February 2007 - Austin College

STUDENT ACHIEVERSMODEL UN DELEGATIONS PRACTICE DIPLOMACYPolitics, even on a local level, is complex business. Go beyond localconcerns to issues facing leaders in the international arena and thepolitical interconnections and collaborations become so complex ittakes a scholar to unravel them.Twenty-eight Austin College scholars set out to do just that atthe American Model United Nations (AMUN) in Chicago inNovember. They joined more than 1,300 students from the U.S. andaround the world for the educational exercise. Austin Collegestudents represented the countries of Albania and Cote d'Ivoire, withthe Cote d'Ivoire delegation named one of five Best OverallDelegations. DonRodgers, assistantprofessor of politicalscience, led thegroup. Annie King’07 and KatieScofield ’07, whois now preparingfor her sixthdelegation, served ashead delegates forAustin College.Students spent the fall term training to represent theirdelegations and learning about the operation of the United Nations.Scofield said the Model UN experience is valuable for all students asit teaches not only about the UN, but about diplomacy, networking,negotiating, professionalism, and public speaking.“I love the challenge of working to solve problems that theactual UN is working on,” Scofield said. ”My favorite Model UNstory came about when I was representing Germany on SecurityCouncil. My partner and I worked all day on negotiations to help theSudan. That evening, a representative from the ‘real’ UN SecurityCOURTESY PHOTOCouncil came todiscuss the newresolution they hadcreated that dayinvolving theSudan, and it wasalmost identical tothe one that mypartner and I hadnegotiated, thatsame day.”Austin College delegations celebrate another successful Model United Nations competition.STUDENT GOVERNMENT LEADERS BEGIN SERVICEShamyal Khan ’08 took office as the new student body president atthe close of the fall term. A chemistry major from Carrollton, Texas,he was vice president in 2006 and served on the Student Assembly’spublic relations committee in 2005. Khan also is a residentassistant, a member ofthe Muslim StudentAssociation, and aparticipant in theWelch ChemistryResearch projects of theAustin CollegeChemistry Department.Vice president is Steven Zaborowski ’08 of Colleyville, Texas,a business administration and history major. Secretary is EmmaWilking ’08 of Houston, a psychology major with a minor inhistory, who spent fall 2006 in Rome. Treasurer is Matt HolzgrafePHOTO BY VICKIE S. KIRBY’09 of Austin, Texas, aneconomics and Frenchmajor who is amember of the PoseyLeadership Institute.These studentleaders will serve untilDecember 2007.From left, Shamyl Khan, Emma Wilking, Matt Holzgrafe, and Steven Zaborowski head Student Assembly.22 FEBRUARY 2007