Frequently Asked Questions

VAMUN

What is VAMUN?
Who runs VAMUN?
What are VAMUN's rules on delegation size?

Committees

How are committees organized?
What are committee topics?
How do I select committees?
How do I assign delegates to committees?

Preparation

How do delegates prepare for VAMUN?
How do I register for VAMUN?
What is VAMUN policy regarding position papers?
What are the fees and refund policy?

At the Conference

Where do we stay?
What are workshops?
What are your policies on delegate conduct?
What types of tours do you offer?

Miscellaneous

Glossary
I have other questions.

VAMUN

What is VAMUN?

For twenty-seven years, the Virginia Model United Nations Conference (VAMUN) has been hosted by the International Relations Organization (IRO) at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. All conference events take place on the historic Grounds of the University, which provide an excellent atmosphere for delegates to engage in the debate and diplomacy of Model UN. Last year over one hundred IRO members contributed to the organization, research, and staffing involved in hosting the nearly five hundred high school students who attended VAMUN. We expect this year's attendance to be even higher than last year's.

VAMUN XXVIII will take place from November 13 to November 16, 2007. See the Schedule Page for the tentative conference schedule.

Hopefully we have anticipated many of your questions with the following information, but if we have missed anything, please do not hesitate to contact VAMUN Under-Secretary-General for Delegations, or Secretary-General, Sarah Zauner.

Who runs VAMUN?

VAMUN is governed by a seven member Secretariat. Sponsors have the most interaction with Mary Carter the Under-Secretary-General for Delegations, who is in charge of registration, country and committee assignments, and any pre-conference questions you might have.

Anna Coogan, the Under-Secretary-General for Business and Public Relations, will be working with our scholarship, as well as more of the business aspects of VAMUN.

The Under-Secretary-General for Committees, Brian Wolin and the Under-Secretary-General for Staff, Betsy Graves handle the UVa side of the conference, working with committee chairs and assigning committee staff.

The Under-Secretary-General for Logistics, Emma King will be coordinating hotel reservations and social events.

The Under-Secretary-General for Administration Jiaxi Yang is in charge of creating the guidebooks and identification materials as well as any printing services during the conference.

Finally, the Secretary-General, Sarah Zauner coordinates the different aspects of the conference.

Please read our Meet the Secretariat section for more information on the VAMUN XXVIII Secretariat.

While each Secretariat member serves a specific function, all have a broad understanding of VAMUN and are able to answer any questions or concerns you have before of during the conference. Please do not hesitate to contact or talk to any of us, or any of the UVa students working at VAMUN. We are here to make sure you and your delegates have the best experience possible!

What are VAMUN's rules on delegation size?

One of the hallmarks of VAMUN is our small size and the intimate feel of our committees. Because we are limited in terms of facility space, hosting the conference on the Grounds of the University instead of at a hotel, we have to maintain the small size of our conference. We choose to limit delegation size to 100 delegates per school (schools have the option of bringing as many sponsors and chaperones as they wish.) In extreme situations, we can increase the delegation size by a few delegates on a case by case basis, but we ask that schools honor this request and limit the size of their delegations to 100.

Committees

How are committees organized?

Different Model United Nations conferences vary in the types, sizes, and number of committees they offer. VAMUN strives to offer a wide variety of committees, with exciting and diverse topics and structures.

This year, VAMUN will have seventeen committees covering both historical and present day events, from various branches of the United Nations to national cabinets to specialized agencies.

Committees can be broken down into three categories based on size: General Assembly, Economic and Social Council/Specialized agencies, and crisis simulations.

General Assembly: These committees are the standing committees of the United Nations. All member countries of the United Nations are represented on these committees. As in the UN, these committees tend to be somewhat large (over 60 delegations). Speakers lists, and the use of moderated caucuses, which allow for shorter speaking times, help chairs give all delegates an opportunity to express their opinions. Three of the GA committees, Disarmament and International Security, Social Cultural and Humanitarian and Special Political and Decolonization, are designated double-delegation, along with the World Trade Organization and will be the only committees at VAMUN XXVI that allow partners.

Economic and Social/Specialized: The five committees in this category are smaller than GAs. They allow for more speaking time and delegate interaction, but also require more specialized knowledge of a topic.

Crisis Committees: All remaining committees are designated crisis committees. They range from a UN Security Council simulation to individual national cabinet simulations. These committees are much smaller (they will have between ten to 20 positions) and designed for experienced delegates. Students must be prepared to represent the interests of their position as well as deal with crises developed by the committee staff, designed to simulate real situations and challenge delegates' debate, diplomacy and creative thinking skills.

What are committee topics?

Each committee chair designates three areas of interest which will be the committee's central focus during the conference. These topics are chosen based upon their international importance, diversity of available viewpoints, and general interest to delegates. Students should be well versed on all topics, although committees often spend more time on one than another. These topics, as well as background guides providing preliminary groundwork for delegate research will be available at the beginning of the 2007 school year on the VAMUN website.

How do I select committees?

When you register for VAMUN, along with submitting your school name, address, and delegation size, you also can request committees you would like your delegates to participate in. With so many options and variations, this process can seem confusing. We have done our best to simplify it and explain it here, but please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

Committees are divided up into the three categories described above. The total number of committee slots you request should match your estimated school delegation size.

The General Assemblies, Economic and Social/Specialized, and some Crisis committees are populated by countries, that is, each delegate or pair of delegates represents a nation. However, not all nations are represented on all committees. We have provided a spread sheet listing which countries are represented on which nations. When selecting countries, keep in mind both which committees your delegates would be best suited to, and the total number of positions available per country. We will do our best to give each school its requested choices, but please understand that not everyone can be the United States, and that often a less familiar nation presents a better opportunity for students to research and learn appreciation of a different world view. All nations have an equal vote and are given equal speaking time on all committees.

