Courier

Media Credit: Alejandra Bayardo Paulo Rodriguez (left) and Connor Lewis (right) explain the goals of the Model UN.

The United Nations Association Club in its inaugural year, plans to "lobby local, federal and international officials into taking action" according to flyers passed out by the group during club week.

Even with such serious endeavors the club meetings are relaxed and the agenda is played out like a casual conversation.

Students make political jokes frequently yet, work is done diligently as students assign themselves for an upcoming event.

UNAC will be the second Model UN club on the campus.

Its predecessor, the PCC Model United Nations team (PCCMUN), which was named Best Delegation by UC Berkeley, will continue to operate.

Paulo Rodriguez, president and founder of UNAC, was the former president of the MUN team.

However he grew tired of the simulations the group performed.

"It was all pretend and I wanted to do something real," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez handed off PCCMUN to his vice-president Christos Potamianos and started UNAC.

He took some of the more successful members of PCCMUN along with him.

"I wanted to work for the right issues," said Connor Lewis, Chair of the Lancer Model UN.

UNAC is a branch of the United Nations Association/Foothills Chapters and will work to support the ideas and work of the UN.

The group will split into three committees to perform this; Lancer Model United Nations team, a global affairs council, and the UNAC advocacy committee.

The Lancer Model UN team will give students an opportunity to debate and negotiate through competitive simulations of the UN.

The team is hoping to attend a few notable conferences across the nation, a major one taking place at the UN headquarters in New York City from April 5, 2009.

The Global Affairs Council will promote global affairs through critical studies that may potentially impact the US and its interest.

This council works with the support of the Roosevelt Institute located in Washington DC, which is the nation's first student-run think tank, and helps students connect their research to policy makers.

PCC will be the first community college to work with the Roosevelt Institute.

Finally the UNAC advocacy committee will be meeting with local, state and federal officials to lobby for policies that will bring them closer to the international community.

"Overall students will gain much from UNAC such as research, public speaking, policy making, and diplomacy," said Rodriquez.

The group meets in room C370 on Tuesdays and C333 on Thursdays from 12 to 1.

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