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Dear Arthur,
This is a big week for Civitas with approximately 650 students expected to participate in programs. Five hundred Middle School students will be coming to our workshop in the Khorassan Room of the Chase-Park Plaza on Wednesday. On Saturday, another one hundred fifty high school students are expected for our Civitas Fall U.N. Details on these and other stories are below.
In addition, we have a new survey. We also provide results from last week's survey on sports and diplomacy.
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Civitas home page
Middle School Workshop this Wednesday at Chase-Park Plaza (Updated)
The biggest Civitas event of the year is about to happen -- our second annual Civitas U.N. workshop for Middle School students. It is this Wednesday, November 5, 2003 from 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM in the Khorassan Room of the Chase-Park Plaza (map link below). We ask that all schools arrive by 8:30 AM so that we can proceed smoothly through registration.
We expect to have approximately 500 students from nearly 20 schools. It is a wonderful opportunity for students and teachers alike to learn the essentials about how a model U.N. works.
We will have a video and powerpoint presentations as well as considerable questions and answers. Participant Handbooks will be distributed to everyone along with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Several high school students will be present to provide a simulation of how a model U.N. works.
In addition, we will once again have the exciting "Africa Voice" drummers and dancers from Cote d'Ivoire perform for us.
The agenda for the workshop gives detailed information on the events of the morning. It can be accessed by the clicking on the second link below.
If any school is having difficulty with transportation to or from the workshop, please E-Mail us or call us at (314) 367-6480.
Civitas Middle School Model U.N. Information
Agenda for Middle School Workshop: Nov. 5, 2003
Directions to Chase-Park Plaza for November 5 workshop
High School Model U.N. this Saturday, November 8 (Updated)
The Fall Civitas Model U.N. for high school students is this Saturday, November 8. It will be at the Chase-Park Plaza (map link below) from 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM. We ask that students arrive between 8:30 AM and 8:45 AM so that we can complete registration quickly and move into session.
Currently we have two resolutions for the Security Council, four for the Political & Security Committee, five for the Economic & Social Committee, and three for the Human Rights Committee. We extend our special thanks to students at Collinsville High School, Parkway South High School, and S.L.U.H. who submitted nearly all of the resolutions.
If a delegate would still like to submit a resolution, he or she may do so by printing out 50 copies (20 for the Security Council) and bringing it to the session. Please check the other resolutions on-line to get your formatting correct (link below).
We will initially meet in the Khorassan Room West (near the ticket window for the Chase Cinemas). After initial remarks, we will break into smaller rooms for the committee sessions. We will return to the Khorassan West Room by 2:00 PM to hear reports from each committee.
"Breakout rooms" for each committee are:
Economic & Social: Lindell 'A' & 'B'
Human Rights: Lindell 'C' & 'D'
Political & Security: Khorassan West
Security Council: Maryland-A (Lower Level of Park Plaza)
Parking
Very little free parking is available in the area of the Chase-Park Plaza. However, Civitas will reimburse any attendee the$5.00 cost of parking in either of the two major garages located within a block of the Chase. One garage is the regular Chase-Park Plaza parking garage on the south side of Maryland Avenue just east of the buildings. The other is the Argyle Parking Garage located between Euclid and Argyle just east of the Chase-Park Plaza. Each garage has a maximum fee of $5.00 per day and Civitas will reimburse you for the expense.
Lunch
Among the links below is a list of nearby restaurants for lunch. They are divided into two categories: (a) less than $10.00 and (b) $10.00 or more. One restaurant where you can get a good meal for less than $5.00 is Jared's favorite: Subway. Lunch will be from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM.
High School Resolutions for Fall, 2003
Directions to Chase-Park Plaza for November 8 Civitas U.N.
Restaurant Lunch Options for Civitas U.N. -- Nov. 8, 2003
Research Tutorial Now Available for Mid-East Conference (New)
Intern Bobbi Clemons has developed an outstanding on-line tutorial for research preceding the Civitas Mid-East Conference November 21-22. It is seven and one-half minutes long. It provides an outstanding visual illustration of how to do research on your country and its relationship to the issues that will be discussed in the conference. It demonstrates how to easily do the research and once you have written it up, simply "drop" it into the on-line form that you can submit to Civitas. The research is due on Wednesday, November 19, 2003. You can access the tutorial by clicking on the third link below.
We still have openings -- in the Isms Committee (the one on religious and political beliefs) -- for the countries of Russia and Iran. If you are already in the Isms Committee and would like to switch to either of these countries, please let us know as soon as possible.
Fifty-one of the students who applied to participate in the Civitas Middle East Conference have met initial requirements to participate. Each of them has been assigned a country or organization to represent as well as a committee in which to participate. The updated country and committee assignments are available by clicking on the link below.
Country & Committee Selections for Middle East Conference
Middle East Conference Index
Tutorial on Research for the Mid-East Conference
Mixed Results from CIVITAS drive for UNICEF (New)
The Civitas drive was a disappointment in that the number of people who participated was less than that for which we had hoped. However, it was a major success when based on how well the students who volunteered did.
A group of Civitas students and alumni went door-to-door in Clayton. They collected a whopping $107.00 -- enough to give polio immunizations to 107 children. In the group were Laura Casey; Rosati-Kain, 2004; Taylor Joerger; Rosati-Kain, 2004; Maura McDonnell; Rosati-Kain, 2005; Andrew McMahon; Florissant Valley Community College, 2005; and Scott Stewart; UMSL, 2007.
Working solo in West County was Andrew Lechner; Parkway South, 2006. He collected $47.00 -- enough to provide immunizations for another 47. Congratulations to these outstanding volunteers!
