Baylor Model Organization of American States Team Shines at San Antonio Competition

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Baylor University's Model Organization of American States (MOAS) outshined the competition, bringing home nine awards, at the 15th annual MOAS simulation held Nov. 3-5 at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. Representing Honduras and Uruguay, 20 Baylor students competed among 20 delegations from universities across the Southwest and Mexico.

Of the awards received, the Honduras team, led by Ally Gutierrez, senior international studies major from Cypress, was named Distinguished Delegation. Amanda Honey, head delegate of the Uruguay team and senior history major from Celina, was awarded Distinguished Ambassador and Distinguished Delegate for the General Committee.

Rob Bradfield, senior journalism major from Waco, was awarded Outstanding Delegate in the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security. At the competition, Bradfield also was named president-elect of Baylor's MOAS team for the 2012 model.

Baylor students also won awards for:

' Outstanding Chair (Cindy Linkenhoger, chair of the Inter-American Committee on Human Rights (IACHR) and senior finance major from Harlingen)

' Outstanding Delegate for the Secretariat for Integral Development (Drew Vincent, co-head delegate and junior international studies major from Mabelton, Ga.)

' Distinguished Delegate for the Secretariat for Political Affairs (Joan Stanton, freshman political science major from Massapequa, N.Y.)

' Distinguished Delegate for IACHR (Rafael Deliz-Aguirre, junior biology major from Laredo)

' Outstanding Resolutions in the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (Drew Vincent)

' Outstanding Resolutions in the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development in IACHR (Cristina Mendez, sophomore university scholar from Brownsville)
The team began preparing for the competition in August and meets for three-and-a-half hours a week, said Dr. Joan Supplee, MOAS advisor and Ralph L. and Bessie Mae Lynn Professor of History at Baylor. The students also attended a weekend Parliamentary procedures workshop at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in September, and the head delegates spent two Fridays working on team resolutions and position papers.
Supplee said MOAS is an active learning experience and the students are responsible for preparing well for the competition, but she works with each student on their presentation and research skills, as well as in developing their skills in debate, networking and "reading the room."
"They are successful because they have a tradition of success and they work hard to maintain that tradition," Supplee said. "There is a lot of experience on the team that gets passed down, and the students who do this are really motivated."
Other participants included:
' Michael Lyssy, parliamentarian and senior international studies major from Falls City
' Cody Brasher, co-head delegate and junior international studies major from Moody, Ala.
' Ewan Hamilton-Short, freshman business fellow from Waco
' Diane Draper, junior history major from Waco
' Brittany Harris, senior accounting major from Parker
' Brittney Quesada, senior political science major from Sugar Land
' Jimmy Smith, senior political science major from Houston
' Kristian Ramirez, senior history major from San Antonio
' Sheila Gonzalez, junior Latin American studies major from Roma
' Priscilla Escobedo, sophomore international studies major from Irving
' Carols Rodarte, sophomore international studies major from Houston
' Aaron Fields, freshman international studies major from Little Rock, Ark.
MOAS at Baylor is an extracurricular activity in the fall semester and a three-credit academic course in the spring semester. Students develop international public policies on issues affecting the Americas and apply theory learned in the classroom. They learn parliamentary procedures for debate, caucusing, how to function in working groups of countries that share common interests and the operation of the committees that report to the General Assembly. They also learn how the Organization of American States (OAS) operates and the key economic, social, educational, political and security issues facing the Americas.
For more information, contact head delegate Amanda Honey, head delegate Ally Gutierrez, parliamentarian Michael Lyssy, president-elect Rob Bradfield or advisor Joan Supplee.
by Katy McDowall, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805