SHUNA Finds Success at Princeton Diplomatic Invitational
Joseph Brennan
Associate Editor
From April 4 to 7, the Seton Hall United Nations Association (SHUNA), Seton Hall’s competitive Model UN (MUN) team, competed at the Princeton Diplomatic Invitational (PDI). PDI is hosted by Princeton’s larger International Relations Council. The team sent a five-person delegation to the conference, who competed among four different committees. The delegation featured one senior, three sophomores, and one freshman. The team worked hard all weekend, resulting in all five delegates winning awards and the team as a whole winning the Best Small Delegation Award which is given to the delegation with ten or fewer people that performs the best. Individually, Best Delegate awards were given to Sophia Alicea and Joseph Brennan, Outstanding Delegate awards to Riley Macneir and Dillon Kantor, as well as one Honorable Mention award to Connor Campbell.
PDI was truly a wonderful experience for all the delegates who attended. Macneir says that “it was an amazing experience building skills, partnerships, and resolutions. PDI could not have been a better experience.”
This was PDI’s first iteration of the conference since the COVID-19 pandemic. It featured nine committees, four of which included SHUNA delegates. These committees included the Republican National Convention, 2000; The Colombia-FARC Peace Accords, 2016; Abolition of the Caliphate, 1924; and The Restored Government of Virginia, 1861-63. All the committees offered at PDI this year were crisis committees, which entails creative arc- and relationship-building with delegates from other schools.
Beyond the typical committee sessions on Thursday through Sunday, PDI offered several guest speaker events. These guest speakers were relevant to each committee, sharing insight into the topics of the weekend and assisting delegates with debate and research. Further, PDI offered a philanthropy program to benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) through donations and candygrams. TASK is a nonprofit organization in Trenton, New Jersey that fights hunger and aids residents in achieving self-sufficiency. They provide meals to those in need and offer programs and services to empower individuals and improve their quality of life.
Model UN Crisis Committees simulate real-time decision-making in emergencies. Scenarios unfold with constant updates, forcing delegates to think and react quickly on their feet. Unlike traditional MUN committees with a set agenda, crisis committees can take unexpected turns, requiring delegates to adapt their strategies and alliances throughout the conference. This fast-paced environment keeps participants engaged and tests their ability to think creatively under pressure. Delegates in Crisis Committees may represent not just countries, but also non-state actors like influential NGOs or rebel groups. They might even take on the role of news reporters tasked with covering the crisis, or even fictional characters within the scenario itself.
This departure from traditional country representation allows students to explore international relations from a wider range of perspectives. Understanding the motivations and goals of non-state actors can be just as important as understanding the positions of countries in navigating real-world crises. Crisis Committees often have a less formal structure than traditional Model UN committees. This informality allows for more strategic maneuvering and backroom tactics. Delegates can forge alliances with other delegates based on shared interests or even engage in secret backroom deals. Crisis committees reward creativity and strategic thinking, as delegates look for innovative ways to influence the course of the crisis and achieve their objectives.
SHUNA travels to different conferences across the country, this year, notably attending McMUN at McGill University in Montreal, NCSC in Washington, D.C. which is hosted by Georgetown, and PDI. SHUNA would like to thank both Seton Hall Student Government Association and Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations for supporting the organization’s travels and endeavors.
