Email Archive
In the archive, there will be all email communications sent out by the Secretariat that apply to every school and attendee.
Date of e-mail: 26 April 2008
From: Secretary-General,
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Re:
Welcome to YMUN XXXV
Dear YMUN Advisors,
My name is Amandla Ooko-Ombaka, and it is my pleasure as the Secretary-General to welcome you to the thirty-fifth installment of the Yale Model UN high school conference. YMUN XXXV will take place from Thursday January 22nd - Sunday January 25th 2009. There are several issues I will address in this e-mail -feedback from YMUN 2008, the focus of YMUN 2009, an introduction to the new Secretariat, and finally next steps. Please take the time to read through to the end!
To give you a bit of background on myself - I am currently a sophomore at Yale majoring in Economics and Mathematics with International Studies, and served as the USG for Specialized Committees at YMUN XXXV. I am really looking forward to working together with you all over the coming year to enhance both the delegate and advisor experience at YMUN.
i) Feedback from YMUN XXXV
Having synthesized the advisor feedback received from XXXIV - 2008
there are several aspects of the conference you highlighted that we
will strive to maintain for YMUN XXXV - 2009. Amongst these comments
were the positive impact of the new role of USG Decorum on general
conference decorum, the efficacy of splitting the large
General Assemblies into two groups, and the diversity and intensity of
the specialized committees. You were generally very happy with the
committee experience and YMUN XXXV will bring all this back, and then
some; the role of USG Decorum is being bolstered further, we are
splitting up 3 of the 5 full GA's (DISEC, SPECPOL and SOCHUM), and we
are going the extra mile with Specialized and ECOSOC Committees- in
addition to bringing back Press Corps, we will be running a triple JCC,
international Presidential Cabinet, and a mid-sized committee using
European style parliamentary procedure and committee structure.
Collectively, the biggest issues you raised involved the outside committee experience including Yale Day and Opening/Closing ceremonies. We are currently in the process of reviewing Yale Day and activities that should be continued or revamped and will keep you fully involved in this renewal process. We have already began the search for keynote speakers and opening acts for Opening ceremonies, and are also exploring the possibility of securing a venue with better acoustics than Battel Chapel.
Finally, regarding the dates set for YMUN XXXV, we understand that these dates are likely to clash with SAT testing for Jan 2009. However, this was the most suitable time to hold the conference based on hotel, staff, and room availability on the Yale campus. The Secretariat is exploring the different ways to mitigate the SAT pressure for our delegates including testing at a Yale site as an option, organizing supervised study space and providing transportation to nearby testing centers. We will keep you updated on this front.
ii) Focus of YMUN XXXV
The YMUN XXXV Secretariat has decided to focus our efforts for the conference in three ways:
*Firstly, in selecting core staffers that will channel their collective
enthusiasm and creativity into creating the most stimulating, exciting
and best run committees YMUN has ever seen, we want YMUN to stand-out
as the high-school
conference on the circuit that is more than just a competition, but an
engaging learning environment to discuss international relations
through the lens of MUN. To this end, our committees will challenge our
delegates to approach their issues first and foremost from a
substantive point of view, but also look to their fellow delegates and
dais staff as resources from which to learn from.
*Secondly, we want to create a truly global environment for our
delegates. Our goal is to have 1/5 of the membership of the conference
be comprised of international students who will challenge us all to
think more like global citizens and approach the issues presented from
a wider-world view.
*Finally, we want to ensure the engagement of delegates and advisors
from the word go. For delegates, this will take the form of
pre-conference forums with their chairs, and a requirement for each and
every single delegate to prepare a position paper. For advisors, this
will mean working more closely with USG Delegations and Decorum to
ensure that your presence is felt by the delegates at all times during
the conference.
iii) The YMUN XXXV Secretariat
I am incredibly proud to introduce to you the YMUN XXXV Secretariat. My Co-Director Generals Drew Dean (andrew@yalemodelun.org) and Ferny Reyes (ferny@yalemodelun.org)
who served as USG General Assemblies and USG Technology respectively at
YMUN XXXV. They are an incredible team to work with and will be in
touch with you periodically.
Natalie Kotkin (natalie@yalemodelun.org) is the USG Delegations. She is an incredibly genial person, very well organized, excellent at communicating, and has a passion for her role. Natalie will be the main contact point for all your questions regarding registration, committee and country assignments, and hotels. If you know of any advisors that did not come to this year's YMUN, but may want to receive mailings, reminders of deadlines et all, please put them in touch with Natalie.
Sebastian Serra (sebastian@yalemodelun.org) is the USG Decorum. He is an avid member of the traveling Yale Model UN team and a varsity soccer player. He is in the process of putting together an advisor guide for the conference, as well as editing the delegate and advisor code of conduct. Pre-conference and during the conference itself, Sebastian will be responsible for ensuring that YOU get as much as the delegates out of the conference by engaging YOU further in the decorum process. Sebastian is a very responsible and creative individual who has embraced his role with gusto.
