Parent communication and involvement with our team is essential! Please let us know what you can do to help us achieve! We would love drivers, chaperones, fundraisers, etc.
More important, parents should understand our policies and the student commitment level to Model UN (see below). Do keep track of key conference dates and commitments (Add/Drop dates). Also, watch our calendars for fundraisers.
This page has forms, policies, and the like: everything you need to keep your son or daughter active and on top of our work!
More important, parents should understand our policies and the student commitment level to Model UN (see below). Do keep track of key conference dates and commitments (Add/Drop dates). Also, watch our calendars for fundraisers.
This page has forms, policies, and the like: everything you need to keep your son or daughter active and on top of our work!
Forms
Key Conference PoliciesActive membership in Royal Oak Model UN requires regular attendance at meetings and positive participation in one or more projects during the school year.
In keeping with our reputation, we expect the best performance in and out of committee at conferences. If an ambassador should act inappropriately, the advisors may ask the student to return home (even if at the family’s expense). See our Code of Conduct. Ambassadors may be asked to pre-register for the year’s conferences in the fall, indicating only their interest in being involved in the preparation and possible attendance at that conference. Parents will be asked to sign this pre-registration form so we know they are aware of their son’s/daughter’s plans, and approve. Some weeks prior to the conference (depending on the size of the conference and the due date for fees), ambassadors will be asked to register (Commit) for the conference. They will already have begun preparation, been selected for committees and delegations, etc. by this time, but this will be the cut-off date for withdrawing from the conference without penalties. This registration deadline date (also called “Add/Drop Date”) will be established with the distribution of informational materials for the conference. At that time, students must commit to:
Students withdrawing from a conference after they have registered (past the Add/Drop Date) for any reason within their control (failure to complete a form, reconsidering payment or preparation responsibilities) have impacted team performance, travel plans, and costs for the trip. It is likely that Royal Oak Model UN has already paid hotels and the like by that deadline date. For that reason, please understand, we cannot guarantee the refund of any money paid and may have to charge the ambassador the conference fees if s/he has not already paid them. Most fundraising for the club is done for each individual ambassador. The on-going sponsorship program is the most profitable for ambassadors, though several other fundraisers are planned throughout the year. Ambitious ambassadors can earn enough money fundraising to pay for any conference, including food and spending money. We do require that all money raised for ambassadors go to the club’s USG Finance and that receipts of conference spending be kept if reimbursement is required. This satisfies our non-profit organization requirements. If at any time a parent would like to set up individual requirements for a student to attend a conference (GPA, approval from a particular teacher, etc., please contact Mr. Chisnell directly: chisnells@royaloakschools.org. |
FAQHow much work is Model UN?
A great deal. Many students have called it their seventh class. Students research and write papers individually and in groups. Some practice sessions last one to three hours, scheduled every other week. That said, our ambassadors (members) choose their level of commitment in the conferences they choose to attend. Conference preparation is the most difficult element of the program and ambassadors are required to attend at least one conference each year to maintain their membership with us. Therefore, if a particular month of the year is too hectic, the student should elect not to attend that particular conference. Does Model UN affect school work? Most often, the effect is positive. First, students who are involved in extra-curricular activities tend to form a better attachment to school in general and perform better. More, many teachers are appreciative of the Model UN students in their classes because they often think more critically and participate well. Also, our ambassadors form good friendships that have typically found them helping and tutoring each other in classwork. However, some Model UN ambassadors have found that balancing commitments has proven difficult. Prior to major conferences, students are required to make arrangements with their teachers to get work done. If any teacher expresses reservations about that student’s success in class, we deny them the right to attend the conference. More, we have worked closely with parents in the past to make individual agreements on what is an acceptable level of success for each class. In the last five years, we have prohibited four students from attending conferences. What about costs? Isn’t it expensive? Yes. However, students are given numerous opportunities to raise money for our program. Our reputation is strong enough that finding sponsors for the club has not proven difficult. We have a number of sales in the year, bowl-a-thons, car washes, bottle drives, etc. The most significant fundraiser remains our sponsorship program and commemorative brick fundraiser; students finding sponsors place 100% of the money in their own personal account for trips. Funds can be spent on hotels, conferences fees, food, etc. Actually, the summer fundraising has already started! If your son/daughter wants to get started early, you can call us to participate in our bottle drives or garage sale. How valuable is this program over other clubs? All the clubs in Royal Oak are wonderful. Model UN, however, is the most academically challenging. It satisfies more skills requirements than many Social Studies or English classes. On transcripts and scholarship applications it has the same sort of appeal as National Honors Society, Debate, or Forensics. More than any of this, however, students develop an awareness of the world that is simply not found anywhere else. What are the requirements? The application process requires a completed Model UN application form (with essays and brief recommendations) and a brief interview with the officers to determine the student’s interest in the program. Afterwards, the minimum requirements for membership include:
When can students join? We traditionally admit members in the fall and in the spring. There are always established deadlines for membership drives. We encourage students to join immediately in the fall to get in on the first conferences in late September or early October as these are more warm-up or training conferences. | |||||||||||||||
