Email Archive
In the archive, there will be all email communications sent out by the Secretariat that apply to every school and attendee.
Date: Jan 13th 2009
Re: YMUN Logistics
Dear Advisors,
I hope this e-mail finds you well!
We are getting into the final stretch before welcoming you all to YMUN XXXV in just 9 DAYS. At this stage, all payments should have been submitted to USG Delegations Natalie Kotkin and you should have provided your delegate names on internal.yalemodelun.org as we will begin printing badges on Thursday, unless you have already e-mail Director-General Ferny Reyes. All position papers must be in by January 16th VIA E-MAIL to the chairs. PB Wiki and our website www.yalemodelun.org reflect the same topics and chair contact information. If you are having trouble accessing the WIki given the username and password provided to your school, please contact ferny@yalemodelun.org ASAP
This e-mail is to answer some of the logistics questions you have at this time concerning:: Check-in and Registration, Advisor guide Part II, Luggage/Check-Out,
1. CHECK-IN and REGISTRATION
Please make your travel arrangements to arrive at your hotel no-earlier than 3pm as this is when hotel check in begins for all our hotels. Once you check in at the front-desk of your hotel, you will check in with the YMUN staff in the lobby where we will register you, give you all your conference materials, collect any pending payments and the signed liability forms provided on Nov 8th, but reattached for your reference. Without a signed liability form, your delegates cannot participate in the conference.
2. SCHEDULE and NEW DELEGATE TRAINING
While we are very fortunate to have the Yale campus accessible for our use during the conference, because this is the first week of classes for us, the registrar's office cannot confirm any specific room assignments for our committee sessions at this time. They will be provided as an insert in your registration materials. However, ALL Committee Sessions will be held in one of four venues, all within 5-10mins walking distance of each other.
i) William L. Harkness Hall (WLH), 100 Wall Street, New Haven, CT, 06511
ii) Linsly-Chittenden Hall (LC), 63 High Street, New Haven, CT, 06511
iii) Osborn Memorial Laboratory (OML), 165 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511
iv) Sloan Physics Laboratory (SPL), 217 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511
The schedule below is also available here: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/schedule.html. Where locations are confirmed, I have annotated the conference schedule below.
Thursday January 22nd, 2009
3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Registration [Lobby of the Omni Hotel, Courtyard Marriot, New Haven Hotel, Clarion Hotel, and Premiere Hotel and Suites]
4.30PM - 5.30PM International Schools Reception [Omni Hotel, 155 Temple Street, New Haven, CT, 06511]
5:45 PM - 7:00PM New Delegate Training [LC]
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Opening Ceremonies [Battel Chapel, 300 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06520]
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Committee Session I [WLH, LC, OML, SPL]
Friday January 23rd, 2009
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM "Yale Day" Activities
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Committee Session II [WLH, LC, OML, SPL]
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM Dinner
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Committee Session III [WLH, LC, OML, SPL]
Saturday January 24th, 2009
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM Committee Session IV [WLH, LC, OML, SPL]
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Committee Session V [WLH, LC, OML, SPL]
8:30 PM - 12:00 AM Saturday Night Activities [Omni Hotel]
Sunday January 25th, 2009
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Committee Session VI [WLH, LC, OML, SPL]
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Closing Ceremonies [Omni Hotel]
3. BUSES and TRANSPORTATION
*All references to Central Campus indicate rooms closest to WLH on 100 Wall Street.
For all delegates in downtown hotels (Omni, Courtyard, New Haven), the fastest way to get to central campus (100 Wall Street) is to walk, it takes under 10mins from any hotel Please take the time to google map the route from your hotel to 100 Wall Street where YMUN admin will be headquartered. All committees are centered around this building. Your registration packets will also include maps of downtown New Haven.
For all delegates in outlying hotels, here follows a tentative bus schedule that will be confirmed early next week
Addresses: Clarion (2260 Whitney Ave, Hamden CT 06518); Premier Hotel & Suites (3 Long Wharf Drive, CT 06511)
i) Clarion – Premier Hotel & Suites – Yale
*Thursday (Leave Clarion: 4 PM; Returning Buses 11 PM).
*Friday (Leave Clarion 8.30 AM; 11.30AM; 1:30PM; Returning Buses 9.30 PM)
*Saturday (Leave Clarion 9 AM)
*Sunday (Leave Clarion 9.30 AM; No returning Buses needed.
*All buses leave at scheduled times, with 10 – 15 minute waiting times.
ii) Dance Night route
*Continuous loop between Omni and all hotels - New Haven, Courtyard, Clarion, Premiere Hotel and suites
*Buses on loop between 8 PM – 12 AM
*Two buses on continuous loop; sufficient buses to take all delegates back at end of dance
4. FOOD and DINING OPTIONS
YMUN does not provide food during the conference. However, New Haven is famous for its food! there are over 200 restaurants, cafes and fast food eateries within a 4 block radius of central campus (100 Wall Street)! Some suggestions:
i) See attached Activities List
ii) The Omni Hotel (where the majority of our delegates are staying) is located at 155 Temple St., New Haven, CT 06510.
*Nearby faster food: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en-us&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=fast+food+near+155+Temple+St.,+New+Haven,+CT+06510&fb=1&split=1&view=text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=4&ct=more-results&cd=1
*Restaurants near the Omni: http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en-us&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=*Restaurants+near+155+Temple+St.,+New+Haven,+CT+06510&fb=1&split=1&view=text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=1) or those to be found in the delegate guide to be distributed during registration.
To do the same for your respective hotels, just google "restaurants near (insert address)", or "fast food near (insert address)"
*Restaurants near central campus (100 Wall Street):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&abauth=9bf18f7f%3A7edYXd33MZOVd6BM5DZcFx1dadY&view=text&hl=en&q=restaurants+near+100+Wall+Street%2C+New+Haven%2C+CT%2C+06511&btnG=Search+Maps
5. NON-COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
The two main non-committee activities will be discussed in my next e-mail. However, Friday 23rd 9am-1pm is "Yale Day", an opportunity for your delegate to tour Yale, have lunch on campus and visit some classes. The Delegate Dance on Saturday 8.30pm to midnight will be held at the Omni. For those who prefer a more quite night in, we will alternatively be screening a movie, also at the Omni, but in a separate room. Both of these will be supervised, and the dress code is casual.
6. ADVISOR GUIDE PART II
******please print out copies of both parts of the advisor guide and bring with you to the conference. We will not be providing additional copies*****
Part I of the advisor guide was e-mailed out Nov 8th and covered the philosophy and decorum goals of YMUNXXXV, expectations for delegates, responsibilites of advisors, advice for new advisors and a note on the liability form. I have reattached for your reference. Part II of the guide, also attached contains:
i) Information on logistics that apply to all committees
ii) Troubleshooting during the conference
iii) Maps of the Yale Campus
iv) Floor Plans of LC Committee Rooms
v) Floor Plans of WLH Committee Rooms
vi) Hotel Expectations
I have attached Part II of the advisor guide in word format so that you may expand and contract the maps and floor plans as you see fit to print.
