By SHANDA MURRAY
BYU students participated in United States-Arab negotiations earlier this month.
Well, not literally.
An 18-member team traveled to Colorado to attend the National Council United States-Arab relations model simulation. Each student represented a different country, either Saudi Arabia, Libya or Kuwait. The students were organized with students from other schools into committees on political, economic, social, security and Palestinian affairs.
This year four of five committees were chaired by BYU students. “This very rarely happens, so we were prepared well this year,” said Dmitri Williams, a junior from Athens, Greece majoring in computer science.
Each committee had a different agenda and separate issues to resolve. They worked through resolutions they had prepared and tried to come to a consensus and legislative victory, while reflecting the actual policies of the country they represented, said Donna Lee Bowen, faculty advisor to the program and professor of political science at BYU.
The goal of the model United Nations is to teach students how international organizations work. It encourages the students to study countries and issues and to act as a diplomat to the country or nation. “It turns learning from a passive to an active activity,” Bowen said.
Many students gained national recognition. Dmitri Williams and Makaria Reynolds tied for the Best Chair of their committees. Shahram Paksima and Steven Bitner received the Best Delegate awards.
Honorable mentions for Best Delegate went to James Fry, Sarah Smith, Melissa Jardine and Brian Bishop.
Also, Jamal Qureshi and Brian Bishop received a graduate program fellowship to the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.
Williams said the competition was probably one of the best experiences he ever had. He said his view of the Arab world changed drastically. “(I) assumed (Asia) was all one culture, but came to discover that there are many different subcultures, ideas, attitudes, people and races.”
His committee had to resolve the crisis of the bombing of the Dome of the Rock. They had to decide what stance to take to bring back the peace while working with the Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
Another delegate discussed a different aspect BYU students brought to the competition. Their language, appearance and grooming set them apart from the other students. “Not only were we well prepared intellectually — our appearance made everyone rise to that level,” said Scott Hansen, a senior from Las Vegas majoring in international relations.
There were even a few other students who were interested in the gospel. Hansen said he believes that because of their interaction, hopefully they will follow up. “I think they will,” Hansen said.
