By TENA L. COOK, CSC Marketing Coordinator
CHADRON – Chadron State College students recently competed at the Rocky Mountain Regional Conference Model Arab League (MAL). According to Assistant Professor Dr. Justin Curtis, this was CSC’s first time attending and participating at the Rocky Mountain Regional Conference.
Every school in attendance represented a particular member state in the League of Arab States and CSC represented Qatar. The team of Michael Anderson of Montello, Wisc., Laura Clay of Colorado Springs, Colo., Andrew Corbine of Box Elder, S.D., Hend Elnady of Cairo, Wyatt Fiscus of Bayard, Neb., and Eric Pollack of Alliance, Neb., received a mark of Distinguished for their representation of Qatar.
Anderson and Pollack served on the Joint Defense Council, Corbine and Elnady served on the Council of Social Affairs Ministers, and Clay and Fiscus served on the Political Affairs Council. Anderson and Pollack and Corbine and Elnady were recognized by their peers as Outstanding, the highest mark a delegation can receive, in their respective councils’ evaluations.
The CSC team has been formally invited to participate in the 2022 National Model Arab League Conference in Washington, D.C.
Curtis said each council was assigned an agenda of topics related to their issue areas.
“For instance, the Joint Defense Council discussed asymmetric wars and the use of drones in combat. The Council of Social Affairs Ministers debated systems for protecting migrant workers and ways to protect journalists in sensitive areas, and the Political Affairs Council evaluated economic stimulus programs from the COVID-19 pandemic and ways to improve electoral integrity in the Arab world,” Curtis said.
Curtis said the primary goal of each council was to facilitate diplomacy and simulate complex decision-making processes with overlapping and competing interests. Participants also evaluated their peers’ performance on dimensions that included issue knowledge, public speaking, and writing.
Since the Political Science minor is new at CSC, Curtis said students who attended the conference represented other disciplines in all three academic schools. Last year, Curtis and his students competed virtually in the Great Plains Regional Conference and had planned to attend it in-person this year, but the date conflicted with other plans.
Hend, a junior majoring in Criminal Justice, said she enjoyed participating in MAL for the second time.
“I think learning about Middle Eastern politics or international politics, in general, is such a powerful tool in understanding the world and making better decisions. The conference this year was very well-organized, and I was lucky to have Andrew (Corbine) as my co-delegate,” Hend said. “I also had the opportunity to meet many people who are passionate about making the world a better place for everyone.”
Pollock is a history major whose main career goal is to eventually work at a National Park.
“This event is something I believe a lot of students could enjoy and succeed in,” Pollock said.
Corbine, a Social Work senior, said the conference was an amazing experience.
“I enjoyed learning about Middle Eastern politics and simulating international diplomacy. I’m extremely proud of our team’s preparation and execution at the conference which earned us an invitation from BYU to go alongside their team to nationals in Washington DC,” Corbine said. “We are truly blessed to have Dr. Curtis here at CSC. I will never forget the passion and dedication he brought to campus for civics and social sciences, as these opportunities for enrichment and inspiration were not possible without him. I look forward to reciprocating that passion on campus and abroad.”
Anderson is majoring in Rangeland Management-Wildlife. He said more students should attend conferences and competitions.
“I believe students should develop knowledge in a broad sense to become better equipped to confront future challenges that are yet unforeseen. I plan on continuing to attend similar events as opportunities arise, in order to push the boundaries of my own comfort zone and develop new skills,” Anderson said.
Clay, a Legal Studies major, will graduate in May. She hopes to become a paralegal and is interested in possibly working for the State Department or another government agency.
“I learned a lot more about how diplomacy works and it has me excited to continue learning about Middle Eastern politics. If I have an opportunity to participate in similar conferences in the future, I plan on doing it. It's a great opportunity to learn about other countries and work with others to create solutions,” Clay said. “Dr. Curtis deserves all the credit. He ensured our team was prepared and ready to go.”
Fiscus is an Education Major with an endorsement in Social Sciences. His career goal is to become a middle school or high school educator.
“Compromise is certainly a major aspect of being able to succeed in Model Arab League, as well as in real life legislation crafting,” Fiscus said.
Curtis said students on the team embraced the idea that politics anywhere affects politics everywhere.
“While the substantive focus of Model Arab League is, obviously, international politics in the Middle East, the skills and insights that students practice and develop in the program—including leadership, diplomacy, problem-solving, public speaking, writing, research, and collaboration—are valuable in a variety of scenarios,” Curtis said. “The program has clearly demonstrated its capacity to excel, and we will plan early to attend both the Rocky Mountain Conference and the National Conference in 2023.”