7. CHECK-OUT/LUGGAGE STORAGE ON SUNDAY
Closing Ceremonies will be held at the Omni Hotel (155 Temple Street). Check-out for most of the Hotels is 11.00am, and I strongly suggest you check out before you head over to committee session at 10.00am on Sunday.
For the outlying hotels (Clarion and Courtyard) as well as any schools that wish to do so, YMUN administration will have luggage storage on central campus where the last committee session will be held. The Omni hotel is 10mins walk away, so we suggest that you can bring your luggage to central campus during committee, we store it in our luggage room, and you can move it with you to the Omni hotel for closing ceremonies. We will have limited supervision in the YMUN admin building during closing ceremonies, so we do not want to leave luggage unattended.
For the downtown hotels (Omni, New Haven, Courtyard) the hotel may permit you to store all your luggage in one room or with the concierge. You are free to return to your hotel after ceremonies end at approximately 1.00pm and depart from there. Please call your hotel and ensure that you have adequate arrangements. Alternatively, the Omni can provide luggage storage at the Omni during closing ceremonies. Therefore after committee ends at 11.30am, you can move your luggage from central campus to the Omni and depart Yale from there.
I will send an e-mail early next week pooling together the rest of the frequent questions you have, and with the final notes on the conference including announcing our keynote speaker (we could not reveal this information any earlier for Security reasons), plans for Yale Day, and a checklist of what to bring to the conference .
Have a lovely week and I look forward to meeting you all!
********************************
Date: Jan 6th 2009
Re: Note on General Assemblies
Dear Advisors,
My name is Edgar Melgar and I am this year's Under Secretary-General for The General Assembly for the Yale Model United Nations. I am writing in response to a number of questions that have arisen lately on a couple of issues which have not been fully clarified to date.
1. Topic Areas, Topic Papers and Position Papers
The topic areas for this year's General Assembly committees are:
Disarmament and International Security : Global Maritime Piracy, Space Disarmament
Economic and Financial: Debt Crisis in Low-Income Countries, Microfinance (*)
Special Political and Decolonization : Admission Criteria for UN Membership, Western Sahara
Social, Cultural and Humanitarian: Rights of Migrant Workers, The Situation in the DR Congo (*)
Legal: International Law and Climate Change, Accountability of UN Workers
Please note the addition of "Microfinance" as the second topic area for the Economic and Financial Committee, and the change in the second topic for the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee from "Stateless Persons in South East Asia" to "The Situation in the DR Congo". The changes were made primarily in our objective of providing and effective simulation of contemporary pressing affairs. The changes were finalized and posted in the PB Wiki website late October, but unfortunately were not updated in the main www.yalemodelun.org committees list. My most sincere apologizes for this mistake Please, always refer to the PB Wiki website as the most reliable source for updated information. All Topic Papers are posted in the PB Wiki website and the discussion board is regularly updated by the committee chairs; all announcements will be posted in the forum.
Position Papers for delegates are due January 16th 2009: this is a change from the original deadline of January 4th. Unfortunately, we were unable to post all Topic Papers by November 26th in all fairness to the delegates we decided to change the deadline. We hope that you will find that the Topic Papers for the General Assembly committees are extensive and provide a thorough source of information, and more so than in earlier years, go beyond simple summaries of data.
Delegates are encouraged to use the PB Wiki website to upload their position papers. Nevertheless, recognizing that some delegates may be unfamiliar with the online system, this year delegates are only required to submit their position papers to their committee chairs. If for some reason a delegate, in extraneous circumstances, may find it impossible to submit their position paper by the given deadline, I highly encourage the delegate to contact his or her chair as soon as possible.
2. Committee Structure and Delegation Size
Seeking to improve the educational experience of our committees, this year we have changed the traditional structure of most of our committees. Under the "Overview of the Committee" section of each GA Topic Guide you will find the following descriptions:
Disarmament and International Security: Double-delegation Split GA
Economic and Financial: Double-delegation full-size GA
Special Political and Decolonization: Double-delegation Split GA
Social, Cultural and Humanitarian: Double-delegation Split GA
Legal : Single-delegation full-size GA
Allow me to clarify each of these descriptions:
Double Delegation Split GA
Last year, the Disarmament and International Security committee successfully adopted a "split-committee model" whereby the traditional full-sized committee was split into two half sub-committees: this meant that instead of having a single committee with over 100 delegations, there were two sub-committees with around 50 delegations. The model was effective in creating a more close-knit, intimate and personalized learning experience. As a result, we adopted the same model for two additional committees this year. Under the model, DISEC, SPECPOL and SOHCUM will be split into two subcommittees, A and B. The committees will be split alphabetically by the English name of Member States. Countries whose names begin with letters between A and K (Afghanistan to Kyrgyzstan) will be in DISEC A, SPECPOL A and SOHCUM A. Countries with names beginning with L and Z (Lao Democratic People's Republic to Zimbabwe) will be in DISEC B, SPECPOL B and SOHCUM B.
Although theoretically they are the same committee, in practice they will be operating as separate committees. The two subcommittees will not meet for a single plenary session. Whilst both subcommittees have been assigned the same topic areas, delegates in one subcommittee may chose one topic area, and a different one in the other subcommittee.
All split GA committees are double-delegations. Delegations will not be split: that is to say, it is not the case that one member of a double-delegation would be participating in DISEC A and another in DISEC B. Instead, the entire double-delegation will be in either A or B. Double-delegations are not required, but the educational experience of single-delegates in a double-delegation committee will most likely be more challenging and could be significantly hindered. Specific questions on the allocation of delegations may be answered more effectively by our USG Delegations, Ms. Natalie Kotkin at natalie@yalemodelun.org.
Double-delegation Full-sized GA
This is the traditional General Assembly committee, with all over 100 delegations. Again, ideally all countries would be represented by two delegates.
Single-delegate Full-sized GA
They are full-sized General Assembly where countries may only be represented by a single delegate.
I hope that this answers some of the issues that may have not been made fully clear by earlier postings. I most sincerely apologize for any earlier mistake or vagueness. Please feel free to contact me with any outstanding questions or for any specific requests. I look forward to meeting and working with all of you in the coming weeks.
Happy New Year,
Yours sincerely,
Edgar Melgar
USG General Assembly
************************************
Date: Jan 3rd 2009
Re: New Year and Position Paper Clarification
Dear YMUN Advisors,
Happy New Year! YMUN XXXV is less than three weeks from today, and we are getting ready to welcome you to New Haven. Two issues I would like to address that some advisors have asked that concern everyone - responsiveness of YMUN dais teams and penalties for not handing topic papers in by the stipulated deadlines.
