THE VIGIL ISSUE 2 2020 TABLE Maps—3 CAMPUS OF RoMUNnce in the air—4 MAP CONTENTS The Importance of MUN—5 Daily Reports—6 january eighteenth, CISSMUN in Action—8 twenty-twenty Power Over the People—10 YYou, Yes You, Can Get Into College—11 CISSMUN in Action—12 Neither Nor—14 PUDONG STAFF MAP Editors-in-Chief Head Photographer Photographers Evelyn Shi Claire Chen Ethan Koh Jenny Fu Taha Noon Emilie Zhang Layout Staff Ziv Liu Ethan Chin Nika Sedighi Layout Editor Daniel Wan Lena He Staff Writers Anna Jin Steven Yeh Kelly Kim Editor Yin Yin Htwe Sulynn Yeh Hayley Szymanek Joey Lin Thiri Yadanar San Henie Zhang Isabella Zumbolo Tommy Song Assistant Editor Alan Deutsch page 2 page 3 roMUNce in the air CISSMUN To: _________________________ From: _________________________ CISSMUN To: _________________________ From: _________________________ CISSMUN To: _________________________ From: _________________________ CISSMUN CISSMUN To: _________________________ To: _________________________ From: _________________________ From: _________________________ CISSMUN To: _________________________ From: _________________________ by Hayley Szymanek and Evelyn Shi page 4 The Importance of MUN By: Hayley Szymanek Despite this being an MUN conference, not many people seem to have an overly positive opinion of the UN. Going around the conference and asking how people felt about the UN, most dele- gates stammered or gave half-hearted comments about the idea being better than the execution. CISSMUN attendee Alan Deutsch sighed and muttered, “obligatory.” If we, the people who choose to participate in a UN simulation, don’t even have a favorable view of the UN, then what’s the point? What’s the point of MUN if we can’t even agree that the UN is important? The value of MUN is not in the Model of the United Nations. It is in the act itself, the collaboration, the re- search, and the discussion. We live in an increasingly undiplomatic age. Being “petty” has become a trend. “Cancelling” is practically contagious because of the rush of self-righteousness that comes from ruining the life of someone “problematic.” As countries wage nuclear war threats on Twitter, it has never been more important that we have a tradition of teaching our youth how to work together to envision the world they want to create. We get the chance to sit down and talk in a (mostly) judgement-free space. It’s a necessary tradition to set. Even if none of us grow up to actually represent countries, making the decision to choose communication over “roasting” each other will change the world. MUN also teaches us to do the research. When people shout their opinions without having the knowledge to back it up, you get things like President Donald Trump suggesting on Twitter that we use “flying water tankers” on the Notre Dame Cathedral - uninformed advice which would have collapsed what was left of the building if put into practice. MUN not only teaches us about global issues we otherwise wouldn’t have considered, but how to get into the habit of consulting facts and evaluating realistic solutions before acting. Then we can take the solutions we’ve re- searched and talk to one another as humans with equal stake. We have the tools to thoughtfully discuss, debate, and improve solutions instead of sticking to empty guns made of opinions. If we set the standard of understanding each other as humans and the problem as it affects us all, we set the standard of putting each other before petty grudges. We set the standard of compromise. MUN is mostly benign as a simulation for the UN, but it’s important for the questions it compels us to ask ourselves. What would we do to change the world if only we had the power? What will we do once we have the power? We begin to look beyond the “I” of it all. We work until it starts to come together, even if it takes the whole conference. We meet. We talk. 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However, one of the chairs chairs the of one However, afternoon. the of details any recall comical delegates claiming they had evidence to “overrule” the the “overrule” to evidence had they claiming delegates comical remembered a particular opening speech by a delegate that had stuck stuck had that delegate a by speech opening particular a remembered chairs. The committee’s chair laughed and told the delegates to to delegates the told and laughed chair committee’s The chairs. with her. Apparently, the delegate had ended their speech with “I “I with speech their ended had delegate the Apparently, her. with return to their lobbying groups. Apparently, this had occurred no less less no occurred had this Apparently, groups. lobbying their to return probably will block you on Snapchat, XOXO.” The chairs implied that that implied XOXO.” chairs The Snapchat, on you block will probably than four times.