While your communication with the remainder of the secretariat will not occur as regularly or as directly, I will briefly introduce them to you. Lacey Gonzales (lacey@yalemodelun.org) is USG of Conference and is in charge of pre-conference marketing, advertising, and supplies. George Bogden (george@yalemodelun.org) is USG Services and is in charge of all the reforms of Yale Day, Opening/Closing ceremonies and the delegate dance. Edgar Melgar (edgar@yalemodelun.org), Emma Larson (emma@yalemodelun.org) and Max Eden (max@yalemodelun.org) are USG's Committee and once we finalize committee selections and assignments are made, you will be hearing from them.
iv) Next steps
We are in the process of finalizing our website updates in addition to
registration dates, policies, and fees. You will receive an e-mail
detailing this information within the next 3 weeks. If there are any
concerns that you feel need to be addressed, or anything we were
missing from last year's conference, please do not hesitate to contact
myself or the relevant USG. Pulling off YMUN
XXXV successfully will be a team effort that involves
planning ahead and remaining in communication with each other. I
am very excited to embark on the next stage of conference planning with
you all onboard.
Have a lovely weekend,
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General, YMUN XXXV
Registration Details
Dear YMUN Advisors,
I write to you from cold but sunny Buenos Aires, Argentina! I trust that this e-mail finds you well despite its tardiness. I write to inform you of YMUN XXXV registration fees/deadlines/policies, website updates, and hotel accommodations.
i) Registration Fees/Deadlines/Policies
-> Registration Information
Full online conference registration forms will be available online at http://www.yalemodelun.org/registration on August 25th 2008. Please check back then to begin processing your online Registration.
-> Conference Fees
Fees for YMUN XXXV are as follows:
*Deposit
$312.50 per school (will be
subtracted from total balance)
*Delegation/School
Fee $88.50
per school (flat rate)
*Delegate
Fee $73.00
per delegate
*Advisor
Fee $36.50
per advisor
*International Student Reception $16.50 per attendee (optional)
Conference Fees for YMUN have not been increased over the past 2 years. However the US CPI-U inflation rate is 4.2% higher now than in May 2007 and the general increase in inflation over the past year has been record-breaking. It is in this stead that the increase in conference fees is necessitated. This increase will not only enable us to improve further on the high quality of conference services and material available at YMUN last year, but will also allow us to enjoy the benefits of bolstering conference participation by 200 delegates without compromising on our performance. Please direct any queries or clarification on the fee increase to me.
->Payment Deadlines
Below is a summary of deadlines for conference registration and
payments. Please keep in mind that all payments and forms should
be received by (not postmarked) the stated dates. Keep in
mind that online registration opens on August 25th 2008.
*October 17th 2008 All
registration forms and $312.50 non-refundable deposit due. This will
reserve you a spot and guarantee a
delegation.
*November 21st 2008 Remaining
balance on advisor, delegate and school fees (minus $312.50 deposit
already paid). If fees are not received by this deadline, your school
may lose its spot at the conference.
NB: If students drop out of the conference after this date, there delegate fees cannot be refunded.
*December 5th 2008 Hotel information due to YMUN Secretariat
*December 23rd 2008 Hotel
Fees due to the hotels as requested. You must contact
hotels individually. Please see the "Accommodations"
->Online Registration
The YMUN Secretariat strongly prefers electronic registration
over the paper-based one, and we encourage you to complete your
registration forms online. While it is possible to pre-register for the
conference by printing, filling out and mailing registration forms,
keep in mind that forms must be received by us
(and not postmarked) the stated dates Whichever form of
registration you choose, we ask that you please remember to retain a
copy for your records.
ii) Website updates
We have had some technical difficulties with our website
ownership and registration, but we will get updates online at yalemodelun.org
in the next week or so. I will send you an e-mail when we go live! You
can however expect the following information on the website:
*Committee Lists and 200 word Topic Summaries
*Staff Bios
*Conference Information including a tentative pre-conference and conference schedule
*An e-mail archive that will keep track of all the information heavy e-mails I have been sending out :-)
iii) Accommodation
For your convenience, rooms can be reserved at four area hotels. The Omni-New Haven (www.omninewhaven.com), Courtyard Marriott at Yale (www.courtyardmarriottyale.com), and the New-Haven Hotel (www.newhavenhotel.com),
are within easy walking distance of campus and all conference
activities. This year, we have decided to centralize all our outlying
hotels to the Clarion Hotel (www.schafferhotels.com),
in Hamden, CT. A limited shuttle service will be running between the
Yale campus and the Clarion Hotel. Please reserve your rooms as soon as
your registration has been confirmed with us, as space does fill up.
While a negotiated rate for accommodation blocs has been reached, all
arrangements and fees must be dealt directly with the hotel— not
through YMUN. You must get in touch with the hotel of your choice
directly. All contact information and reduced fees will be available on
the website. All hotel fees must be paid in full and names of students
attending must be given to the hotels by December 22nd 2008,
or any remaining rooms will be released. Simply mention that you are
part of Yale Model United Nations to the Sales Manager, and the
negotiated rates will be applicable.
If you have any questions, comments, or need clarification on anything,
please do not hesitate to contact me. I will e-mail you all as soon as
the website is ready to go live!
Have a lovely week,
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV