The UW Oshkosh Model United Nations (MUN) team won another outstanding delegation award at this year’s National Model United Nations conference in New York City.
As well as the team award, the general assembly first committee, consisting of Vlayslav Plyaka and Mollie Salzman, won a position paper award and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization delegates Elaina Swafford and Maritssa Ortiz-Young won a position paper award and an outstanding delegates in committee award.
This year’s outstanding delegation award marks 41 years in a row for the UWO MUN team. Tracy Slagter, a faculty adviser for the team since 2018, said UWO’s MUN has built a culture of inclusivity, kindness, knowledge and respect.
“This is evident not only in our team meetings on campus, but also in how we operate in conferences,” Slagter said “You can spot an Oshkosh Delegate in a room full of hundreds of college students because they are the delegates others are listening to, the delegates others turn to for advice. We understand that the way to be influential is not necessarily being the loudest voice in the room, but to be the most communicative and helpful.”
Slagter said the best part of nationals this year was the team’s chemistry.
“It was not only a productive learning experience for everyone, but also a great bonding experience,” Slagter said.
Ortiz-Young is a first-year college student this year and attended her first national conference with MUN.
“I had the great opportunity to work with Elaina, the president of MUN, who helped me prep for this conference and taught me amazing leadership, communication and diplomacy skills,” Ortiz-Young said.
When Ortiz-Young and Swafford won their two awards, Ortiz-young said it was unexpected but made the hard work feel worthwhile.
Elizabeth Tisler, the vice president of MUN, has been on the team for three years. This year, she got to learn a whole new committee.
“I enjoyed the challenge of learning a new committee and learning the new mandate on what the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) can and cannot do,” Tisler said. “Never in my life would I have thought that I would be able to hold a conversation on the importance of the universality of the Chemical Weapons Convention.”
Plyaka has been with MUN since the fall of 2023. This was his second national conference, and he took on the responsibility of teaching first years about what to expect.
“I felt really stressed because of the importance of this conference,” Plyaka said. “We have an excellence of 41 years of an outstanding award in a row, and it is the best award a school can possibly get.”
Plyaka said most people in MUN know how successful UWO’s delegates are, so they are expected to compete at the highest level.
Regardless of the stress, Plyaka’s favorite experience this year was leading the team of about 60 people and helping them learn the ropes.
UWO’s MUN isn’t slowing down after nationals.
“We have a wonderful base of returning students who keep our culture alive and thriving, and we love bringing new students into that culture every fall,” Slagter said “I think our team members feel supported and appreciated for what they bring to the team and to the university. And as with any team, when the culture is right, anything is possible.”