1. RESPONSE TIME
When your delegates contact their chairs, they should hear back within 72 hours before school re-opens on January 12th, and within 24 hours thereafter. Should your delegates not hear back within these time frames, please have them contact Director-General for Committees andrew@yalemodelun.org, or the relevant USG for their committee and we will endeavor to contact the chairs by phone to respond to your delegate queries. I have been in touch with Andrew and all the USG's about this matter - USG General Assembly - edgar@yalemodelun.org, USG ECOSOC and Regional Commitees - emma@yalemodelun.org, USG Specialized - max@yalemodelun.org
2. POSITION PAPERS
Regarding the position paper deadline, in my e-mails dated Nov 16th, Dec 3rd, Dec 15th, and Dec 26th, I initially stated that position papers were due Jan 4th unless mentioned otherwise on PB Wiki. All my e-mails to Dec 15th can be accessed here: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/emails.html. Because not all our GA topic papers were on PB Wiki on time, this deadline was pushed to Jan 16th for General Assemblies. Position paper deadlines are all available on PB Wiki on the respective committee page. I also included them below for your reference.
Please be rest assured that your delegates will not be penalized for handing their position papers in after they return to school as we are aware that for some schools this is after January 4th. To ensure that all schools are treated fairly in this process, to the best of yours and your delegates abilities please have position papers e-mailed to the chairs by the initial deadlines listed below. However provided that ALL position papers are in by January 16th (except for the EU, where delegates will bring them to the conference), there will be no need to ask for an extension. Because we want as many papers handed in by the initial deadline as possible, this information will not be posted on PB Wiki, and is "for your eyes" only.
The aim of the position papers is to ensure that your delegates can summarize their main points onto a page (which will prove to be very helpful during committee). It will help them draw the links between the problems their chairs state in topic papers, and possible solutions. We intend to share all submitted position papers for each committee with all the delegates in the committee on the PB Wiki a week before the conference. This way, all delegates have the opportunity to read the opinions and ideas of the countries or other delegates in their committees before the conference, and get the most out of the YMUN experience.
Please let me know if you have any further questions at this time. Early next week, I will send out Part II of the Advisor guide, and other notes such as check in time for the conference and other logistics.
Have a beautiful weekend, and as always contact me if you require any further clarification or have questions,
Amandla
INITIAL DEADLINES FOR POSITION PAPERS
(Please provide your delegates with the passwords to PB Wiki. Ferny and I get at least 10 e-mails a day requesting passwords for their schools :-)
1. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
*Disarmament and Security (DISEC) - Jan 16th via e-mail to the chairs
*Economic and Financial (ECOFIN) - Jan 16th via e-mail to the chairs
*Social and Humanitarian (SOCHUM) - Jan 16th via e-mail to the chairs
*Special Political and Decolonization (SPECPOL) - Jan 16th via e-mail to the chairs
*Legal - Jan 16th via e-mail to the chairs
2. ECOSOC and REGIONAL BODIES
* United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* Council on the Status of Women (CSW) -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* Arab League -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* Territorial Disputes Council (European Style Debate) -> January 16th via e-mail to the chairs
* United Nations Development Program (UNDP) -> January 16th via e-mail to the chairs
* European Union (EU) -> January 22nd in committee
3. SPECIALIZED COMMITTEES AND AGENCIES
* Ugandan Presidential Cabinet -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* Security Council -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* Latin American JCC Colombia -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* Latin American JCC Venezuela -> January 4th via e-mail to the chairs
* YMUN Grand Strategy -> January 6th via e-mail to the chairs
* Press Corps -> January 16th via e-mail to the chairs
* Supreme Court -> January 16th via e-mail to the chairs
--
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV
646.705.1940
yalemodelun.org
*****************************************
Date: Dec 26 2008
Re: All Topic Papers Live and Awards
Dear Advisors,
I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and are gearing up for a great New Year. YMUN is less than a month away! Three notes from me:
1) TOPIC PAPERS
The last two were online Dec 24 - Territorial Disputes and UNDP. We will extend the deadline for the position papers from these two committees until January 16th to even the playing field with those committees who had topic papers up from early November. For committee specific questions, contact the appropriate Undersecretary-General directly: edgar@yalemodelun.org for General Assembly, emma@yalemodelun.org for ECOSOC and Regional, max@yalemodelun.org for Specialized Committees and Agencies.
2) POSITION PAPERS
I have edited every single PB Wiki page such that the position paper deadline and the link suggesting how to write a position paper is the first piece of information you see on the page, in bright blue. All General Assembly position papers are due Jan 16th. ECOSOC and Regional & Specialized Committees are due Jan 4th UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE ON THE PBWIKI PAGE FOR THE COMMITTEE.
An example of how this information is laid out
Territorial Disputes Council - European Style Debate :"Position Papers are due Jan 16th 2009 via e-mail to your chair. The position paper for this committee will take a different structure to the standard YMUN position paper, and will be a 250-500 word resolution, as outlined in the topic paper. For help on writing a resolution, see the guidelines here: http://yalemodelun.pbwiki.com/Sample Resolution. For any further questions, e-mail your chair, or USG ECOSOC and Regional bodies emma@yalemodelun.org"
3) AWARDS
As mentioned in the first e-mail I sent advisors in April of this year (http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/emails.html), YMUN XXXV 2009 aims to above all provide the most stimulating learning environment for international relations on the high school MUN Circuit. As such winning an award should not be the primary focus of your delegates in their preparation. All our committees are geared toward the learning experience, and conference policy to demand position papers from delegates is to ensure that they engage with the material before the conference to enhance their learning.
Accordingly when we do have to give awards this year, they will reflect how well delegates used the learning environment YMUN provided. The following is the general criteria our chairs will be using when it is time to decide on the awards:
i) Demonstrated learning capacity: in GA's how well delegates use resources given to them, and the comments of their fellow delegates to build on a coherent argument during conference. For crisis committees, how well do they use the information in the crises and incorporate into strategies going forward.
ii) Clarity of thought: For some delegates this is most evident when they speak, but it is not equivalent to the amount of airtime in committee. Quality over quantity - when a delegate speaks, s/he does so intelligibly and adds to the debate. For some delegates, this is most evident in good writing and good expression with resolutions.
iii) Consensus building/feeling the committee: Rallying others around their ideas.
iv) Knowledge of topic area: Topic paper, external research and Position papers
As a note, the overall Delegation awards are solely decided upon on a weighted points system based on individual committee awards.
I look forward to welcoming you to YMUN XXXV,
Amandla
****************************************************
Date: Dec 20 2008
Re: Delegate Management System
Dear Advisors,
I hope this e-mail finds you well. After incredible delays leaving New York, I have finally landed in 2 feet of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin :-) I will be responding to the e-mails and voice messages received during finals week within the next 48 hours.
At this time, I would like to introduce our new delegate management system. No more excel spreadsheets or word documents! Please log onto http://internal.yalemodelun.org with the username and password that was supplied to you earlier for PBwiki with your country assignments on November 8th. If you cannot locate this username and password, please contact Director-General, ferny@yalemodelun.org.
The delegate management system will allow you to log in and place your delegates in committees, give us their t-shirt size and inform us if they are taking the SAT. This information must be completed by midnight on January 7th 2009, so we can print badges, and finalize busing for the conference. Some of you have already e-mailed your delegate names to myself or Natalie, but please input it directly into the management system.This system has transformed the country matrix online (http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/countrymatrix.pdf) into lists individualized by school and number of delegates. For example, if you were assigned Nepal for four delegates, then the management system will allow you to input four names and four committees for Nepal.
