Procedure With 12 for and 6 against, the resolution passed. Clapping was definitely in order.

Melanie Quigg

Delegates

Maja Pitcairn

Anshel Kenkare

Hannah Williams

What were they thinking? Interview sheets were passed out during the debate to understand how the delegates were feel-ing. Almost all of the interview sheets that we got back had common answers. The debate pro-cedure was hard but, the experience was enjoyable. The responses we got from teachers went hand in hand with delegate responses. The teachers agreed that the debate was indeed fruitful and everyone was doing a good job of keeping the debate hot. Even the parents seemed to be sucked into the quite intense debate that was going on. It’s safe to say that all of the students worked hard during the debate to make it more enjoyable for themselves and the audience.

Based on the delegate responses we received, we could tell that the dele-gates faced their challenges and helped make a more fruitful debate. These delegates had to perform well in front of their peers, the entire 9th grade and parents; which did make some of them shaky but, they all did a good job of enduring through stage fright. During an interview with the Delegate of Belgium (Hilla Hankimaa), she said that she was very nerv-

ous while giving an opening speech but due to the amount of practice she put into talking, she felt confident. The most challenging aspect of the debate was stating POI’s in her opinion but, she thought that her first BOMUN experience has been interesting so far. Her response was also similar to the one from an interview with the Delegate of Israel (Viraj Shah). Even he said that he was nervous while giving his speeches and thought that the procedure was challenging but, like the Delegate of Bel-gium, he thought that the debate was “a most pleasurable experience.” These weren’t the only interviews that turned out to be similar to each other; there were many others with the same answers. After skimming through all of the interviews, the delegates had come to general opinion that BOMUN is a challenging but inter-esting experience. The responses that we received from teachers and audience members also agreed with delegate responses. The mentors were very happy to see the progress new delegates had made. They thought that the delegates had been exceptionally well prepared this year and they were very pleased with the confidence that was displayed by delegates in the debate. All of the delegates

were thoughtful and engaged throughout. They even thought that the chairs had done a brilliant job of keeping the debate flowing and ensuring equal speaking times for all delegates. Other than the good responses from the mentors, we received one from Mr. Hadi, who is a real diplomat. He agreed with the mentors and thought that it was a “Lovely” debate which was close to real. He was happy to see that most of the delegates were making valid

points and some were working very hard to get their chances on making points. These re-sponses showed proved that this year’s 10th graders were successful at having a fruitful debate.

Throughout the debate, all of the thoughts that students, teachers and parents had were very similar. Those thoughts expressed a fruitful debate, a group of hard-working students and a delighted audience. Based on these thoughts, it’s safe to say that everyone thought of BOMUN 2012 as a challenging but, fun experience.

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Fashion at BOMUN As a MUN formality, it was mandatory that all delegates, Officers, Admin Staff and Teachers wore the correct outfit for the duration of the confer-ence. They are all accustomed to do this to prove their respect towards the countries that are represented at the BOMUN conference. Fashion at BOMUN this year was very diverse. For our male delegates, their choice of for-mal clothing ranged from re-used prom suits to peculiar shiny suits (famously worn by Wilburt Van Vuuren). Most boys stuck to the black and white color scheme; those col-ors tend to be recognized as “most formal”. However, some decided to spice things up with their ties. The five gentlemen; Anshul Ambani, Ahan Shetty, Krish Mehta, Viraj Shah and Tom LeBrocq decided to all show up in suits and red ties.

For our female delegates, the variation between their choice of formal clothing was even larger compared to the male delegates. The ladies showed up in blouses, jackets, skirts, dress pants, black skinny jeans, khaki pants, heels, flats…the list goes on and on. Secretary General, Anika Gautam, was looking rather snazzy during the conference; show-ing up in a lace skirt, blouse, cream jacket and black heels. Overall, all delegates pre-

sent at the debate followed the MUN dress code. The gentlemen made sure that they brought a coat, since it is mandatory to wear one when speaking, and the ladies made sure that their skirts were an appropriate length and that their shoulders were covered.

