Stephanie Turner
Staff Writer
sdturner@valdosta.edu
 
VSU’s Model UN is getting ready to address the issues of the world as they prepared Tuesday evening  at Odum Library for their upcoming competition.
 This year, the group is focusing on the United Kingdom and South Africa.
 James Hamilton, a political science senior, will focus on global views on the International Assessment of Human cloning.
 Dr. Carol Glen, Model UN adviser, holds a class to help in preparation.
 “On Thursdays, we practice in class and take notes on the United Nations,” Maggie Bridges, junior business major, said.
 Kristina LaPlant, Model UN president and senior history major, also holds meetings to see how the fellow members are progressing in their research and writings.
 Competitions have been held in New York and Atlanta; every other year the students go global, traveling to places such as China, according to LaPlant.
 At the conferences, students are graded on “speeches, performance and how well they negotiate,” LaPlant said.
 VSU’s Model UN program has been around for over a decade and has always succeeded at competition.
 “In China, we were the only university to bring back two first place awards,” LaPlant said.
Preparations are slightly different this year.
 “We are holding more meetings, and getting to know each other (better) before conference,” LaPlant said.
 The members Model UN encourage students to join.
 “The organization is open to all students and is really fun,” LaPlant said. “You get to travel, and it makes you well rounded.” 
 There is one competition per semester and the next one will be in Atlanta Nov. 19 through 21.