The delegates that applied and were accepted into a Specialized Committee already have their names entered into the system, and we only need their t-shirt size and SAT status to be filled out. For ECOSOC and General Assembly committees, your specific country and committee assignments are already filled out by school, and we only require the name, t-shirt size and SAT status information for the delegates in these committees. Once you have entered the relevant names, press save and you will be returned to a page, which will have the updated information.
If you have any further questions at this time, do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail.
Take care,
Amandla
Date of e-mail: 15 Dec 2008
From: Amandla Ooko-Ombaka, Secretary-General
Re: [YMUN -Very Important]: Position Papers, Topic Papers and more delegates
Dear Advisors,
YMUN is only 5 weeks away! I am incredibly excited to meet you all, and embark with you and your delegates on the incredible international relations learning experience that YMUN XXXV promises to be.
Beginning today, we are in our finals period week (15th-19th December) at Yale. I will be checking my e-mail on a daily basis, but may take slightly longer than usual to respond to your non-time sensitive issues. If there is a matter that requires my urgent attention, please call me on 646.705.1940.
Finally, a reminder that all the e-mails I have sent since I took over YMUN XXXV in April 2008 can be found here: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/emails.html. As you continue to prepare for the conference, please refer back to these e-mails to ensure that you have dotted all your i's and crossed all your t's.
1) COUNTRY ASSIGNMENTS
These were sent out via e-mail Nov 8th. If you have still not received your country assignment, please let me know ASAP. The e-mail with your country assignments also has the password that will give you access to the topic papers, so it is critical that you received it.
2) INCREASING NUMBERS of your delegation
Due to the recent changes certain schools have made to their delegate assignments, we have a number of committee positions that have opened up. If your interested in enlarging your group to fill out the max number of positions for your country or even pick up a smaller country in addition, please e-mail USG delegations natalie@yalemodelun.org.
Please keep in mind that the last date to receive a refund on delegate fees was November 21st 2008. We can still however add additional numbers to your delegations, space permitting.
3) TOPIC PAPERS
The only full topic papers NOT online UNDP and the Territorial Disputes Council. All 17 others are on PB Wiki, as are 500 word summaries of UNDP and the Territorial Disputes Council. http://www.wiki.yalemodelun.org. Your delegates should be all over PB Wiki! With the username and password we provided in your assignments e-mail, they have access to the wealth of information on the site.
According to our records, less than half of all registered YMUN schools have logged onto the site. I strongly encourage you to do so to maximize on this resource and ensure that your delegates are prepared to make the most of YMUN XXXV. Some of our topic papers have been up for a month already...Get onto the online forum and access them! Amity Regional High School and the Master School have already began to make use of the comment feature, congratulations :-)
NB: A link to YMUN rules of procedure can be found here: http://yalemodelun.pbwiki.com/Rules-of-Procedure-for-YMUN
4) POSITION PAPERS/Policy Statement/Position Statement
Position papers for Specialized and ECOSOC committees are due January 4th via e-mail to the chair of each committee. The exact format of these position papers is elaborated on by the chairs on the PBWiki Committee Page. Topic papers for GA's will be due Jan 16th, also via e-mail. The aim of the position paper is to help our delegates put together all their research on their topics, their country, and their committee onto one page. It will help them draw the links between the problems the Chairs state in their background guide, and the solutions their research presents. Submission of a position paper is mandatory at YMUN XXXV, and is necessary in the awards process.
I have posted to PB Wiki three very important documents that I strongly suggest you have your delegates review.
i) How to Research for YMUN XXXV
ii) How to Write a Position Paper
iii) How to Write a Resolution
They can all be accessed here:
http://yalemodelun.pbwiki.com/browse/#view=ViewFolder¶m=Guide%20to%20Research%2C%20Position%20Papers%20and%20Resolutions
5) SPECIAL NOTES ABOUT COMMITTEES [affects SAT takers]: Mid-night crisis and the like
i) Midnight Crisis: It is traditional for YMUN to have a midnight crisis in 3 Specialized committees each year. A midnight crisis involves removing delegates from their rooms at 11.30pm on Friday night, and running a crisis until about 4am in the morning. The delegates who participate in the midnight crisis are then exempt from Saturday morning committee session. It is conference policy for us to not reveal to advisors the committees that this applies to until after to conference begins. The delegates are not aware of the crisis until it begins. We take care of all the necessary transportation arrangements. We run this crisis each year because it really tests the valuable skills of thinking on ones feet, and having to make important decisions under pressure and in less than ideal time-frames. If you have a delegate taking the SAT's who is currently assigned to a Specialized Committee, please let me know ASAP, as this may affect them.
ii) Grand Strategies: All the delegates in this committee will be receiving communication directly from their Chair Ilan Szekelylevy. It is going to be quite the committee...that is all I can say!
6) DELEGATE NAMES
We are still waiting on 5-6 checks so we can launch our online delegate name system. If these are not received by Tuesday, we will go ahead an launch the delegate names system that will allow you to input the names of each student in each committee from your school.
7) KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Has been confirmed and will be announced shortly!
8) FIRST TIME ADVISORS
I received an e-mail from a first time advisor asking for clarification about the process from here on out until the conference. You may find my response, pasted to the end of this e-mail helpful for your preparation. YMUN is an excellent conference to have your first ever MUN conference experience. Keep sending questions my way!
A blog written by a first time MUN delegate who attended YMUN last year can provide some insight to your delegates. Please forward this along to them:
http://www.bestdelegate.com/2008/02/high-school-students-perspective-on-mun.html
Have a lovely week,
Amandla
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Question: How do we assign delegates to committees? What does it mean to have 11 delegates assigned to Saudi Arabia and 1 delegate assigned to Supreme Court?
Response: Ultimately which delegate goes where is a decision that your team needs to make based upon the interest you each have in the topics being discussed in the committees, and the pairings you think will work best in the committees where partners are needed.
11 students to Saudi Arabia and 1 in Supreme Court means that if you look at the country matrix (attached), every committee that has a spot for Saudi Arabia is a slot that one of your 11 delegates can be present in. Within the General Assemblies that require 2 delegates (DISEC, SOCHUM, SPECPOL and ECOFIN), we strongly suggest that you have 2 delegates assigned to these committees. Because Saudi Arabia has a maximum capacity of 12 delegates and you have 11, there is one committee that you will not have representation on. I suggest that you do not assign a delegate to Legal or UNEP, because Saudi Arabia is definitely needed to represent its views in the Arab League. But this is merely a suggestion.
As regards your placement to the Supreme Court, the delegate you chose to represent this committee will be representing a judge on the Supreme Court, and NOT Saudi Arabia. Specialized committees are independent assignments, and offer slightly different experience than General Assemblies and ECOSOC Bodies.
