Topeka Model United Nations

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TOPEKA MODEL UNITED NATIONS

JUDGES’ INFORMATION

 

Thank you for volunteering your time to Topeka Model United Nations!

 

Your role is imperative to the success of our conference. Students have been preparing for several months to present well-reasoned, articulate opinions about today’s topics being debated in council sessions. In a nutshell, your job is to listen to today’s proceedings and decide which delegates represent their country’s point of view accurately.

 

You do not need to bring anything with you; a Judges’ Notebook will be provided.

 

The Topeka Model United Nations Conference is located at the Ramada Inn-Downtown Topeka, Kansas. Please check-in at the TMUN table in the lobby by 8:00 a.m. each day.

 

Judges’ orientation will include a review of the Council, Assignment, Award, and Scoring information below as well as specific council assignments for the day.

 

A light continental breakfast and lunch are provided for judges each day.

 

Student registration begins on Monday at 8:00 a.m. with the opening ceremony and keynote speaker at 8:15 a.m. At 9:00 a.m., delegates will begin council sessions. The Monday session concludes at 3:00 p.m. On Tuesday, delegates will begin their council sessions at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday's sessions conclude around 11:30 a.m.

 

Judges will meet with the Judges' Coordinator to discuss delegate and delegation rankings over lunch both days. On Tuesday, judges will decide the final rankings to be announced at the Closing Ceremony.

 

Councils:
Delegates will participate in one of nine councils: General Assembly I and II, Economic and Social Council I and II, Political Council I and II, Security Council (high school only), and World Council I and II (middle school only). Expect to see both high school and middle school delegates in councils, unless otherwise noted. A master delegate list will be provided for use by the judges.

Assignments:
We strive to assign one or two judges per council at all times. Judges will rotate among several councils so that they have the chance to assess overall delegate/delegation participation. An assignment list will be available at the beginning of each UN session.

List of Awards:
Outstanding Officer
(Determined by Sponsor Vote)

Outstanding Delegation/Delegate
High School (6 total)
1st, 2nd, 3rd Delegation
1st, 2nd, 3rd Delegate
Middle School (6 total)
1st, 2nd, 3rd Delegation
1st, 2nd, 3rd Delegate

Plus: Best delegate in each council (may be middle or high school student)

 

Award Criteria:
Outstanding Delegate
The outstanding delegate should demonstrate most of the following:

  • Be attentive to activities in the council and consistently participate in both days of the proceedings.

  • Demonstrate preparation and knowledge of current events.

  • Actively participate in reasonable debate.

  • Ask relevant questions.

  • Give pertinent and coherent speeches.

  • Display leadership in the council.

  • Vote in accordance with “real world” country policies.

  • Be active in bloc voting (if applicable)
  • Have a resolution included in the council resolution book. (However, failure to have one should not be held against any delegate.)

 

Outstanding Delegation

The best delegation should demonstrate the above criteria for best delegate as well as the following:

  • One or more of the delegates may be MORE impressive than the others in the delegation, but they are all involved.

  • Position paper submitted to the TMUN Conference. (Judges may consider the quality of the position paper submitted by the delegation. See the Executive Director for a copy.)

 

Scoring:
Unlike many debate competitions students are evaluated on the quality of questions asked and speeches presented as well as the number of times they address their council. There is not a specific numbering system, or set of specific criteria that must be “fulfilled”. This is one of many ways that makes a Model United Nations conference unique. To this end, judges should evaluate a delegate’s/delegation’s performance using a uniform marking system. While free to develop a personal notation system, the following is suggested:

The 5 point system
5-Excellent
4-Very Good
3-Good
2-Developing
1-Emerging

Comments are welcome! You may write qualitative comments on evaluation forms, or speak with the Judges’ Coordinator directly.

Do’s and Don’ts for Topeka Model UN Judges

 

Model UN Judges DO:

 

1.      Enjoy the day’s proceedings!

 

2.      Judge with an open mind according to the criteria listed above.

 

3.      Listen carefully to the debate. Does a delegate speak knowledgeably? Is his/her information or question pertinent to the debate?

 

4.      Use the rating sheet (provided in Judges’ Notebook) to record delegate participation.

 

5.      Use position papers located in the Judges’ Lounge (as needed) to clarify a country’s position on a particular issue.

 

6.      Act professionally. A Judges’ Lounge is provided when you need a break.

 

 

Model UN Judges DO NOT:

 

1.      Interrupt the flow of debate with questions! If there is a problem, you should address the presiding officer, the Judge Coordinator, the Secretary General or the Executive Director. The delegate’s school sponsor will be informed only if necessary.

 

2.      Speak directly with a delegate in conversation about the debate itself.

 

3.      Share your opinions with UN sponsors or delegates. Save your comments for the judges’ meeting.