A Welcome from the Secretary-General
Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors,
It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the eighth session of the Columbia Model United Nations Conference & Expositions (CMUNCE for short, pronounced "Sea Monkey"). My name is Mona Soliman and I will be serving as Secretary-General for CMUNCE 2009. The 2009 conference will take place from Thursday, January 15, 2009 through Sunday, January 18, 2009.
Every year, Over 350 high school students from across the country and the world come to the great city of New York to attend CMUNCE for four days, starting on Thursday evening and lasting through Sunday afternoon. With a staff of over 100 chairs, vice chairs, and crisis staff, our conference is sure to provide a stimulating and engaging experience. I encourage you to peruse our website for more details and to check back frequently for updates. Please also feel free to email us at info@cmunce.org with any questions, concerns, or suggestions. We always love to hear from advisors and delegates alike. Also feel free to email me at mms2005@columbia.edu with any concerns.
CMUNCE Size and Style
CMUNCE runs about 20 committees with each committee traditionally consisting of an average of 20 delegates. CMUNCE's core trademark is the small crisis committee where delegates have the ability to closely interact with each other and with the conference staff. We believe that CMUNCE should be a learning experience where delegates are encouraged to actively participate and where every accommodation should be made to foster healthy and informative debate sessions. Each year, we usually have over 30 schools represented with more than 350 students. Most delegations are capped at 12.
With most committees having no more than 20 delegates, our committees become a close-knit community where delegates work closely together and our staff can closely monitor debate and offer guidance and advice. With a large crisis staff, each committee's experience is both unique and well staffed to create an environment of electric activity. During the conference, delegates are transformed from high school students to ambassadors, kings, presidents, and maybe even the occasional wizard or superhero. Our delegates are thrown into the midst of wars, famines, and sometimes magical time portals.
Tentative Conference Schedule
Delegates are expected to check in and register at the hotel from 2PM - 5PM and commuting schools can register at Low Library (on Columbia University's campus on West 116th Street and Broadway) from 4PM - 6PM. Opening ceremonies start at 6PM sharp followed by the first committee session, until 10:30 PM. Friday mornings are devoted to a variety of tours the delegates can choose from followed by two committee sessions. Saturday is devoted to two committee sessions in the morning and afternoon followed by a reception. Sunday morning is our final committee session followed by closing ceremonies at 12PM.
Conference Preparation
Each committee has an original, personalized background guide that is meant to give a brief introduction and background to the topics of discussion. All background guides will be uploaded onto the website on the Committees page before schools receive their country assignments. Background guides are password protected; to access the material, please consult the email containing the country assignments of your delegation.
Registration Procedures
Registration procedures for CMUNCE 2009 will be different than in the past in an effort to both streamline and smooth the process for both advisors and our secretariat. Registration for CMUNCE 2009 will start at 8AM on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Priority registration will last for the first twenty-four hours, until 8AM Thursday, October 2, 2008. All schools that register within that 24 hour period will be considered equally, regardless of when they sent in their registration material during that twenty-four hour period. Regular registration will close at 5PM on Tuesday, October 6, 2008. Preference will be given to schools that register during priority registration. Schools that register during the normal registration period will be considered on a first come, first serve basis, however we encourage schools to register as soon as possible as CMUNCE has usually filled up within the first 24 hours in past years. All schools interested in registering after registration has closed will be placed on a waiting list.
As we look forward to the best CMUNCE yet, we sincerely thank you for your interest. On behalf of the staff and secretariat, I cordially welcome you to our conference and hope to see you on January!
Sincerely,
Mona Soliman
Secretary-General
CMUNCE 2009