Every delegate who comes to YMUN XXXV will have to write a position paper. A guideline for writing this 250-550 word document is detailed on the PB Wiki here:http://yalemodelun.pbwiki.com/How-to-Write-a-Position-Paper . You need your PB Wiki username and password given to your advisor to log-in.
As first time delegates, the information on How to Research for YMUN and Sample resolutions found here will also be very helpful: http://yalemodelun.pbwiki.com/browse/#view=ViewFolder¶m=Guide%20to%20Research%2C%20Position%20Papers%20and%20Resolutions
--
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV
646.705.1940
yalemodelun.org
******************************************************************************
Date: 3 Dec 2008
From: Amandla Ooko-Ombaka, Secretary-General
Re: Position Papers + Fundraising
Dear Advisors,
I hope you are all well and coming off a great Thanksgiving break!
This e-mail contains important information about assigning delegate names, progress on topic and position papers, hotels, conference logistics and ideas for fundraising (check-in, food, buses) and finally important notes for international schools. I will be away from my e-mail from today until Sunday December 7th. If you need to contact me urgently, please phone me at 646.705.1940, otherwise contact USG Delegations at natalie@yalemodelun.org for matters relating to checks and assignments, Director-General ferny@yalemodelun.org for further information on hotels, and USG Tech jharrett@yalemodelun.org for tech issues.
Note: All country assignments were mailed out Nov 8th. If you have still not received your assignment, please respond to Natalie urgently!
Onto business :-)
1) ASSIGNING DELEGATE NAMES: We will be using an online database that allows YOU to input delegate names, and indicate whether or not your students will be sitting SAT's at Yale so we can finalize study space and bus arrangements. We are awaiting checks from a number of schools so we can confirm all the data for the system before launching it. I anticipate that it will be available over the weekend or early next week as soon as we receive all the checks. Please refer to my previous e-mails about SAT arrangements. All the emails I have sent to date are archived here; http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/emails.html
2) TOPIC + POSITION PAPERS:
*PB Wiki: is constantly being updated and all GA topic papers will be up before the end of the week. I have them all in my possession :-) Encourage your delegates to check back often. I have received numerous e-mails from individual students requesting access to the space. Please forward the log-in information to all your students - this space is for them :-)
*Position papers: are a requirement for each delegate at YMUN, and are due Jan 4th 2009. This earlier deadline allows the chair to share the submitted position papers with the committee, and foster pre-conference dialogue. We will have a PB Wiki page with guidelines and samples of position papers up shortly. In the committees where a non-conventional format of topic papers is being used including Triple JCC, Territorial Disputes, the details for the position paper will be available on the committee wiki spaces by Monday 8th.
*Research portal: I do not say this because I am biased, but the GIC, YMUN's research portal is one of the best around. Direct your delegates here for a wealth of UN-related information: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/GIC/gic.html
*YMUN Parliamentary Procedure: Will be uploaded to PB Wiki soon, watch this space!
3) HOTELS
The Hotel Information form is due in by Dec 5th if you have not yet filled it out: http://ymun.wufoo.com/forms/yale-model-united-nations-conference-hotel-form/ Thank-you to all the advisors who have freed up space. Currently, our discounted rate bloc is sold out at the downtown hotels - the Omni, Courtyard and New Haven Hotels. I strongly suggested that you make your accommodation requests not already confirmed with the Clarion Hotel in Hamden, CT. We will be providing free shuttle service from the Hotel to the conference venue. It just underwent a multi-million dollar renovation and the proprietors are lovely. Rate is $119 a night. Contact information is at the bottom of this page: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/accommodations.html
4) CONFERENCE LOGISTICS + FUNDRAISING IDEAS
i) Logistics: The conference schedule can be found here; http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/schedule.html. As you make your travel arrangements, keep in mind that at all our hotels check-in time is 3pm and you will not be able to enter your rooms at this time. Also, hotel check out is 12 noon, and you will need to check out before committee starts. For the down-town hotels, luggage storage may be an option, contact the hotel directly. For outlying hotels - we will have luggage storage once you arrive on campus.
ii) Fundraising Ideas: I appreciate how hard a time the economy has put us in, and really value the continued investment of your schools and parents in MUN. Now that the majority of conference expenses are in, the next big payments are hotel fees and transportation. This year, we have put together a packet with ideas for fundraising for these costs, with sample letters to send to possible sponsors of these costs. Your feedback is highly appreciated on this new initiative. Please contact myself or Max Eden, USG Specialized max@yalemodelun.org for clarification.
5) INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
i) International Reception: You will be receiving an email from ASG Services Bryan Kam shortly about RSVP's for this event. The date of this reception was incorrectly stated on the registration form as Thursday, January 25; instead, it will occur on Thursday, January 22. It promises to be an excellent opportunity for our growing number of international delegates to get to know another before committees start, as well as meet some great Yale undergraduates and professors.
ii) Parliamentary Procedure:
YMUN runs on a different style of debate than THIMUN and other European-style MUN conferneces; model UN in the US does not follow the Roberston's Rules of procedure. Keep in mind that parliamentary procedure applies strictly to GA's and ECOSOC's. The Regional Bodies and Specialized Committees and Agencies are all running a bit differently. Information on specific parly pro is expanded on in the topic papers for these committees on PB Wiki (http://wiki.yalemodelun.org). Also keep in mind that we will have a "New Delegate" training session Thursday before committee starts to make sure that all your delegates have the basic tools to navigate committee well.
A summary of the major differences follows:
*******************
1) There is no "Lobbying" Session or pre-written resolutions
At THIMUN, the first day of the conference is allocated to "lobbying." During this time, delegates compare their resolutions with those of others in the committee and merge their drafts. After this collective effort, they collect signatures for their final document and submit it to the Chair. This process is repeated for all agenda items. With US style debate, there is no lobbying, and delegates do not write resolutions before. Instead at any point during debate a delegate can call for an "unmoderated caucus", which serves the same purpose as lobbying, but does not last more than 10-15mins at any one time.
Instead of writing resolutions before the conference, delegates write a "position paper", which for GA's and ECOSOC's is a short summary of their countries policy on the topic in their committee, and suggested solutions. The structure of position papers vary for specialized and regional bodies, and again, the information on specific committees is available in the topic guides. See PB Wiki section on "Guide to Position Papers" for more information and samples. These position papers for the basis for a Working Paper/Draft Resolution, and then the final resolution that is constructed during debate.
2) Structure of Debate The Agenda for debate (where 2 or more exist for a committee), is decided upon by the committee by a vote, and is not necessarily in the order presented in the topic guide. When it is time to start the debate, because there are no resolutions ready for presentation until usually the Saturday sessions, there is no "speaker for" and "speaker against" time for resolutions. Instead, "moderated caucus" is observed the majority of the time, and this essentially functions like "Open Debate" at THIMUN. When a delegate proposes a moderated caucus, it is for a specific reason e.g. "to discuss how issue X affects the topic of this committee". This serves to focus these moderated caucuses.
Once delegates have merged their ideas into Resolution format, it is presented to the committee and in moderated caucus is discussed, amended and voted on.
