Model United Nations

Dear Participants of the Hofstra University Model United Nations Conference,

My name is Jacob Bass and I am a senior History and Social Studies Education major, as well as one of the Co-Chairs of the United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL) committee for this year's HUMUNC conference. It will be great to meet all of you soon!

I have been involved with Model UN ever since ninth grade in high school. Model United Nations is a concept that has always fascinated me, combining my love for global affairs with a great opportunity to practice speech and debate in a unique way. Now in college, I had my first experience with the Hofstra Model United Nations Conference (HUMUNC) two years ago as a backroom member of a crisis committee. I served as Co-Chair for the NATO committee last year, and throughout my experience over those days, I was able to see just how this conference can be eventful, fun, productive, and educational. I have come back to lead a committee at HUMUNC 2026 for you all.

For a long time, I have loved history; it is my favorite subject in school, with math close behind. I have found my love for it growing in various ways over the years, and becoming a teacher is something I truly desire to do. I want to make learning history more interesting and not the stereotypical "boring" subject in school. We are living history every day- even if we are not thinking about it - and the study of global affairs can be our way of studying history as it is happening. In this committee, you will be doing just that, involving yourself and making history in the present!

But be aware that this will not be an easy task to complete, as a case we are looking at involves Kurdistan, a word that describes a place, a people, and an idea that, unlike the states represented on our own committee, does not show up as a nation on world maps. The Kurdish people have long been estimated as the largest ethnic group in the world without their own country. Kurdish autonomy and rights have been subject of referendums, protests over cultural expression, armed resistance, and decades of oppression. Several questions remain: what will be the fate of the Kurds? Will Kurdistan ever become a recognized state? Will Kurds be able to function in semi-autonomous regions of existing states? How will Kurds continue to thrive in the center of the churning geopolitics of the Middle East?

In this committee topic, it will be up to you to come together and represent the international community's response to the Kurdish question while balancing issues of human rights and cultural preservation at the heart of your challenge.

Stay excited,

Jacob Bass
Co-chair, SPECPOL
HUMUNC2026

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to HUMUNC and the WHO committee! My name is Aadi Gadekar, and I am one of your chairs for the WHO committee. I am from northern New Jersey and am a second-year student at Hofstra. I am a double-major in Biology and Global Studies, while also enrolled in Hofstra's BS/MD program in the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine.

I have always loved geography, so I was encouraged to join Model UN in high school. Even though my first MUN conference in my freshman year was virtual due to COVID-19, I had a great time apd was encouraged to continue. I did GA through most of high school, although recently, I've chosen to participate in more crisis and specialized committees. For Hofstra's MUN conference (HUMUNC) last year, I had the opportunity to help out with one of the specialized committees, so I'm looking forward to co-chairing the WHO committee this year.

In my free time, I enjoy reading and learning new languages. I'm currently reading The Lumumba Plot, a book about the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Patrice Lumumba, and how his government was taken down by various groups both inside and outside of the country. For the past few years, I've been focusing on learning three languages: Marathi, Hindi, and Spanish. I developed my passion for learning languages while improving my ability to speak my mother tongue, Marathi, and now, I'm committed to becoming fluent in all of the languages I've chosen to study. Other than that, I recently started baking, and I love listening to J. Cole; I think that 4 Your Eyez Only is his best album by far.

I'm very excited to be your Co-chair for the WHO committee and am looking forward to reading all of your committee papers! The goal that I and the rest of us at HUMUNC have for this year is to create a welcoming environment for everyone to learn from each other. As most of you know, global health initiatives around the world have been severely impacted by funding cuts and other challenges. Therefore, we hope that you all walk away from this committee with a better understanding of the vital work of agencies like the WHO and the challenges that they face. If you have any questions about the committee or if you just want to talk in general, you can always send me an email! If you have any questions about the conference itself, you can also email hofstramodelun@gmail.com. Good luck researching, and I can't wait to meet all of you!

Best of luck,

Aadi Gadekar
WHO Co-Chair
HUMUNC2026
agadekar1@pride.hofstra.edu

Dear Delegates,

It is a great pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Joseph Falco Jr., and I am a senior at Hofstra University. I have been studying Computer Science and Cybersecurity, and it has been a blast so far. Most importantly, I am your Co-Chair for the upcoming ECOSOC committee during this HUMUNC conference.

I first experienced Model UN during my first year at Hofstra University. Although I had no experience beforehand, the concept immediately captured my interest, and from there, I participated in this club as much as possible. My experiences have led to me participating in several competitions from different colleges, where I haye learned a great deal and had fun while participating. This will be my second time serving as a Co-Chair, so you can trust that I'll be able to deliver on making this a wonderful experience.

