LT Model UN students faced a tough defeat in their conference at Washington University, Oct. 13-15. This conference is known throughout MUN to be a learning opportunity for newcomers, and kicks off the competitive season. General Sectarian Jack Dudley ‘18 views the weekend as a success, despite LT not winning– or even placing.

“We had some winners who weren’t used to winning on the university level- it was really rewarding to see that,” he said.

Part of the challenge of the conference was the difference in setup, MUN competitor Gina Cuba ‘19 said. Debates are divided into two subsections: general assemblies and crisis committees. Assemblies are larger groups focused on broader issues like poverty or world hunger, while crisis committees focus on a specific problem, past or present, real or fiction, Dudley said.

“It’s very reflective of the actual UN,” he said. “You’ll be assigned a country– or if you’re in committee, a real person, figure, or character– it will most definitely be an individual though.”

At the conference, everyone was placed in a crisis committee, as no general assemblies were offered. Most students compete in general assemblies more frequently, Cuba said, which is a potential reason LT did not score up to their usual standards.

“Getting the inexperienced delegates ready for the conference, so that they have more confidence going in,” MUN advisor and LT social studies teacher Andrew Johannes said was one of the team’s focal points.

Despite the challenges that come with a still developing team, many new members had to opportunity to grow, Cuba said. Despite the new students and change in structure, LT had competitors place in 10 of the 16 events.

“It was really cool to see,” Cuba said. “From not contributing that much at the beginning to almost yelling at the end, the growth was really cool.”

The goal of MUN is to put oneself into the shoes of the country or individual they are assigned, and advocate for their personal gain as best as possible, Dudley said.

“Experienced students need to encourage the younger ones, the more inexperienced, just to go out there and speak,” Johannes said. “The key with MUN is just speaking and being involved. Just go out and do it.”

MUN travelled to Waubonsie Valley Oct. 21, another new conference and learning opportunity, Johannes said. ____update w scores____

“The point isn’t always to win,” Dudley said. “You just always want to be getting better.”

Upcoming tournaments include St. Ignatius on Nov. 4 and Chicago International from Nov. 30 to Dec 3.