3) Awards Unlike THIMUN, there is a system of awards for Best, Outstanding and Honorable for individual delegates, and then Best large and small delegation awards. Because this year we are really focusing on the learning experience of the delegates, winning an award should not be the focus of the YMUN. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation. Also, we are streamlining the criteria for these awards.
****************************
Please let me know if you need further clarification on any of the above!
Have a lovely remainder of your week,
Amandla
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YMUN XXXV: Country Matrix, Hotels, and Other Updates
Date of e-mail: 16 November 2008
From: Secretary-General, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Re:Country Matrix, Hotels, and Other Updates
Dear Advisors,
Thank-you for your patience with us as we sort out the few hitches we have had with the new system we are using for assignments. This e-mail contains important information regarding DISEC, Topic Papers, the Country Matrix, Hotels and SAT's/Delegate names. Please read the e-mail in its entirety. A friendly reminder that final payments are due in, NOT POSTMARKED to us by Friday November 21st. The should be written to the Yale International Relations Association (YIRA) and mailed to Natalie Kotkin, USG for Delegations, YMUN XXXV at P.O. Box, 206155 New Haven, CT, 06520 to ensure that your registration is completed, and your place is guaranteed
i) DISEC
Thank-you for bringing it to my attention that the current DISEC link on the yalemodelun.org website leads to ECOFIN information. The topics for DISEC this year are: Global Maritime Policy and Space Disarmament. The process for approving website online updates is taking longer than expected, I have therefore attached the DISEC summary for your reference.
ii) TOPIC PAPERS
All topic papers are being loaded online to our PB Wiki space -http://wiki.yalemodelun.org. As mentioned in my previous e-mail, this is a great online portal that allows delegates to post comments for their chair , upload their position papers (which are a requirement for all YMUN committees this year, and due Jan 4th). Topic papers for 70% of our committees are up, and where these are yet to be completed (as is the case for all the GA's), 500 word topic summaries with Questions a Resolution must answer are all up, so your delegates can begin your research! In your country assignment e-mail, the username and password were provided. Please forward these to your delegates. The PB Wiki space is for them and contains no advisor specific/sensitive information. Please contact USG tech jharrett@yalemodelun.org if you are having trouble logging into your PB Wiki space.
iii) COUNTRY MATRIX
As we endeavor to correct the version currently online, please note the following information:
i) ECOFIN is double delegation
ii) EU is double delegation
iii) Security Council is double delegation.
The updated version is attached for your reference, and will be updated online as soon as possible. There should be no problem with your assignments as e-mailed out, because we used this updated version of the matrix while doing the assignments, not the one online.
iv) HOTELS [please read even if you have already booked!]
*As soon as you have made your accommodation arrangements, please fill out the Hotel form: http://ymun.wufoo.com/forms/yale-model-united-nations-conference-hotel-form/
*The Omni, Courtyard and New Haven are all 95% booked out of the block we reserved for YMUN. The only hotel with remaining availability is the Clarion hotel, that we will be providing a shuttle service to and from. If you are yet to make your reservation, please make it with the Clarion.
*In setting contracts, we reserved the maximum number of rooms we could per hotel, estimating 1,100 delegates needing accommodation and 100 advisor room spaces, in 4-person room configurations. The optimal ratio of rooms is therefore 3.3 persons to a room. We are currently at a ratio of about 2.7 per room, which means that there are some schools with e.g. 20 students, but 8 rooms, rather than 5. If you have more rooms than you need, we encourage you please to free up some of the rooms in the YMUN block. As much as possible, getting 4 students into a room make security easier because your delegates are less spread out over a floor, and we will free up space in the block for other schools. We are in the process of calling all advisors who have 'overbooked' rooms starting this Monday
*We are also exploring further hotels in the area, and will keep you updated on this front.
v) SAT's and Delegation Names
We are using Oracle to enable you to input your student names directly into the positions available for your country assignment. We will have Oracle all ready to go by Friday 21st November, allowing you to manage this function, which will also serve as a notification to us of the student names so we can begin processing badges. There will be a field enabling you to notify us about students sitting the SATs so we can book the necessary buses to the testing center. A reminder that the Testing Code for the Yale Mason Lab site is 07408. We will provide transportation from 2 centralized locations on the Saturday Jan 24th morning of the SATs, and will have options for "study-hall" space on Thursday and Friday evenings of the conference.
That is all for now :-)
Due to the volume of e-mails I am receiving, to ensure that your e-mails are responded in a timely fashion, I will be forwarding many of the administrative questions them to Director-General Ferny Reyes who may be responding to you in lieu of myself. His address is ferny@yalemodelun.org. Committee related questions I will be forwarding directly to the relevant USG Committees.
Have a lovely remainder of your Saturday,
Amandla
--
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV
646.705.1940
yalemodelun.org
******************************
2. Important Checks and Specialized Committees
Date of e-mail: 11 October 2008
From: Secretary-General, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Re: Important Checks and Specialized Committees
Dear YMUN XXXV Advisors,
I have been receiving a good number of questions about registrations, keep sending them in! I am addressing the three most common questions concerning checks, accommodation, and assignments in the body of this e-mail.
However, before I address these issues, I would like to encourage your delegates apply for our Specialized Committees and Agencies by filling out Section D of the application (http://ymun.wufoo.com/forms/specialized-committees-and-agencies-application/) by the October 17th deadline. This is the first time YMUN has required application for Specialized Committees and Agencies as a way to best assign positions in these committees and ensure that delegates get the most out of their experience. Many of you indicated interest in having a delegate in the committees, but your delegates have not completed the Section D Application.
The experience in Specialized Committees and Agencies will come not just from the small size of the committees (10-20 delegates), but more importantly from the unconventionality of them. With each committee, we shall offer our most experienced delegates a simulation more fast paced, complex, and subtle than they could find at any other conference. Delegates will be challenged to think and debate from new perspectives on familiar politics in the US Supreme Court, explore domestic policy on the African continent through the Ugandan Cabinet – with a chair who spent her summer in the Ugandan Parliament, explore the international politics of regional power plays in South America in the Columbia – Venezuela JCC, and experience even the classic Security Council in a whole new way, double delegates and an open agenda. We are pleased to bring back our innovative Press Corps simulation, as well as launch our flagship committee, YMUN Grand Strategy, for the most experienced MUN delegates. For further information on Specialized Committees, check out the committee summaries we have on the online committee portal: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/committee/committee.html
Okay, on the most frequently asked questions:
*Where and when do I have to send the $312.50 deposit?
The $312.50 deposit must be RECEIVED and not post-marked by Friday October 17th. They should be written to the "Yale International Relations Association (YIRA)", and mailed to Natalie Kotkin, USG for Delegations, YMUN XXXV at P.O. Box, 206155 New Haven, CT, 06520 to ensure that your registration is completed, and your place is guaranteed
*Once I complete my registration, do I book hotels through the YMUN Secretariat?
