Thirteen Westminster College students represented Malawi in the American Model United Nations Conference Nov. 21-24 in Chicago.

Katelyn Moga, a sophomore political science major from Ashtabula, Ohio, led the Westminster group, which included both experienced and first-time delegates.

James Beaudry, a sophomore political science major from Fairport, N.Y., was attending his first conference. "I found it to be a great learning experience," he said. "I was surprised at the intensity of the debates and the amount of knowledge my fellow delegates had about the issues."

Throughout the conference, delegates spent over 20 hours in committee sessions debating the issues and working on resolutions. They debated pressing international issues that included disarmament, terrorism, addressing the disabled in global development programs, micro-finance, and achieving the U.N. Millenium Development goals.

Dr. Michael Aleprete, Westminster assistant professor of political science and faculty adviser to the group, accompanied the students and attended workshops on "Best Practices for Teaching Model U.N."

Students received travel/presentation grants from Westminster's Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Additional support for the trip was provided by Westminster's Department of Political Science and Sociology and the Global Solutions Education Fund-Pittsburgh.

Model United Nations at Westminster is a campus organization open to any Westminster student, regardless of major. The group plans to participate in several events during the spring semester, including attendance at Montreal's McGill University Model U.N. in January and hosting a conference for area high school students in March.

Contact Aleprete at (724) 946-7254 or e-mail alepreme@westminster.edu for more information.