FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. COC-08-060-SC
November 26, 2007
Student Wins Award at Model U.N. Conference From the more than 300 student delegates who attended the Model U.N. Conference at the Clarion Hotel in Anaheim on Oct. 27, the 15 College of the Canyons students and their team advisor, David Andrus, were clearly the new kids on the block. "This was my first conference and I did my best under such circumstances to prepare them for the conference," said Andrus, who is also an assistant professor in the political science department at the college. "These other schools have serious programs and presented immediate challenges to our students." Of the more than 20 other colleges and universities that attended, including UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego, there were only 15 awards to be presented. Nevertheless, be it beginner's luck or just a matter of being well prepared, COC student Evan Hall earned the Outstanding Research by a Delegate Award for the quality of his position paper representing Saudi Arabia on the U.N. Environmental Committee. The college participated through a regional organization, Pan American Model United Nations Organization (PAXMUN). Modeled after the U.N. and considered one of the largest model U.N. organizations in the nation, PAXMUN holds multiple conferences throughout the western U.S. each year, including one-day and multi-day conferences. "It is a great experience to build public speaking, diplomatic, and research skills," said Andrus. The COC students attended a one-day conference, where they simulated the diplomatic behavior that is conducted in the U.N. and were exposed to formal institutional decorum and parliamentary procedure. "I was very impressed with their willingness to go for it," said Andrus. "They did great and represented the college well." | 