We have managed to negotiate group rates at 3 nearby Hotels all within walking distance of the committee rooms on Campus at the Omni Hotel, The Courtyard Marriot at Yale, and The New Haven Hotel. We have decided to centralize all outlying hotels to the Clarion Hotel in Hamden. This is the only outlying hotel that we intend to provide shuttle service to and from the conference venue. All hotel bookings and payments need to be made directly with the Hotels and not through the YMUN XXXV Secretariat. We suggest that you reserve your hotels as soon as possible because space does fill up. All the accommodation information can be found here: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/accommodations.html
*When will I get my country assignments?
We will not be assigning countries until registration closes on October 17th, and we have received all country requests. We should be sending out assignments by the first week of November. All ECOSOC/Regional and Specialized topic papers will go live the weekend of October 17th 2008. At this point, we will be providing each registered school with a username and password to access our PBWiki, where topic papers will be posted, and delegates can interact with their chairs pre-conference via Wikiforums. GA topic papers will go live the second week of November.
If there is anything more I can do to help you further with the registration process, do not hesitate to contact me at amandla@yalemodelun.org or USG of Delegations Natalie Kotkin atnatalie@yalemodelun.org. For any techical problems with registration, please e-mail USG of Tech directly jharrett@yalemodelun.org
Have a lovely weekend,
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV
646.705.1940
yalemodelun.org
******************************************
3. Reminder: YMUN XXXV Register NOW!
Date of e-mail: 2 October 2008
From: Secretary-General, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Re: Reminder: YMUN XXXV Register NOW!
Dear YMUN Advisors,
I hope this e-mail finds you well! This is a reminder that registration for YMUN XXXV 2009 will close on Friday October 17th 2008. Space is filling up incredibly fast - never in my history with YMUN have we received so many registrations a month after registration opened. If you have not already done so, log in your registration as soon as possible :-) There are two vital things you need to remember:
*All the forms should be filled in and submitted online. We DO NOT accept paper applications.
*All payments must be RECEIVED and not post-marked by the stated deadlines with deposit checks of $312.50 written to "Yale International Relations Association", to ensure that your registration is completed, and your place is guaranteed.
The important links you will need to complete your registration follow:
i) Conference Costs: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/registration.html
ii) Accommodations: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/accommodations.html
iii) Registration Forms: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/registernow.html
Please let me know if you have any further questions, and have a lovely remainder of your week.
--
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV
646.705.1940
yalemodelun.org
*********************************************
4 . Register for YMUN XXXV NOW!
Date of e-mail: 25 August 2008
From: Secretary-General, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Re: Register for YMUN XXXV NOW!
Dear YMUN XXXV Advisors,
I am incredibly excited to notify you that registration for YMUN XXXV 2009 is now open: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/registernow.html! There are two vital things you need to remember when completing your registration:
1) All the forms should be filled in and submitted online. We DO NOT accept paper applications.
2) All payments must be RECEIVED and NOT post-marked by the stated deadlines to ensure that your registration is completed.
At this time, please allow me to remind you of a number of important notes about registration including payments and deadlines, SAT
provisions, committee portal, and accommodation information. All the details stated here have been provided to you in full my previous
e-mails (see http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/emails.html ), but here follows an abbreviated version.
1) PAYMENTS AND DEADLINES
Fees for YMUN XXXV are as follows.
Due Oct 17th 2008 Deductible Deposit $312.50
Due Nov 21st 2008* School Fee $88.50 per school (flat rate)
Delegate Fee $73.00 per delegate
Advisor Fee $36.50 per advisor
International Schools reception $16.50 per school (optional)
*NB: If students drop out of the conference after this date, their delegate fees cannot be refunded.
2) SAT PROVISIONS
In my first e-mail to you, I noted that YMUN XXXV will again be falling on an SAT weekend. This conflict was unavoidable for a number of factors,but we are making provisions to ensure that neither our delegate MUN nor SAT experience is compromised by attending YMUN. It is possible for your students to register at a Yale testing site. We have spoken to the registrar's office, and have been notified that the Testing Code for the Yale Mason Lab site is 07408. We will provide transportation from 2 centralized locations on the Saturday morning of the SATs, and are currently exploring options for "study-hall" space on Thursday and Friday evenings of the conference.
3) COMMITTEE PORTAL: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/committee/committee.html
This year, YMUN chairs have really outdone themselves. We have all 19 committee listings up, with chair contact information, committee descriptions, and committee briefs for at least one, and in the case of GA's two topics. These briefs are replete with questions a resolution must answer in addition to links for additional research. We encourage you to use this material online during your school MUN training sessions.
Remember that position papers are now a YMUN-wide requirement. For GA's and ECOSOC bodies, this will take the conventional format. For Regional Bodies and Specialized Agencies & Committees, the format of position papers will be relayed by the chairs in due course.
Topic papers go live to everyone as soon as registration closes the weekend of October 17th 2008. At this point, we will be providing each registered school with a username and password to access our PBWiki, where topic papers will be posted, and delegates can interact with their chairs pre-conference via Wikiforums. If you complete your registration and your check is received before the deadline, you will receive you PBWiki password then, and have access to topic papers from October 11th.
In my previous e-mail I highlighted 3 specific committees – the Territorial Disputes Council being run in European style MUN debate,
the Open Agenda two person Security Council and our flagship YMUN Grand Strategy committee. A quick guideline to the general groupings of committees is as follows:
a) General Assemblies
In GA Committees, both experienced and new delegates can explore the United Nations largest decision-making bodies. All 192 member nation are represented in the GA's, in addition to observers Holy See and Palestine. Most of our committees will have 2 representatives per country. Based on the success of the split GA model from YMUN XXXIV, we will be splitting all the GAs into twofor YMUN XXXV, except for Legal and ECOFIN Committees.
b) Economic & Social Councils and Regional Bodies
The breadth of ECOSOC committees allow both experienced and new delegates to explore committees that focus specifically humanitarian issues and sustainable development. Regional Bodies simulate non-UN institutions on a national and multilateral scale. The specificity of these committees offers the most benefit to those delegates with a particular interests in learning about these regional areas.
c) Specialized Committees and Agencies
Specialized Committees are small crisis-based committees that focus on specific issues for moderately experienced to advanced delegates, based on application by completion of Section D Supplement available online. At YMUN XXXV we also have two Specialized Agencies- Press Corps and YMUN Grand Strategy that will really challenge delegates to think outside of the box and concentrate on the decision making process of their committees. We encourage the most experienced delegates to apply to Specialized Agencies.
4) ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/accommodations.html
We have managed to negotiate group rates at 3 nearby Hotels all within walking distance of the committee rooms on Campus at the Omni Hotel, The Courtyard Marriot at Yale, and The New Haven Hotel. We have decided to centralize all outlying hotels to the Clarion Hotel in Hamden. This is the only outlying hotel that we intend to provide shuttle service to and from the conference venue. All hotel bookings and payments need to be made directly with the Hotels and not through the YMUN XXXV
Secretariat. We suggest that you reserve your hotels as soon as possible because space does fill up. AFTER you have confirmed your hotel arrangements with the appropriate hotel, please fill out the following form for the YMUN Secretariat: http://ymun.wufoo.com/forms/yale-model-united-nations-conference-hotel-form/. While we suggest you make reservations as soon as possible with the hotels, do not make non-refundable travel plans assuming a certain number of delegates until your registration is confirmed with us.
