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Photo courtesy of Eniola Ibidamitan<\/p>\n
This summer, Sai Thatraju, chemistry junior and Model United Nations president, attended a court case involving a homeless man who couldn\u2019t afford food.<\/p>\n
Troubled by the case, Thatraju began researching legal precedents around aiding homeless people and discovered a United Nations General Assembly Resolution to make food a human right.<\/p>\n
That moment sparked her mission: to reignite the Model U.N. at UTA after the club had been gone for a decade.<\/p>\n
Model U.N. is an international global policy club where members conduct mock simulations and create policies for different countries to enact and maintain, she said.<\/p>\n
During summer organization fairs, Thatraju began recruiting the first members of the new club.<\/p>\n
Political science freshman Srinija Gundlapally said she met Thatraju while volunteering for the Student Government at a social event for organization presidents.<\/p>\n
Gundlapally was a part of the Model U.N. club in high school and wanted to continue it in college, but was told there was no club at UTA. However at the event, Thatraju told her of her plans to start the club back up again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her I was really interested in it and I have experience,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we just started working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gundlapally said it was tough starting the club because after ten years, they were not able to get guidance from club alumni. She said it felt like they were doing it all by themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of made us feel lost,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At points, the officers questioned whether they were doing the right thing. Doubts like \u2018What if we can\u2019t go to conferences?\u2019 and \u2018What if we\u2019re doing this wrong because we don\u2019t have guidance?\u2019 plagued their thoughts.<\/p>\n
Through the help of advisers and officers from other clubs on campus, such as the Pre-Law Society and the Women in Law club, as well as Model U.N. clubs from other schools, they\u2019ve managed to grow into the club they are today.<\/p>\n
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Photo courtesy of Eniola Ibidamitan<\/p>\n
Model U.N. holds biweekly meetings, with two types: general body meetings and simulation meetings. General body meetings are social mixers where students introduce themselves.<\/p>\n
Simulation meetings focus on diplomacy and research. During these meetings, students are assigned a country and given a hypothetical problem to solve, like world hunger. They are given several minutes to research their countries, and then must represent them as delegates, and together they create policies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely see people developing that skill set and being clear and concise with what their argument is,\u201d said Jaideep Singh, computer science junior and Model U.N. vice president. \u201cIt is Model UN, we are going to disagree, but you also have to say it in a very respectful yet very impactful way, and I\u2019m seeing a lot of people just developing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club has had around five meetings so far, Singh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we\u2019re taking one step at a time, but it\u2019s progressing,\u201d Thatraju said, reflecting on the club\u2019s journey from an undecorated table at the student organization fair to a thriving group of 41 members.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have the best officer team now,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m so happy, it came from \u2018Oh, let me join your club,\u2019\u2018Let me be an officer\u2019 to \u2018Oh, I can\u2019t be a part of your club.\u2019 Now, people are asking to be a part of the club, but we don\u2019t have spots on the officer team left, but they can be a member.\u201d<\/p>\n
@tay._.sansom and @atclements03<\/p>\n