Besides my involvement in Model UN, I am a huge fan of video games. I enjoy RPGs and platformers, but I generally enjoy any genre of video games as long as they are fun. It is difficult to choose my favorite game, but at this time, it is Persona 3 Reload. Aside from that, I enjoy acting and the amount of work involved in creating a character and narrative. Plays and musicals are among my favorite acting genres, so much so that I often get involved in school productions whenever I have the opportunity. One more thing, I am a huge fan of dogs. It does not matter what dog it is; I guarantee you I will love it from the bottom of my heart.

I am hoping that through this introduction, I might lessen your nerves for this competition. I have been in your place before, and I know that sometimes it can feel stressful to prepare for a Model UN competition. However, the main priority for this competition is for you all to have fun. After all, why put all your effort into something if you cannot enjoy it? Let us find the answer to this question together and make this a fantastic experience. Have fun and get ready for this amazing opportunity! I look forward to meeting all of you soon.

Sincerely,

Joseph Falco Jr.
ECOSOC Committee Co-Chair
HUMUNC2026

Dear Delegates,

My name is Joshua Black and I am honored to chair this year's Historical Crisis Committee. I am a third-year student at Hofstra with a double major in Political Science and Public Policy and Public Service, as well as a minor in European Studies and a concentration in International Relations. I was born in the United States, but I have lived the majority of my life in Germany. This is my second year in Hofstra Model UN, but I have participated in other schools' MUN and other simulations for the past seven years. In that span, this will be my fifth time as chair, and I am once again excited for the opportunity.

With formalities out of the way, I would like to express how excited I am for this committee in particular. The Cold War is one of the most pivotal periods in modern history because it ushered in globe defining changes and always carried with it the potential for disastrm.is consequences. Due to my background with Germany, the dangers of these scenarios are very close to me, and I am incredibly proud of the work your crisis director and I have put into this committee to examine them with you.

In this simulation, you may find it hard to agree, even (or especially) with those in your own bloc who you are meant to stand with. You may find many times where you are forced to compromise or give in on some of your objectives. I am confident, however, that this will facilitate creative solutions to the global questions you will be faced with. It's seeing this creativity in action that made HUMUNC one of my favorite events last year, and why I am eager to participate again this year. I look forward to being your chair and hope to see your negotiation skills and creativity in action as you are thrust into one of the most intense diplomatic periods in history.

Best,

Joshua Black
Historical Crisis Chair
HUMUNC 2026

Direction From your Crisis Director

Welcome to Berlin comrades, I am Teuscher Ganir (he/him), and I will be directing your crises throughout this committee. I am a sophomore here at Hofstra University studying English literature and philosophy. I've been involved in Model United Nations for several years now, split between my sophomore to senior years in high school and my freshman year at Hofstra. I've had the pleasure of representing a mobster, a monarch, a dictator, and a premier throughout my time as a delegate, but this is my first time crisis directing. For those delegates who are returning, last year I was assistant crisis director for A Correspondence of Crowns. Enough about myself, here's more about the committee.

I've designed this committee to focus on Berlin, and in a sense, Europe broadly, but I encourage you delegates to use all your knowledge of the early Cold War for this committee. My hope is that delegates will be able to forge a peaceful path of co-existence or even unification throughout the timespan of this committee. I hope you can find Cold War Berlin as interesting as I do.

On specifics of the committee, consider that if you were anybody of substance in this period, you likely spent time in Berlin to execute your role in the Cold War. Diplomats, spies, philosophers, soldiers, and all sorts of influential speakers for and against Marxism and capitalism made it to Berlin. Delegates, prepare to reimagine Germany, Europe, the world and the Cold War. Now it's your turn, comrades; we'll convene in Berlin.

Sincerely,

Teuscher Ganir
Crisis Director, Historical Crisis
HUMUNC2026

Hello Distinguished Delegates,

Welcome to the World Health Organization! My name is Nishanth Arumugam and it is my absolute pleasure to be one of your Co-Chairs for the WHO.
HUMUNC 2026 for me is quite special because it officially marks my 10th year of participation in Model United Nations. This decade-long involvement has genuinely been one of the most formative experiences of my life and I hope that you are all able to reap the same benefits that I still feel.

Outside of Model UN, I am a third-year pre-medical student with a major in Biochemistry and a minor in Sociology. I am also a student researcher and a Resident Assistant on campus. While the premedical path is not the field typically associated with Model United Nations, the research, communication, and leadership skills I developed here definitely are. I hope that this conference is the exciting and fun experience that Model UN is for me and your participation in the WHO committee will inspire you all to look deeper at how healthcare systems function.

Good luck with your research and preparation! I look forward to meeting you all in February and seeing what you accomplish at HUMUNC!