The online registration process is very straightforward. However, if you encounter any content based difficulties with the process, do not hesitate to contact me at amandla@yalemodelun.org or USG of Delegations Natalie Kotkin at natalie@yalemodelun.org. For any techical problems with registration, please e-mail USG of Tech directly at jharrett@yalemodelun.org
Let the registration begin!
Amandla
--
Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV
646.705.1940
yalemodelun.org
*********************************************
5. YMUN XXXV Committees and Other Website Updates
Date of e-mail: 1 August 2008
From: Secretary-General, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Re: YMUN XXXV Committees and Other Website Updates
Dear YMUN Advisors,
I write to you en-route to Nairobi, Kenya. I trust that this e-mail finds you well. I write to inform that our website www.yalemodelun.org is now live and fully updated for the 2009 conference. Director-General Ferny Reyes did an incredible job, and gave the website a complete overhaul from last year in an attempt to make it more user-friendly, include more functionality, and maintain a high level of professionalism. Any feedback you have on the website would be much appreciated (ferny@yalemodelun.org). Also included in this e-mail is information on committees at YMUN, SAT test-taking at Yale in January 2009, and some notes on registration.
There are several exciting features of the website that I would like to draw your attention to:
1) COMMITTEE INFORMATION: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/committee/committee.html
Our chairs have been working incredibly hard over this summer to provide a substantial amount of committee information for our delegates well ahead of time. Online, you will find chair contacts, 400-600 word topic briefs including Questions a Resolution Must Answer, and sources for research for all 19 YMUN XXXV committees. Having this information online at this early stage allows more preparation, more research, and more understanding of the topics at hand for our delegates. This effort goes along with our focus of making YMUN XXXV above all, a creative learning environment for international relations. I hope you will use this information for your MUN training sessions in the fall.
I would like to specifically draw your attention to three unique committees at YMUN XXXV that really push the bounds of Model UN as the current US high school circuit has accustomed us to. If you have further questions at this time after reading the online summaries, please contact myself or the USG associated with each committee listed below
a) Territorial Disputes Council, USG: emma@yalemodelun.org
Based upon the success of running a committee with European/THIMUN style parliamentary procedure at YMUN XXXIII, we have brought back this style of debate to YMUN XXXV. The Hague Model UN (THIMUN), a not-for-profit educational foundation, is the largest MUN conference in the world, and an NGO in Roster Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Many US schools attend THIMUN, and as a conference committed to diversity we would like to expose all our YMUN delegates, regardless of their MUN experience to another prominent style of MUN debate.
The primary benefits are as follows:
• Better research: Students have over 3 months to prepare and to write resolutions before they come to the conference
• Constructive pre-debate lobbying: The opening sessions of the conference are allocated to "lobbying." During this time, delegates compare their resolutions with those of others in the committee and merge their drafts. After this collective effort, they obtain signatures for their final document and submit it to the Chair. This process produces consensus building around concrete ideas.
• More substantive and continuous debates: Because every delegate has done research and written a document beforehand, the quality of the final resolution passed and the overall debate tends to be higher. Delegates will submit their personal resolutions to the chair in the stead of a position paper at the beginning of the conference. Because there are no "un-moderated caucuses", debate runs much more continuously. Once lobbying ends, debate continues effectively in "moderated" caucus.
b) UN Security Council – Open Agenda, USG: max@yalemodelun.org
This year, we are running the Security Council with a twist designed to challenge seasoned MUN-ers. This committee is going to be a double delegation open agenda affair. Double representation of each member nation adds the political dynamic of a large committee, increasing the importance of the already crucial components of caucusing and negotiation, into the context of the pace and preparedness of a small committee. This format, allows representatives to accomplish a great deal since the workload of speechmaking and resolution writing can be divided within a delegation, and the surplus of policy nuances and compromise suggestions wrought by the fifteen extra minds makes the committee even more exciting and challenging.
Without set topics which often result in a wide disparity in preparation between delegates who over-research and those who plan on scraping by in committee, an open agenda would allow the delegates to spend the first session (give or take) debating amongst themselves which threat that the world currently faces is most pertinent to the Council. Not only is this an excellent exercise in the politics of negotiation early in the weekend, but it allows the simulation to deal with the most recent issues, while preset topics may seem outdated to the Council by February.
c) YMUN Grand Strategy: USG: max@yalemodelun.org
YMUN Grand Strategy (GS), our flagship committee for YMUN 2009, has been included to take the YMUN learning philosophy one step further for the most experienced MUN delegates. The chairs have chosen not to reveal the nature of this small 10-12 delegate committee at this stage because the goal of GS is not just to learn about a single committee or organization, nor is it to impart information and structures one can just as easily learn in a book or on a website. This committee is designed to gain insight into decision-making and perception, not necessarily the factually or politically correct decision. How are political decisions made? How should they be made? And how do our individual and collective perceptions affect our decision-making? These are relevant questions no matter who you are, whom you are representing, or what committee you are in.
As such, delegates who are accepted to this committee will receive regular committee specific preparation material from the time of acceptance. However, they will not be informed of this committee's nature and topic until one week before the conference.
2) STAFF BIOS: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/about/secretariat.html
As the registration and committee selection process draws nearer, you will be communicating more with other members of the awesome YMUN XXXV secretariat. Please take a couple of minutes to find out who they people behind the effort are J
3) SAT Testing
In my first e-mail to you, I noted that YMUN will again be falling on an SAT weekend. This conflict was unavoidable for a number of factors, but we are making provisions to ensure that neither our delegate MUN nor SAT experience is compromised by attending YMUN. It is possible for your students to register at a Yale testing site. We have spoken to the registrar's office, and have been notified that the Testing Code for the Yale Mason Lab site is 07408. We will provide transportation from 2 centralized locations on the Saturday morning of the SATs, and are currently exploring options for "study-hall" space on Thursday and Friday evenings of the conference.
4) Registration Information: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/registration.html
Registration is going live in 3 weeks on August 25th. Until then, please see the website for information on conference fees, deadlines, and accommodation options.
Finally, to keep track of all the information e-mails I have been sending out, we have an e-mail archive keeps track of them all :-) at: http://www.yale.edu/yira/ymun/conference/emails.html
Have lovely weekend, and enjoy the last month of summer. The next time I send out an e-mail, it will be to open registration!
Amandla
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Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Secretary-General YMUN XXXV
646.705.1940
yalemodelun.org
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6. YMUN XXXV Registration Fees and other Updates
Date of e-mail: 16 June 2008
From: Secretary-General, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka
Re: YMUN XXXV Registration Fees and other Updates
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.yale.edu/yira/ymun/registration/registernow.html 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
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7. Welcome to YMUN XXXV!
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