Eleven Brigham Young University students recently returned from the second annual West Coast Model European Union Simulation at the University of Washington where they received five awards for their outstanding participation.
“The point of the simulation is that, given each country’s foreign policy objectives, various solutions can be reached, and, hopefully, the students will find compromises that produce a better outcome for all the countries they represented,” explained BYU professor Wade Jacoby, director of BYU’s Center for the Study of Europe.
The event allowed students from nine universities to represent the 19 member-states of the European Union in a simulation of the June 2005 European Union summit chaired by Luxembourg. The BYU students represented the countries of Estonia, Germany and Hungary during the simulation.
Students discussed such agenda items as the European Union’s financial perspective for the years 2006-2013, a review of the Stability and Growth Pact and an evaluation of countries applying for membership in the union.
Three of the BYU team members received individual recognition for their outstanding performance in their working group, and the Estonian and German teams both earned recognition for their overall performance.
“Overall, the students who participated this year were better prepared for the simulation, which made it more complicated but also more enjoyable to have done so well,” said Jay Stirling, one of the team members.
BYU team members included Rebecca Bennett, Evelina Caswell, Kyle Colvin, Moises Costa, Chris Harvey, Jacob Melzer, Anna Sanders, Amy Worthington, Julie Smith, Andrew Zvirzdin and Jay Stirling.
Team faculty advisers were Wade Jacoby and Becky Larsen, both from the Political Science Department, and Cory Leonard, assistant director of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.
Students who performed well at the simulation will receive special consideration for scholarships to participate in a new European study program in Brussels, Belgium this summer.
For more information about the Model European Union Simulation or other Kennedy Center events, contact Brenda Wadley at cse@byu.edu or visit kennedy.byu.edu.
