A while  ago, the school’s Model of United Nations program  was enjoyed by many students who participated in multiple simulations held at various schools. These events were seen as fascinating experiences in which students  were given the opportunity to have a great time, enjoying various incentives which stimulated their motivation towards these events. Multiple privileges and benefits  made students develop an emotional attachment for MUN. This sentimental value which the simulations carried  meant everything for the students.

However, about a couple of years ago things began to change. New rules and restrictions imposed by the school have bored and angered those interested in MUN to the point where these events  seem no longer appealing or worth the time. All sorts of issues including lack of organization, incessesary safety precautions, and lack of academic support are what the students claim to have caused them to lose their motivation towards MUN simulations.

As Juan Felipe Gaviria, current president of COSMUN’s “Senado de la República” said, “Even though I think that the MUN program that the school offers has always been and will always be beneficial for its students both socially and academically, I do have to criticize the lack of support that has been given to students who have always been loyal to the program.”

Gaviria, along with Alejandro Gómez, former vice president of the MUN club at The Columbus School and 11th grade STUCCO representative, gave their opinions on the controversial topic and suggested solutions on the  specific issues which are addressed below.

Monetary support:

“At least in the last few years, we have not received any economic aid for students, ”said Gómez.

Even though monetary support from the school is not essential, students believe that some aid would be appropriate in order for the school to really stand out at external simulations.

“Schools with more serious MUN programs, such as the Colegio Colombo Britanico, pay for their student’s trips and fees. These schools are the ones who tend to stand out and win awards, ” said Gaviria.

Adapting policies form such schools could be a first step towards better performances by the school’s delegates.

 Academic support:

As far as academic support is concerned, not only are students disagreeing with the school’s policy, but some teachers disagree as well.  Karol Marin, 10th grade sociales teacher and committee sponsor at COSMUN, agreed when asked if academic support was insufficient .

“In other schools, when a student misses class due to MUN simulations, that student is credited  for his work at the MUN and receives a grade or some type of validation for his performance. Here we don’t have that policy, ” said Marin.

What is expected is that students get excused from doing some of the work they missed, and instead of receiving a grade for those assignments, they could receive a grade based on their performance during the event.

“ There should be a general school policy which permits an item in my grading system that allows me to  give an academic value to the student’s participation in the event, depending on the amount and quality of the work he or she did,” said Marin.

However, this policy is not seen as appropriate for every subject, but rather for specific subjects which involve topics related to the ones discussed in MUN’s.

Safety policies

“Safety policies” have drastically changed over the past couple of years. This issue has angered  many students, as they claim that the MUN experience has been limited to the point where it can not be really enjoyed. Some of the new restrictions which have, according to multiple students,  “taken the fun out of MUN experiences” include not being able to leave the hotel freely or assist to local parties ( traditionally held at the end of each MUN) when participating in a simulation at another city.

“Possibilities for students to explore and socialize with other students who are also participating in the conference are now very, very limited. I think that part of the experience is to socialize and make friends. That is crucial point for the school to consider,” said Gómez.

Limitations imposed by the new policies not only have  made students enjoy these events much less, but they have also caused significant logistical problems which have given students a hard time. The main logistical issue that students have faced thanks to the new policies is the ineffective transportation from their houses to the location of the event. Until a few months ago, students could easily arrive to the event, since they had the freedom to get there in whichever way they found easiest. Most of them used Uber of arrived driving  their own cars.

However, according to Erika Atehortua, leading sponsor for the school’s MUN program, “The new policy is that a student can only arrive with his parents and only his parents can pick him up.”

This has generated multiple inconveniences, as parents can not always transport their students. One recent example would be the situation Salomé Beyer, ninth grade student, faced during the last MUN she went to.

“Both of my parents leave home early and are busy all day. I had to ask a friend to take me there  because I had no more options. Now the school’s directives are telling my I must be sanctioned because of breaking the rules. I don’t consider this to be fair and I believe the school’s policy should change back to how it used to be,” said Beyer.

Beyer also claims she didn’t know that she wasn’t allowed to be transported by a friend, and that the exoneration paper wasn’t clear as to how were the students allowed to arrive at the event. This also indicates a lack of organization when implementing each policy.

 What to conclude?

All of these issues suggest that the new policies should be reevaluated and amended, seeking to establish an effectively structures MUN program which will satisfy as many concerns from both students and directives as possible.