Best Regards,

Nish Arumugam
WHO Co-Chair
HUMUNC2026

Dear Esteemed Delegates,

Welcome to the Hofstra University Model United Nations Conference (HUMUNC) 2026! It is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you as we gather for this year's conference.

I am honored to be one of your Economic and Social Council (ECO SOC) chairs this year and I am greatly looking forward to not only meeting all of you, but to hear your wonderful ideas throughout this committee sessions. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to guide and facilitate meaningful discussions on critical global issues.

During the ECOSOC sessions, we will engage in insightful debates, negotiate resolutions, and work collaboratively towards finding innovative solutions to the challenges that our world faces.

In our committee, you will focus not only on social and humanitarian matters but also on issues that deeply impact the culture and environment of societies worldwide.
As Co-Chair, my role is to ensure a fair and productive environment where every voice is heard, and every delegate has the oppmtunity to contribute to the shaping of impactful resolutions. I am here to support you in navigating the intricacies of procedure and to guide the committee towards consensus and progress.

I look forward to witnessing your passion, dedication, and innovative thinking as we tackle these important issues during this conference. Together, we have the chance to make a real difference and inspire positive change on a global scale.

Once again, welcome to the Hofstra Model United Nations ECOSOC Committee 2026! Let us embark on this journey with a shared commitment to fostering understanding, cooperation, and meaningful solutions.

Best regards,

Sydra Daniyal
Co-Chair, ECOSOC
HUMUNC2026

Hello Delegates!

Welcome to HUMUNC 2026! My name is Raven Bateman, and I have the absolute pleasure of serving as your Secretary-General for this year's conference.

Although much of my high school experience followed a non-linear pathway thanks to COVID-19, this is technically my seventh year doing MUN after participating as much as I could throughout high school. With Hofstra MUN, I have participated in three crisis committees so far, with more planned for the future. At HUMUNC last year, I served as a co-chair for the World Health Organization committee, and I worked in the back room for the Historical Crisis Committee in the year prior. MUN has taught me so much about the global order and the issues we face as an international community, so I hope that your HUMUNC experience can provide as m ny opportunities for you to learn such valuable lessons as it has for me.

In such unprecedented and challenging times, the theme of this conference is especially pertinent: "Navigating the Changing World Order." As delegates, you will all have the opportunity to tackle some of the most pressing struggles facing our society today, whether it be examining alternative outcomes to the 2016 United States presidential election in our Contemporary Crisis Committee or proposing solutions to a growing global housing crisis in ECOSOC. On behalf of the entirety of the Hofstra University Model United Nations club, we are so excited to welcome you to our campus for a weekend of exciting and important debates. We cannot wait to see how much you accomplish!

Other than serving as Secretary-General and MUN, I am now a third-year student here at Hofstra. I'm pursuing a double major in Biology and Political Science, with minors in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Global Studies as well as being patt of the direct entry BS/MS five-year program Hofstra offers. Outside of the classroom, I work in Hofstra' s Chemistry Lab stock room and am a member of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. Aside from academics, I am a lifelong dancer. I've been a hula dancer (think Lilo and Stitch!) for more than fifteen years and was competitive for about five of those years. At Hofstra, I also dance with the non-audition team, transcenDANCE, and serve as their event coordinator. I also work as a copy editor for the Hofstra Chronicle and participate in SMACS (Student Members of the American Chemical Society) club.

Along with your chairs, I am always here as a resource for you - before, during, and after the HUMUNC weekend-whether you have questions about anything MUN-related or are simply curious about college life and beyond!

I'm looking forward to meeting all of you soon and having a great time at HUMUNC!

Best,

Raven Bateman
Secretary-General
HUMUNC2026
rbateman1@pride.hofstra.edu

Dear Delegates,

Hello, everyone, I am super excited to have all of you here at HUMUNC 2026! My name is Amber Bianchi, and I am a Journalism and Criminology major and Business minor here at Hofstra. I am a senior and will be graduating in May. I was born and raised in Sicily, Italy and then spent most of my teenage years in the United States, in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Unlike you, I never participated in Model UN in high school, so I love that there are many of you who will be learning important skills at HUMUNC before you get to college. I was surprised to find my home away from home at our Model UN club, where I am currently in my second term as public relations chair. While I continue to participate in this club because of the bonds I have made, I ultimately stayed because .of the skills I learned, including public speaking and working cooperatively with others to achieve goals.

