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CIAS DIGEST The Cornell International Affairs Society Digest www.thecias.org
Reflecting on CIAC V – A Strong Fifth Year By Jesse Van Genugten
Delegates from Germany and the Netherlands fight for dominance, and greater colonial power in CIAC’s Scramble for Africa
This year's CIAC, or the Cornell International Affairs Conference, was held on Cornell's beautiful Ithaca campus from September 25 to 28. Led by a hardworking Secretariat and dedicated staff members, the conference hosted over 70 delegates from both domestic universities and international schools. The fifth annual conference organized its crisis committee sessions around a variety of interesting topics, including a battle for supremacy in the world of Harry Potter, a fight
for spheres of influence in the Scramble for Africa, and an innovative humanitarian training committee for incoming CIAS members in Emergency Consortium on Sandy. During the vibrant weekend of debate, delegates and staff alike enjoyed several social events highlighted by the performances of various musical groups at the Nine’s bar and lounge night, and an entertaining delegate dance at the Lodge. The secretariat would like to thank all those who participated, and we look forward to seeing what CIAC VI committees and Secretariat will bring to next year’s conference.
FALL 2014, Issue 3
OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW MEMBERS Undergraduates who want to become more involved can attend weekly General Body meetings, in which members bond, simulate Model UN caucuses, prep for traveling conferences, and conduct IR discussions about current events. CIAS meets every Wednesday from 5-6 pm in Malott 228. In addition to General Body meetings, members can also travel in CIAS’s competitive MUN delegations, and staff two of Cornell’s hosted conferences – CMUNC, our spring high school conference, and CIAC, our fall intercollegiate conference. For any questions about joining CIAS, or becoming more involved in MUN conferences or general body meetings, email newly elected CIAS President Daniel Cohanpour, at dc743@cornell.edu.
UPDATES ON FALL CONFERENCES Members of Harry Potter’s Order of the Phoenix approach their rival crisis committee, the Death Eaters, in an epic duel of witchcraft and wizardry
Preparing for Next Semester’s CMUNC By Madeleine Skaller The 2015 CMUNC Secretariat has been working extremely hard to make this year’s conference the best one yet. Though the whole team worked on a variety of tasks throughout the summer to prepare, our most recent accomplishments include finalizing our list of 17 amazing, innovative committees and awesome chairs, recruiting a number of competitive schools and delegates from all over the world, and coordinating seemingly endless conference logistics. The Secretariat looks forward to working with the Executive Board, committees, and both returning and new CIAS members as the semester progresses. In a collaborative effort over the next several months, we hope to create new initiatives for recruitment, philanthropy, social events, and conference development that will usher in a memorable, exciting year for CMUNC.
CMUNC Secretariat and staff will host this year’s conference from April 16 to 19.
CIAS’s travel team has registered for a new series of exciting fall conferences, including the Security Council Simulation at Yale from October 16 to 19, the National Collegiate Security Conference from October 23 to 26, Queens Model United Nations Invitational from November 6 to 9, and University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference from November 6 to 9. For those attending, the conferences will provide an excellent opportunity to hone and practice public speaking, debate skills, parliamentary procedure, and the fast-paced format of crisis committees.
Editor: Alison Schonberg