Adrian College is preparing to participate in the Model Arab League (MAL) for the third time. The MAL is a program where students from different colleges gather at one central location, and represent different countries in the Arab League.
“Model Arab League is based on the Model UN, which has been around far longer,” said Philip Howe, assistant professor of political science and faculty advisor for the AC MAL contingency.
The goal of the MAL is to get students to be informed about their assigned countries and those countries’ stances on key topics relevant to the Arab World now. Students are expected to represent their countries accurately, and make decisions that reflect the countries viewpoints while remaining objective, especially if their personal opinions don’t mesh with the countries’.
According to Howe, there are 20 models in the United States yearly. The one AC attends is at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Allendale, near Grand Rapids, Mich. AC is also on the wait list to be involved in the National Model, held annually in Washington, D.C.
In total, there are 22 countries in the League of Arab States, if one counts the Palestinian Authority, Howe said. This year, AC will be representing Kuwait, Lebanon and Sudan.
“On one hand, it’s just people who are interested in international events and specifically people who are at least interested in learning about events in the Middle East. So it’s part of the draw and part of a poli-sci thing, but at the same time it’s very much a speech activity,” Howe said. “It’s about diplomatic negotiation and even debate, so it draws a lot of communications students.”
Senior Shane Hinson agrees with Howe and says the MAL allows him to draw upon aspects of both his major and minor.
“My major is political science and my minor is English, so Arab League is right up my alley, because it’s simulated politics, but I know a lot of people who just do it because they enjoy it and they have a lot of fun with it,” Hinson said.
AC senior Amanda Liske, who has been involved with the MAL since it’s inception at AC, said she was looking forward t the model this year. Next semester will be her last opportunity to be involved in the model since she will be graduating in May.
She is pleased with the growth of the AC MAL program in the last couple years.
“Between the first and second year of participation, we went from being the new kids on the block to almost sweeping awards,” Liske said.
Hinson, who has also been involved with MAL since it was introduced to AC, said the MAL is both useful and enjoyable expericne.
““It’s a fun class; it’s a fun time,” Hinson said. “It’s really intensive and very informational, and you learn a lot about the Middle East and its history and politics. It’s also great public speaking practice. It really teaches you how to think and speak critically.”
An exciting development at last years model was Hinson’s appointment to the position of Assistant Secretary General (ASG) of the GVSU model.
“I feel pleased,” Hinson said. “When I sighed up for Model Arab League last semester, I didn’t plan on being elected to anything. I became a committee chair a week before the actual model, and then I got nominated by the people on my council for Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General, so I decided I’d go for it and see what happens and I got elected to ASG.”
Because Hinson is the ASG this year, he will not be involved in any of the countries or panals. Instead, he will be in charge of logistics and making sure everything runs smoothly.
Liske said she was happy for Hinson and his appointment to the position of Assistant Secretary General.
“I’m very excited about it,” Liske said. “I’m happy for him. I think it shows a lot of the work into going to the Model Arab League is being recognized. It’s quite an accomplishment for only the second year of participation.”
Howe also said he was pleased with Hinson’s position and what is said about AC in general.
“Shane gets a lot of credit, first of all, for getting himself elected to Assistant Secretary General,” Howe said. “ At the last model held at GVSU, he went around and put his name forward, met a lot of people, and shook a lot of hands and got himself elected, so it’s a big accomplishment for Shane. For the school, I think it shows the recognition that Adrian College has within the Michigan Model Arab League community.”
Interviews Contributed by Will Chapin