Crisis committees are usually represented by people or positions (such as the National Security Advisor on the National Security Council), rather than countries. After selecting countries, select which specialized committees you would like to have spots on. Please keep in mind that spaces on specialized committees are limited. We will try to fill everyone's requests, but cannot promise that the committees assigned will match the committees requested. Because specialized committees are so small, chairs design issues and crises in which all positions are necessary. If you request a specialized committee, please fill that position.

Please see our Registration Guide for more information.

How do I assign delegates to committees?

A difficult question for sponsors and delegates alike is often deciding which committees are best for which students. We have tried to break down committees into delegate levels to make these decisions as easy as possible, but we know that students cannot be easily categorized.

Again, please see our Registration Guide for more information.

While hopefully these descriptions and delineations provide some guidance, there is no substitute for your knowledge of your own students' skills and ability. We encourage delegates to challenge themselves as much as possible. We want VAMUN to be a learning experience, students who wish to push themselves or hone learned skills are encouraged to do so on whichever committee they feel comfortable.

Preparation

How do delegates prepare for VAMUN?

Prior to the conference, all committees will have background guides available on the VAMUN website. (available at www.vamun.org under Committees). These background guides are meant to provide a starting point for delegates to begin their own research. Chairs will supply additional articles, links, and readings which might help in this endeavor. In order to facilitate debate and real world conflict, it is important that students research not only the topics at hand, but the position they will take on those topics. VAMUN delegates are asked to write a position paper outlining their views, aims, and country's stand on the topics given.

The background guides are not meant to be exhaustive, and to truly do well in committee, delegates need to go above and beyond in their research and preparation. VAMUN, after all, is a learning opportunity. We have provided a list of resources on our links page in order to assist delegates in finding additional research.

How do I register for VAMUN?

We strive to make registration as easy and convenient as possible. This year, complete registration, including committee selection is available online. Registering for VAMUN involves four easy steps:

Step One: Fill out the online form on the Registration page, including committee selection. Tell us if you will be attending any workshops or offered tours. After we receive your registration, we will send you an e-mail confirmation. Please check that all the information is correct.

Step Two: Send your school registration fee of $65 made payable to the International Relations Organization to the address:

VAMUN
c/o International Relations Organization
Post Office Box 435
Newcomb Hall Station
Charlottesville VA, 22904-4435

Step Three: After we receive your school fee and committee requests, we will e-mail you your committee and country assignments.. Fill out the names of your students serving in each position and return this form to the Undersecretary General for Delegations, along with delegate fees to us by October 1, 2007. Delegate fees are $50 per student. There is no cost for chaperones and sponsors. Checks should be made payable to the International Relations Organization and sent to:

VAMUN
c/o International Relations Organization
Post Office Box 435
Newcomb Hall Station
Charlottesville VA, 22904-4435

Step Four: On either Thursday, November 9 or Friday, November 10 (the exact time may be found on the Schedule Page), come to the Cavalier Inn to check in and complete final registration.

What is VAMUN policy regarding position papers?

Position papers are required at VAMUN XXVIII, and they will factor into consideration when committee awards are decided. Position papers are a wonderful opportunity for delegates to put their research to tangible use, and as a way to organize their policy initiatives before the conference. VAMUN asks for position papers to be at least six pages long - two pages per topic - although delegates are welcome to write more if they wish. The paper ought to be divided into sections according to the agenda topics, and within those sections, the delegates should first give a general overview of their country's position on the topic, and then proposals on solutions to the issue from their nation's perspective. As pre-written resolutions are not allowed at VAMUN, this section should be a more general approach to the issue, rather than a comprehensive set of solutions.

We ask that all papers be written on standard size paper, standard size font, with reasonable margins and spacing. All other design considerations are up to the delegate. As always, papers must feature clear citations, and we expect a reference page at the end of any papers that have sources cited.

Each chair will post their individual guidelines regarding position papers on their committee page, should they have any. Some of the committees will feature different structures or will not have a pre-assigned agenda, so delegate preparation for those simulations will be left to the discretion of the committee staff.

The school featuring the best research preparation, judged by the quality of their position papers, will be awarded the Thomas Jefferson Research Award at Closing Ceremonies. The winner of this award, as judged by the Secretariat and committee staff, will have demonstrated a detailed and nuanced approach to researching the pre-assigned issues. As always, quality counts more than quantity, provided the minimum length standards are met.

All position papers should be turned in to the Secretariat during final registration. Those papers turned in during committee session will not be eligible for consideration for the Thomas Jefferson Research Award, so we ask that we receive all papers before the first committee session.

What are the fees and refund policy?

Fees:
$65 school fee
$50 delegate fee

We do not charge any fees for sponsors and chaperones. Please note that the fees cover only the cost of the conference. Food, lodging, travel, and other expenses are separate from the total assessed to you by VAMUN.

We understand that often circumstances change and delegates suddenly cannot attend. While school fees are nonrefundable, delegate fees are refundable in full until October 15, 2007, the final deadline to submit delegate names and fees. We understand many schools register long before numbers are finalized. After that date, delegate fees are refundable only in part.

At the Conference

Where do we stay?

We have booked blocks of rooms at local hotels. Be sure to mention that you are reserving rooms with the UVa VAMUN conference to get the lower group rates. Most of these hotels are within walking distance of University Grounds (ten to fifteen minute walk to most committees.) When choosing a hotel, please take location into consideration as you must supply your own transportation to committee and other conference events. Official conference hotels