=The UD Model United Nations club hosted a conference Thursday for more than 600 high school students.

The UD Model UN conference welcomed high school students from as far away as Indianapolis and as close as Cincinnati. Nineteen schools participated in this one-day event.

Each student represents one country and researches an international issue. The students debate in committees in the style of the United Nations.

'We do a fairly close simulation of the United Nations,' said Christopher Pesce Jr., international business and French major. 'We break them into separate committees and they are given a simulation topic like one the UN would discuss.'

Some of the topics for this year were terrorism, the reconstruction of post conflict societies, epidemic and pandemic preparation, and the rights of women.

'Students gain exposure to what UN actually does and what its role in the world is,' Pesce said. 'Many people know what the UN is, but they do not know how it works and how it affects international politics. It helps both speaking and writing skills.'

After the conference, awards are given to the best delegates in each committee.

'Successful delegates must properly represent their country, NGO, or client,' Pesce said. 'They must have the ability to collaborate with people, and have the ability to speak well and facilitate debate. Most of all, they must have specific knowledge about their topic.'

Pesce is the secretary general of the UD Model UN club and helped organize the conference. According to Pesce, the conference is a fundraising event for the club.

'[The conference] is our biggest source of revenue for the year,' Pesce said. 'It helps fund our trip to collegiate nationals in New York City.'

The club spends the fall semester preparing for the conference. In the second semester, the members compete in several collegiate conferences.

'Our first semester is devoted to the conference,' he said. 'It is one of the most important things we do. We spread Model UN to high schoolers and give them a chance to immerse themselves in the culture of UN.'

Members of the UD Model UN club attend the Dayton Model UN Conference, which is hosted by Sinclair Community College. In the spring, a select number of students attend the national collegiate conference in New York City.

UD students wanting to participate in the Model UN club can visit their Web site at academic.udayton.edu/modelun/club.htm.