In addition to being a Journalism major, I currently intern at NBC Sports in Connecticut. I work with the team covering the Olympics. I just recently finished working sixty hours per week in preparation for NBC's Olympic coverage. I previously interned for the "NBC News Now" team with Tom Llamas. Another fun fact about me is the fact that I have a Russian tortoise in my dorm named Corn. Additionally, I am a Marvel nerd- Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite movie series; Groot is my spirit tree. I also love Loki, and more especially the Disney+ series of the same name. Don't ask me about anything Antman related, this concept freaks me out.

My interest in space manifested during my Model UN experience, where many outside committees deal with space-related topics. For my first conference at NYU, I was in a historical joint crisis committee, which simulated the race to land on the moon. At the Princeton Model UN conference, I was a part of the Kessler Syndrome committee where I served as a representative of the Russian space agency. We were tasked with cleaning up space, which I did not accomplish, although I managed to annex China with the support of India.

My interest in journalism led me to chair this specialized committee on the United Nations Press Corps twice now, to debate topics including how different agencies "work" together. In addition, delegates will be assigned to cover the other committees and report on their proceedings to the larger MUNUC. Rest assured, there will be multiple opportunities to explore journalism in theory and practice.

Sincerely,

Amber Bianchi
Press Corps Specialized Chair
HUMUNC2025

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to HUMUNC 2026! My name is Jacob Iacobovici, a sophomore at Hofstra University and I will be your Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Hofstra's Model United Nations Conference 2026. I am a Political Science major with minors in English and History, and I hope to pursue a career in international relations.

I have lived and breathed Model UN since the start of high school and I am now able to continue my participation in college. This is my second year being involved with HUMUNC and my first time serving as the.USG for this conference. I am very excited to meet all of you and to help you have an amazing conference.

As delegates and as students, there will be a wide variety of global events from across history to learn about and debate. Whether it be about the German Divide in 1960 or the 2016 Presidential election, everyone involved will be enthralled in the thrilling debate and engaging conversations. In the very polarizing times of today, Model UN serves a unique purpose as a way to stay engaged in current and historical events while enabling polite discourse that makes room for differing perspectives. This conference should be your opportunity to immerse yourself in your committees and be yourself, while bringing your own touch to every crisis note and every resolution you choose to write.

I am excited to see every single one of you show your diplomatic prowess as you elevate each committee with new ideas, brilliant speeches, and resolutions that you bring to the table. Remember, in Model UN, you write your own destiny.

Warm Regards,

Jacob Iacobovici
Undersecretary-General
HUMUNC 2026

Dear Delegates,

I'm ecstatic to co-chair the Contemporary Crisis committee this year! Without further ado, I'll get the formalities out of the way first.

I'm Patrick Bruso (he/him), a Senior at Hofstra and pursuing a Political Science major with an International Relations focus. I'm a Massachusetts-born and raised guy who joined my high school's MUN club freshman year and have been active in MUN circles since. In total, I've had seven years of MUN experience, and this will be my third conference that I'm chairing. I'm very excited for this opportunity, not only for the ability to moderate debate, but also for the opportunity to meet you!

Formalities aside, this committee's topic truly holds historical significance in both form and content. Being in Model UN for close to eight years now, the manner of which we debate, and how roles have been selected have always remained constant, this time we are twisting things up. As you will come to read, delegates participating in this committee will practice strong oratory skills alongside of strategic thinking to achieve their overarching goals. All of this set to one of the most consequential events in recent political history, the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Delegates will take the reins of the political apparatus of the day. As these figureheads, delegates will face the political dilemmas on the campaign trail, all while braving the unstoppable political winds that bore down that fateful November. Suffice to say, this committee will be set on a wild ride of staged debates, and political hijinks that could usher America into a new season. Whether that season be an American spring or an American winter, the choice is yours.

May the odds ever be in your favor!

Patrick Bruso
Co-Chair, Contemporary Crisis
HUMUNC2026

Dear Delegates,

My name is Craig Mannino (he/him); I'm a senior Writing Studies and English major here at Hofstra. I've been participating in Model United Nations since high school - where I served as Secretary-General of the club - meaning I have a whopping six years of experience to draw from. That said, this will be my first time chairing a conference, so I am thrilled to be starting off strong with you all!

Outside of MUN, I have a deep interest in following contemporary politics, and- given the constant political upheavals we've experienced in the past few years - trying to answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" Hopefully, you feel the same about exploring the future, as over the course of the committee, we're going to work to do just that.

This committee will bring us through the ups and downs of the 2016 election, from the primaries to the general election - wading through the media landscape, navigating the throes of social media, and defeating political apathy to ensure your suppmiers "Pokemon Go to the polls." Work hard to work with (and against) your fellow delegates to answer the dozens of "What ifs?" America has wrestled since 2016, and, most impotiantly, have fun.

Good luck!

Craig Mannino
Crisis Co-Chair
UMUNC2026