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The Delegates

Australia • Natasha Glover • Maja Pitcairn

Brazil • Nikita Harrison • Hannah Heeran

China • Uriah Khambatta • Oscar Lecuyer

DPRK • Mahir Chadha • Bader Al-Khaledi

France • Guillaume Fieschi • Marie Desjonqueres

Germany • Teresa Hug • Sanne Pedersen

India • Ritika Kumbharkar• Farah Hadi

Iran • Anshul Ambani • Ahan Shetty

Belgium • Hilla Hankimaa • Lauren Macray

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Israel • Viraj Shah • Tom LeBrocq

Japan • Mune Kurita • Krish Mehta

Libya • Nirvika Tugnait • Magda Nalewajko

Pakistan • Sachit Sachdev • Aditya Srinivasan

Russia • Hannah Williams • Lia DeSouza

South Africa • Benjamin Ashman • Chaeli Brown

South Korea • Siddhesh Thackeray • Sang-Hyeong Chai

United Kingdom • Wilburt Van Vuuren • Anshel Kenkare

United States of America • Astrid Blanchy • Sophie Viale

New Zealand • Melanie Quigg • Carsten Haas

Our Mentors This year, our mentors for BOMUN were Ms. Allison, Ms. Kalbag and Ms. Kelly. They did an outstanding job teaching the basics of MUN to students participating

for the first time. Not only did they help the dele-gates, they taught the MUN heads how to do their job well. Finally, when the debate started, their efforts showed off and they were very proud of 2012 BOMUN delegates and special positions. Thanks to all of the efforts they put into educating sophomores on BOMUN procedures, the sophomores were able to give an outstanding performance.

The teachers made sure that each and every student was well prepared for the de-bate. They were constantly in touch with delegates to make sure that all the work that had to be submitted for MUN would make the deadline. Ms. Allison for one would constantly check the Google Docs and make sure that her students were do-ing their assignments properly and turning them in on time. She also informed them on how to talk in MUN. Helping the delegates was only half of what the teachers contributed to MUN. They also made sure that MUN heads were ready to lead the delegates of the world through another successful annual debate. Ms. Allison did a series of debate simulations in our class of that the Deputy Chair and Secretary Gen-eral would get a feel of leading a debate. If it wasn’t for the teachers, students wouldn’t have been prepared for the debate and they wouldn’t have done as well. On debate day, all of the teachers were smiling as the de-bate intensified. From the moment the floor was yielded to the chair to call up delegates to state amendments, dele-gates were ready to either support their allies or destroy their opposition. The delegate of DPRK was constantly raising his placard to oppose the resolution by show the flaws in it as the delegates for the resolution worked hard to prevent the DPRK’s onslaught of bad remarks were con-stantly stated as POI’s. Though, the delegate of DPRK wasn’t the only one coming up to crush the resolution, all the other delegates came up to the mike to state their POI’s; they weren’t shy. That’s what made the debate fruitful and brought a smile on the faces of our mentors. When we interviewed these mentors during the debate, they were all very happy with the debate going on. One of them stated that, “The delegates seem exceptionally well prepared this year.” Another talked about the brilliant job that Chairs have done at keeping the debate flowing and ensuring equal speaking time to all delegates. The teachers were instrumental in the success of the BOMUN conference this year and it was great to see them sit back and relax as the debate unfolded. We can safely speak for all the delegates when we say that we are truly grateful for all of their help and guidance. We were truly lucky to have them as our mentors!

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MUN Dictionary A minor factor behind the complexity of BOMUN is the strange language. During the actual debate, delegates learnt that the issues at hand were not the only factors adding to the complexity. Language also played a big role. Off course the students had to be familiar with terms such as Rapporteur, Preambulatory and Operative clauses and amendments but, they also had to cope with the new words delegates created along the debate. When the delegate of DPRK came up to the podium, he made a new word. He merged prolong and elongate to make “prolongate.” The creation of new words was one funny aspect of language used to make the debate more en-joyable; the other was the failure of delegates to recall their knowledge of Roman Numerals. Reading out clauses word for word would have been a night mare for the audience if the delegates hadn’t made the mistakes they did while saying the Roman Numerals. When delegate of UK was reading out the resolution, he made a hilarious mistake of saying, “sub sub clause IIII.” Surprisingly, he consistently repeated the same mistake for the entire resolution and didn’t realize till someone told him after the debate. Playing around with the Roman Numerals almost became a formality in this debate as no one was able to say, “Sub sub clause IV.” Even though the language in BOMUN was strange, it didn’t take away from the point of the debate; instead, it made the debate rather amusing.

Fruitful Producing good or help-ful results during debate.

Motion A request made by a delegate that the com-mittee as a whole do something.

Placard A piece of cardstock with a country's name on it that a delegate raises in the air to signal to the Chair that he or she wishes to speak.

Second To agree with a motion being proposed

A few popular words used during the debate:

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Annual Session IV

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2 0 1 2

B O M U N

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