UNICEF is a special organization related to the United Nations that gives individuals and community groups opportunities to help hungry and ill children from around the world. UNICEF stands for United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund.
Link to UNICEF
Next Year's U.N. Simulation for "Grown-Ups" Already Scheduled....
 It Won't be U.N. Day, but it will be a Friday evening -- October 15 and it will once again be at the Clayton Community Center. Since we almost sold-out in our first year, reservations should be made early. We'll send out initial notice of invitations after Spring Training begins!
You can still check out photos and video from this year's event by clicking below.
Photos from Adult Model U.N.
Video from Adult Model U.N. (posted by 2:00 PM, Oct. 28)
Survey on "Unshakable" Position in Iraq
Sixteen U.S. soldiers were killed and another 20 injured when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down by a surface-to-air missile west of Baghdad . This was the deadliest day for Americans in Iraq since May 1. The White House said it mourned Sunday's deaths but stated that American resolve was unshakable.
This is a tough question, but do you think that American resolve should be "unshakable?"
Link to Survey on Should American Resolve in Iraq be "unshakable?"
Link to Poll on Civitas Intranet Site
Previous Survey Results (New)
Our survey last week included a question regarding the any possible relationships between sports and international diplomacy. We stated, "In late October, we concluded the 2003 major league baseball season; the NFL season is half over; the NHL has begun play and the NBA will within a few days. We have often heard the contention that sports can be a metaphor for life. Our topic this week deals with which sport (if any) can provide lessons to diplomats about achieving world peace? regarding the health care issues that labor and management are struggling with. The results are as follows:
Responses % #
1. Baseball 25% 2
2. Basketball 0% 0
3. Cross-Country 25% 2
4. Football 12.5% 1
5. Golf 25% 2
6. Hockey 0% 0
7. Horse Racing 12.5% 1
8. Tennis 0% 0
9. Volleyball 0% 0
10. Water Polo 0% 0
Total : 8
We had a number of interested readers participate in the survey. Among their responses were:
Andrew Lechner; Parkway South, 2006
I find it astounding that a poll including WORLD sports would fail to mention soccer. This leaves me to believe that Americans don't appreciate the beautiful game or are uninformed of its influence. In fact, soccer is the most internationally known game on the planet and therefore would probably make a good mediator between delegates who are learning about peace because it provides an area of agreement for both sides (sports in this case). Furthermore as a soccer player myself (and I'm sure others agree) I feel that soccer requires much teamwork and discipline among each player while establishing principles of sharing and problem solving (major factors when striving for peace). I leave you with the question, what do you think about soccer as a sport or as a peace promoter?
-- Editor's Note: Andrew nailed us with this comment. We have no excuses.
Gloria Bilchik
Tennis
It's a non-violent sport. It's hard to hurt your opponent with a tennis racket. Disputes are settled in a "court," rather than on a field of battle.
Bobbi Clemons; Home School, 2004
Fishing
I really don't think sports help diplomats at all, with the exception of fishing. (Think of all the time they have to sit there and talk...) Most sports rely too much on competition, cheap gimmicks, and price gouging. And if I were from an ambassador from another country looking for the social norms, an athlete would be the last place I'd look. They're overpaid, overhyped, and often caught in sexual and/or drug scandals. Sure sports can be fun, but only in a parallel universe could they provide any sort of insight to international diplomats. You were really strapped for poll ideas weren't you?
Raquel Rodriguez; Home School, 2006
Baseball
I chose baseball mostly due to knowing a lot more about it than the others. Seriously though, in baseball you have friendly rivalries such as the Cubs and Cardinals. You can kinda compare that to those countries in which they don't like each other but they won't go out of their way to make the other one miserable. Of course you also have heated rivalries that include a lot of history of the teams involved such as the Yankees and the Red Sox. Where in this rivalry they will only give one another players if they think the other one is getting a bad player, or if they think they are getting a really great player for themselves. Again you can compare countries who completely hate each other. In baseball when teams get too mean the commissioner sometimes steps in and says play nicely. In world politics you can say the UN often does the same. The last comparison I'll point out is the fans. You can easily compare them to citizens of countries. Anyway I'll wrap this up since I could go on forever. In baseball when teams, players, and fans are respectful, play nice, and don't make dirty deals or trades nobody gets hurt and the teams in someway both benefit from staying peaceful. If the UN enforced the rules like baseball does maybe the countries would be better off and would in turn all benefit from the peace.
Taylor Joerger; Rosati-Kain, 2004
Baseball
Because, as shown by the Chicago Cubs, victory can be so close, yet so far away. But the all-important lesson of finding a scapegoat was illustrated by the Cubs attitude toward the fan who "robbed" them of their certain advancement to the World Series.
Aaron Craig; Assistant Principal, Sumner High School, St. Louis
Tennis & Baseball
My first choice was tennis primarily because I enjoy the tennis atmosphere. The participants dress very nicely and I always associate tennis with warm weather and pleasant exercise. I also like to hear the word "love" in the scoring! I changed to baseball because I know more players can be involved in this great team sport. I must admit I am a Saint Louis native thus baseball and Saint Louis go hand in hand! Please continue the excellent work and I hope to be involved in the very near future. Aaron
Additional Links
More information about Civitas
Photo Gallery
Streaming Video [Real Media]
Web Calendar
Agendas
Civitas Intranets Site
Civitas Home Page
Previous Newsletters
Maps & Directions
Middle East Conference Index Page
High School General Assembly Assignments for 2003-2004
High School Security Council Assignments for 2003-2004
Civitas Participant Handbook
Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2003-2004
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution
Sample Resolution
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