Newsletter of November 15, 2005

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Middle School Student & Teacher Workshop Next Week (Nov. 16)!

Our annual Fall Middle School Model United Nations program is tomorrow, Wednesday, November 16. The event will be at the Khorassan Room in the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel at Lindell & Kingshighway Blvds in the city's Central West End (click here for map and directions).

The agenda for the morning includes a short video on the Civitas model U.N., an interactive PowerPoint presentation on the United Nations and our Model UN program, a resolution simulation, and a performance by drummers and dancers from Cote d'Ivoire. Students are encouraged to come with questions about both the "real" United Nations and our model United Nations. The world is in considerable turmoil now and we want to work hard to prepare all students and adults to become more effective global citizens. We look forward to seeing everyone at the workshop!

We hope that all schools have their transportation arrangements in place. If you need assistance, well frankly it's a little late, but you can still contact us and perhaps we can help you work something out.

Should any teacher have any questions about transportation or any other topic, he or she can contact the Civitas office at (314) 367-6480 or [email protected].

As a special surprise, Lisa Granich-Kovarik should be back for this session, a mere thirteen days after the birth of her daughter Alice. Please do not ask Lisa questions following our 11:30 AM deadline!
Middle School Country Selections for 2005-2006

High School MUN Session This Saturday!

Every Civitas Fall Model U.N. affords us an opportunity to assess "the state of the world" in comparison to the previous year. The media tends to inform us more of the negative news, and no doubt positive actions are being taken in Africa to control HIV/AIDS, in parts of India to further enter the "hi-tech" world, in China to continue a slow process of extending a few basic human rights. However, 2005 has been a year in which the costs of the world's strongest power launching a "preemptive war" have become even more apparent. As more people from the "global south" move to the north, the type of ethnic strife that we have recently seen in France may just be a foreshadowing of ongoing global conflict in future years. Population continues to increase unabated in those regions that can least afford it. Women and children struggle against cultural norms to achieve a basic modicum of human rights.

These topics and more will be considered by Civitas students this Saturday at our Fall Model U.N. The exact date is Saturday, November 19, from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM at the Chase-Park Plaza (map). It would be helpful to arrive no later than 8:45 AM so that registration can move quickly. We will be gathering close to the Chase Cine box office. The closest entrance is from Lindell.

We hope to have a sizeable turnout of students, but we are prepared to operate with one, two, three, or four committees. With a large group, we will have the Security Council and well as our three major committees of the General Assembly: Economic & Social, Human Rights, and Political & Security.

In order to have a Security Council session, we will need representatives from a preponderance of the current Member States: Permanent: China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and United States; and the Non-Permanent Nations: Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Denmark, Greece, Japan, Philippines, Romania, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

With regard to the General Assembly committees, we will divide into two or three committees if we have a sufficient number of students. If not, we will operate as one General Assembly. In this scenario, we will ensure that resolutions from all committees get fair consideration for debate and discussion.

We are happy to receive more resolutions. If you would like to submit a resolution, please e-mail it to us by noon on this Friday, November 18 (this is an extension of our original deadline). You can wait until the actual session on Saturday to bring a resolution if you take responsibility for printing 15 copies (Security Council) or 60 copies (General Assembly).

If you have any questions, please e-mail us or call us at (314) 367-6480.

General Assembly Rosters for 2005-2006

Lively High School Discussion Last Saturday!

We had another lively and enlightening Civitas high school discussion group last Saturday. We began with Michael Wilson's report on his experience at the "Global Solutions, Local Connections Conference" in Santa Fe. We had extended conversation about the current civil unrest in France and the plight of Muslims in that country. We finished up the morning with discussions on whether the U.S. should engage in torture, and whether it is a disadvantage for anyone to be named "Scooter." Naturally, we came to the conclusion that one of the most severe forms of torture is for a parent to name his or her child "Scooter."

Some of the students and staff stayed late to go out to lunch and then see the movie good night, and good luck, directed by George Clooney (who also has a supporting acting role in the film). It was based on the interactions between veteran CBS-TV reporter Edward R. Murrow and Wisconsin Senator Joseph P. McCarthy. The issues related to the film are complex and it was truly a "period piece." We hope that those who sent enjoyed it and we look forward to other politically oriented films in the future.

Our next Civitas discussion group (and final one of calendar year 2005) will be on Saturday,
December 17, at Crossroads School from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (link to map and directions are located at the bottom of this article). If you have any questions, please e-mail us or call us at (314) 367-6480.

Links to photos and video from the discussion are located below.

Map and Directions to Crossroads School

Photos!

Streaming Video!

Survey on Building a New Stadium or Repairing "Broken" Schools

Recently, the following letter from Ms. Sue Fischlowitz of Clayton was printed in the Post-Dispatch:

I was struck once again by the juxtaposition of city news on Page 1 - "Busch has date with wrecking ball" - and Page A12 - "St. Louis schools getting worse" - on Nov. 5. Imagine if we had leaders who recognized the difference between what we do need to fix and what can well be left alone.

If we believed "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," we'd still have our elegant stadium, which definitely was not broken, and our schools, which definitely are in need of major overhaul, would get the attention they deserve and the resources to fix them.

If we keep burying the news about our schools on page 12, how can we blame people for not understanding the magnitude of the problem? And if we keep the "news" about the demolition of Busch Stadium on Page 1, we don't look at the real issues in which true civic commitment is needed to improve the things that really can have an impact on the future of our city and our region: the good schools that our children deserve.

What do you think St. Louis needs more: a new baseball stadium or repairs to it schools?
Survey on Building New Stadium or Repairing "Broken" Schools

Previous Survey Results!

Last newsletter's question was:

Survey on Whether The U.S. Senate Should Pass Legislation Banning Torture

NOVEMBER 7, 2005; President Bush vigorously defended U.S. interrogation practices in the war on terror Monday and lobbied against a congressional drive to outlaw torture.

"There's an enemy that lurks and plots and plans and wants to hurt America again," Bush said. "So you bet we will aggressively pursue them but we will do so under the law."

He declared, "We do not torture."

Over White House opposition, the Senate has passed legislation banning torture. With Vice President Dick Cheney as the point man, the administration is seeking an exemption for the CIA. It was recently disclosed that the spy agency maintains a network of prisons in eastern Europe and Asia, where it holds terrorist suspects.

Our question is, "If President Bush says that the United States does not torture, do you think that it is necessary for the U.S. Senate to pass legislation banning torture?"

Responses:

1. Yes 8 (100%)

2. No 0 (0%)

3. Not Sure 0 (0%)

COMMENTS ON THE ISSUE

Comments on Whether The U.S. Senate Should Pass Legislation Banning Torture

Katelyn Jones; Lindbergh High School, 2007

I personally think that actual legislation is more meaningful than the word of a president who can't even pronounce the word "nuclear" correctly. (But that's just me...)

Anthony Keel; S.L.U.H., 2006

I can't believe that our country still does not have complete anti-torture laws. We should definitely ban it in all cases, because if we don't we are just like the terrorists we are trying to beat. Also, President Bush has been known to lie before, and this time it is so obvious that the military does torture. I would think he'd want to IMPROVE his image.

Additional Links

Photo Gallery
Streaming Video [Real Media]
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Previous Newsletters
Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2004-2005
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution
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