Baylor Students Win Honors Representing Belize and Peru at MOAS Conference

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By Dr. Joan E. Supplee, The Ralph L. and Bessie Mae Lynn Professor of History and director of the Baylor Model Organization of American States Program

On Nov. 9-11, 2017, the Baylor Model Organization of American States (MOAS) team traveled to Texas State University in San Marcos to debate policies in the Western Hemisphere along with other universities from Texas, Louisiana and Mexico.

The Baylor team took part in the 21st anniversary Eugene Scassa Mock Organization of American States (ESMOAS) competition, which included an academic conference, a mock trial competition and a simulation of the Summit of the Americas. This year’s theme was “Celebrating the Cultural Mosaic of the Americas.”

The 2017 keynote speaker was His Excellency, Ambassador Oliver del Cid, the Belizean Ambassador to Mexico (show in the photo above posing with the Baylor MOAS team). Ambassador del Cid spoke on the importance of fostering diplomacy in perilous times. Ambassador Jim Creagan, the Eugene Scassa Visiting Professor of International Diplomacy at St. Mary’s University, opened the conference by giving a short history of the Organization of American States, the oldest regional body in the world, and a tribute to the late Eugene Scassa.

At the competition, Baylor students represented the countries of Belize and Peru. The students presented and defended resolutions that covered issues such as reducing the threat of nuclear weapons in the hemisphere, providing greater opportunities for smaller states to participate, supporting the Inter-American Convention against Racism, protecting vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly, improving civil education and setting budgetary priorities. Students also worked on resolving a hypothetical crisis involving a breakdown of order in the Caribbean region.

Parker Wooden (junior history major from Houston) served as Secretary-General and insured that parliamentary procedures ran smoothly in all of the committees. Emily Kleinburg (senior history major from Kempner) and Sam Gostomski (senior philosophy major from Pipe Creek) served as chair and rapporteur for the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development Committee (SEDI).

David Bryant (freshman history major from Allen) was selected to serve on the 2018 Student Steering Committee. Lawson Sadler (junior University Scholars major from San Antonio) won the election for president of the 2018 Model, and a faculty panel choose Rafael Silva Ramirez (junior international studies major from Querétaro, Mexico) to serve as chair in 2018.

Other honors won by Baylor teams included:

Selected by a panel of external judges:

  • Outstanding Delegation: Team Peru under the leadership of head delegate Brendan Smith (senior University Scholars major from Lees Summit, Mo.)
  • Distinguished Delegation: Team Belize under the leadership of head delegate Clayton Jelinek (senior international studies major from Broken Arrow, Okla.)
  • Distinguished Ambassador: Brendan Smith
  • Outstanding Position Paper: Team Peru with contributions from Hannah Luce (senior accounting and supply chain management major from Golden, Colo.)
  • Outstanding Resolution for the General Committee: Brendan Smith (Peru)
  • Distinguished Resolution for the Secretariat for Multi-dimensional Security: Lawson Sadler (Peru)
  • Outstanding Resolution for the Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy: David Bryant (Belize)
  • Distinguished Budgetary Statement for the Secretariat for Administration and Finance: May Atassi (Belize) (senior business and finance major from Syria)

Awards selected by committee members:

General Committee:

  • Outstanding Delegate: Brendan Smith (Peru)
  • Distinguished Delegate: Clayton Jelinek (Belize)

Secretariat for Multi-dimensional Security:

  • Outstanding Delegate: Lawson Sadler (Peru)

Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy:

  • Outstanding Delegate: Ross McLaughlin (Belize) (senior political science and history major from Argyle)
  • Distinguished Delegate: Karen Pedraza (Peru) (senior marketing and management major from Carrollton)
  • Executive Secretariat for Integral Development: Audrey Chisum (Peru) (sophomore political science major from Katy)

Secretariat for Administration and Finance:

  • Outstanding Delegate: Makayla Gorden (Peru) (sophomore political Science major from Midland)
  • Distinguished Delegate: May Atassi (Belize)

Joshua Hyles, a Baylor history M.A. (2010), served as executive director for the model. Former MOASers Diane Frazier, Rob Bradfield, and Kelsey Shelton served as Summit judges while Manuel Muñoz, Seth Reed, Ally Gutiérrez, and Tyler Talbert judged Moot Court sessions. Dr. Supplee coached the Baylor teams and participated in a roundtable discussion on “The Future of the OAS and U.S-Latin American Relations” at the academic conference.

More information about the conference is available here.

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