Colleges to Debate Middle East Issues at Converse
For the past several months, college students throughout the Southeast have been preparing to engage in intense competition at the 17th Annual Southeast Model League of Arab States. Twenty delegations from throughout the Southeast will compete at Converse College on March 21-23, 2003.
Four colleges from the Southeast Model will also compete at the national competition in Washington, DC in April: Barry University, Kennesaw State University, Virginia Military Institute, and Converse College. Last year, Converse College won the outstanding delegation award at the national competition for the sixth consecutive year.
Students in the Model Arab League intensively research social, economic, and political issues of specific Middle Eastern states that diplomats wrestle with daily and prepare to debate them with students from top universities such as Penn State, Northeastern, Old Dominion, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. As representatives of member states, student delegates attempt to solve problems and achieve consensus on questions. Each delegation brings resolutions to the competition, which are then debated, negotiated, and ultimately passed or rejected by the entire Model League. Delegates are judged based on their skill and knowledge about the states they represent. Following the national competition, the Model League submits new resolutions to actual Middle Eastern delegates.
The Model Arab League is a gateway to other university and high school leadership development programs including Summer in Syria, Passage to Morocco, the Kuwait Studies program, and internships in Washington, D.C. and the Arab world.
Converse College members consider their participation as one of the best experiences of their college education. They are challenged on all levels and routinely excel at regional and national competitions.
Model Arab League Southeast Competition Schedule
All events held in Carmichael Hall on the Converse campus.
Friday, March 21
4:30pm – Opening Ceremony & Keynote Address, Hartness Auditorium
5:30pm – Plenary Session, Hartness Auditorium
6:00pm-9:00pm – Election of Officers/Council Sessions, 2nd/3rd Floor Carmichael
Saturday, March 22
8:30am-12:00pm – Council Sessions, 2nd/3rd Floor Carmichael
12:00pm-1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm-6:00pm – Council Sessions, 2nd/3rd Floor Carmichael
(3:00pm-3:30pm) Council Break
Sunday, March 23
8:30am-11:15am – Council Sessions, 2nd/3rd Floor Carmichael
11:30am-1:00pm – Summit, Hartness Auditorium
1:00pm-1:30pm – Awards Ceremony/Election of 2002 Secretariat, Hartness Auditorium
2:30pm – Adjournment