7 September 2000
Dear Teachers and Students,
Thanks so much for indicating interest at the September 2 discussion group about the Alabama Model United Nations. We have some more specific information for you now. Here are the points that we want to make for you:
1.
Most likely, the first question for everyone is, “What does it cost?”
The answer is $250.00.
However, Civitas has never turned away a student from a trip for lack of
money (unless it’s clear that the student or his/her parents have the money
but are unwilling to pay it). There
is no formal application for financial aid; simply call Arthur at 367-6480 or
E-Mail him at [email protected] and
describe your situation. We want to
make sure that all interested students are able to go.
2.
We have researched the least expensive way to travel to and from St.
Louis and Tuscaloosa, Alabama (home of the University of Alabama).
There is no AmTrak service; plane fares are reasonable until we start
making the usual last-minute changes; and a chartered 24-passenger bus is the
least expensive. We’re not
talking about a yellow school bus, rather we’re referring to the kind of
shuttle buses that one sees at airports transporting people to hotels, rental
car lots, etc. There will be plenty of room for luggage.
The bus ride will be approximately 10 hours each way.
3.
The brochure on the conference says that the dates are Thursday, October
19 to Saturday, October 21. However,
since the proceedings begin on Thursday at noon, we’ll have to leave on
Wednesday afternoon to get to Tuscaloosa in time.
Presently, we are planning on leaving on Wednesday, October 18 from
Crossroads School (500 DeBaliviere) at 3:00 PM.
We would plan on getting to our motel by 1:00 AM Thursday morning.
We would be able to “sleep in” until around 9:00 AM and then head to
the university, get breakfast, take a quick tour of the campus, and register for
the conference.
We will leave the conference at its conclusion on Saturday, October 21 at 2:00
PM and return to Crossroads at approximately midnight.
The bus ride can be fun with good time for joking and bonding!
4.
We will be representing the countries of:
a. Djibouti
b. Netherlands
c.
United Kingdom (Security Council)
5. The committees and their topics will be:
COMMITTEE |
TOPICS |
General
Assembly Plenary |
1. Consideration of Taiwan for U.N. membership. 2. East Timor 3. Millennium Assembly 4. Security Council Reform |
Economic
& Social Council |
1. International Cooperation in Drug Abuse Control and Rehabilitation 2. Protection of Endangered Species 3. The Status of Women in Afghanistan |
Security
Council |
1. International Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Terrorism. 2. Peacemaking/keeping and the Possibility of a Standing U.N. Armed Force. 3. Resolution of the Perpetual Crisis in the Middle East. |
North
Atlantic Treaty Organization |
1. Strategic Reassessment 2. NATO / Russian Relations 3. Scientific and Technological Developments |
International
Court of Justice |
1. View of the I.C.C. 2. Review of the Jurisdiction of the I.C.J. 3. Defining Terrorism |
6. What we need next is to fill our delegation (12 delegates) and then assign countries and committees. Currently, we have nine students who have indicated interest: (1) Jeanne Alvarez, (2) Melanie Curry, (3) Amelia Flood, (4) David German, (5) Karen Haupt, (6) Andrea McCall, (7) Annette Meyer, (8) Marc Murray, (9) Maria Rodriguez. This mailing is going to you nine students, but we are obviously looking for others as well. If you know of another student who is interested in attending ALMUN, please let us know.
7.
We have enclosed a response sheet where you can inform us if you plan on
going to ALMUN and if you need
financial assistance. Please return
it in the stamped envelope as soon as possible!
8. We would like to have a short organizational meeting (assigning countries and committees) follow our Saturday, September 16 discussion group at Crossroads [map] (9:00 AM – 11:00 AM). At that time, we’ll also schedule another meeting so that we can collectively do our research and write position papers (which are due on October 2).
Thanks for reading so much. I think that this trip can be a wonderful learning opportunity. I checked out the conference last October and was quite impressed. The University of Alabama is most interesting to visit; it is remarkable how integrated it is a mere 38 years after the late Governor George Wallace stood in front of the door to the administrative building and refused to let federal marshals escort two African-Americans to register for classes. Only after President John F. Kennedy and Attorney-General Robert F. Kennedy ordered the Alabama Nation Guard to be placed under federal control did the integration take place. We’ll be able to see the door where the conflict took place and observe the advances that have been made since that fateful day.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 367-6480 or E-Mail us at [email protected].
Sincerely yours,
Arthur H. Lieber
Director
MEMO
OF INTENT re. ALABAMA MODEL U.N.
NAME: ____________________________________________________________
SCHOOL: _______________________________ Graduation Year: ____________
£
Yes, I do want to be a delegate to the Alabama Model U.N.
£
Presently, I am not sure if I want to be a delegate to the Alabama
Model U.N. I will be able to give
you a final answer by:
_________________________.
£
No, I do not want to be a delegate to the Alabama Model U.N.
£
I will need financial assistance is the approximate amount of
$____________.
£
I know of one or several other students who are interested in
going to the Alabama Model U.N. Their
names are:
1.
2.
3.
Please return
as soon as possible in the enclosed envelope!