International Affairs Association

Western Washington University’s International Affairs Association (IAA) is a student run association within the Political Science Department. The IAA provides ambitious students the opportunity to explore contemporary global issues outside of the classroom, develop personal and professional skills, and to prepare for post-graduate opportunities. Functionally, the IAA serves and manages two university programs; the Model United Nations team and the Services Events & Programs division. The first of these programs, Model United Nations, allows members to simulate the affairs and procedures of the United Nations by serving as representatives of various Member States. To simulate the proceedings, team members travel to a variety of conferences in the United States and Canada, with the team on average sending twenty or more attendees to five conferences throughout the year. The final element of the IAA, the Services Events & Programs division, serves to bring international issues to campus, through the facilitation of speakers, running high school and collegiate level Model United Nations conferences. Taken together, the IAA is more than the sum of its constituent parts. It is an institution that creates student leaders by empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in a global society.

Key Program Highlights

  • WWU IAA’s Model United Nations team most recently won five awards at the Northwest Model United Nations Conference: one Outstanding Delegate Award, one Distinguished Delegate Award, and three Position Paper Awards. Delegate Awards recognize excellence in participation, group work, public speaking, negotiation, research, and preparedness of members during the conference. Position Paper Awards recognize excellence in research, academic writing, and proposed policy solutions.
  • Each year, WWU IAA sends a group of highly qualified students to New York for the National Model United Nations conference. In years past, IAA has won awards as the Outstanding Delegation, which demonstrates the strength of a team as a whole, as well as multiple Outstanding Delegate and Position Paper Awards, which reward excellence of specific delegates. Since 2008, the IAA has won a Delegation Award every year. In the past several years, nearly every delegate from the IAA won an individual award as well. This year, IAA will be taking 18 carefully selected students who are highly skilled in public speaking, research, and academic writing.
  • IAA facilitated “Chat with the Diplomat,” a program which brought esteemed diplomat Michaela Schweitzer-Bluhm to campus. Schweitzer-Bluhm has worked in North Macedonia, Nepal, and Egypt in her work as a Diplomat in Residence. This event was open to all students and gave students the unique opportunity to learn more about careers in foreign service and in the State Department. Additionally, first-generation students were invited to speak personally with Schweitzer-Bluhm, which gave invaluable advice to disadvantaged students interested in pursuing a career in foreign service.
  • Since 2006, members of IAA have won over 120 individual awards. In addition, the IAA has won 17 team awards. The IAA is incredibly proud to be able to demonstrate the strength of its team and the academic rigor offered by Western Washington University, particularly at conferences which are attended by anywhere from 180 to 2,200 students from across the globe.
  • IAA gives students the opportunity to refine important skills such as research, academic writing, public speaking, and problem-solving. Moreover, the IAA gives students the opportunity to grow both academically and personally. Conferences are attended by students from across the world, including delegations from around the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, and more. By having the opportunity to engage with students from vastly different backgrounds in new environments, members of the IAA gain extensive personal development. Additionally, conferences allow students to grow their confidence, learn to negotiate for what they believe in, learn to work with difficult people, and develop advocacy skills. As such, IAA gives students the opportunity to learn how to be leaders in professional and academic settings.
  • Students are given the opportunity to attend conferences at a low cost, removing socio-economic barriers to these opportunities for growth. While many universities, such as the University of Washington, require their members to pay for conference fees, hotel, transportation, and other expenses out of pocket which creates barriers to attendance for low-income students, WWU IAA ensures that these conferences remain low-cost and accessible to all students who wish to attend. Funding through the Department Related Activities Committee allows the opportunities offered by this organization to remain inclusive for all students.

Clarifications

  • The Model UN Team is part of the International Affairs Association, and the terms are often used interchangeably.
  • Model UN has nothing to do with modelling for pictures or anything like that. It is an activity in which students simulate the United Nations by bringing forward policy solutions for international problems from the perspective of an assigned country. Essentially, students act as the delegate from a UN Member State. Students wear western business attire and behave as delegates in the UN would.
  • Model UN requires that all delegates write a position paper, in which they outline their assigned country’s position on the topics at hand and proposed policy solutions, before the conference. At the conference, students must negotiate with other delegates, while remaining in the perspective of their assigned country, to build consensus around policy solutions and craft a cohesive UN resolution.

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