Model EU Club travels to Poland for EUROSIM 2012

Skidmore's Model EU Club, which visited Poland in January to participate in EUROSIM, the annual intercollegiate, international gathering of student European Union clubs, will share stories from that event, host a mock EU simulation, and welcome new members when it gathers March 8 in Emerson Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. 

The March 8 mock simulation, open to all interested students, begins at 7:30 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium. Club members will share their knowledge about the club's history and present the simulation topic, which will be genetically modified organisms. Students attending will be given a briefing before the debate begins. Refreshments will be available.

Skidmore is one of six founding schools of the EUROSIM program, according to Claire Beihl '14, and Alexander Mell-Taylor '14, the club co-presidents. The club was launched more than 20 years ago and Professor Roy Ginsberg, an international expert on the EU, served as advisor for many years.

Currently, Government Department Chair Kate Graney is the Model EU advisor; she joined Beihl, Mell-Taylor and club members Emma Kurs '12, James Stanitz '15, Britt Dorfman '14, Jesse Ritner '15, and Roz Rothwell '14 on the recent trip to Poland. The Skidmore team spent 12 days in the university town of Wrocław, Poland, with approximately 200 students from American and European colleges. As in a session of the real EU, the student delegates tackled a challenging issue: immigration and the EU's asylum policy, which involved researching the issue and debating aspects of it with fellow delegates, with a goal of adopting a position that reflected the consensus of delegates' views.

The experience was eye-opening and highly positive, say the club leaders. A key difference between Skidmore and the European student groups is how the clubs are integrated in the life of the various schools. Skidmore's club is chartered by the SGA, and is entirely student organized and operated. Those participating are involved because of their strong interest in international relations, government, politics, and/or languages. In Europe, many Model EU clubs have classes devoted to the topic within their universities' curriculum, which strengthened their students' knowledge. Advance planning and research helped the Skidmore team overcome this challenge, according to the Skidmore students. 

Graney detailed the Skidmore team's preparation for the event. "The students themselves are responsible for preparing and executing virtually every aspect of the experience. They assign the "alter ego" roles, they research and prepare the position papers, they arrange the travel itinerary, and they are "on call" for three exhausting days of EUROSIM," she said. "They acquire many different skills -research, planning, writing, and most importantly, public speaking, interacting with peers in a professional way, travel. Not only do they learn much about the EU itself and a particular topic the EU is dealing with, they gain other important skills and life experiences."

Graney added, "I was really proud of the way the Skidmore delegation planned their trip to Poland this year, all the educational experiences they gave themselves in addition to the EUROSIM itself?visiting Warsaw and its Uprising Museum, navigating the Polish railway system, remaining professional and collegial with one another during a long overseas trip, among others. Skidmore is one of the few schools where EUROSIM students are much more responsible for planning than faculty, and they acquit themselves very well."

When they weren't actively involved in EUROSIM, the Skidmore students traveled around Wrocław and Warsaw. Warsaw in particular bears many examples of the Soviet influences of its recent past, particularly in its architecture. Evidence of the impact of World War II was obvious, something that surprised the students. And yet, "it was a great experience to be there, to meet so many other students, and to interact on issues of international importance," said Beihl. Mell-Taylor appreciated the opportunity "to meet people with different viewpoints" on a matter of mutual interest.

During a walking tour of Wrocław, the students got a taste of the city's culture by engaging in "gnome hunting." Gnomes, called Krasnoludek (or Krasnal) in Polish, arevisible throughout the city. They are mythological creatures common in medieval European folktales and literature. In Wrocław, the gnomes began to appear in the 1980s as a protest against communism. Mell-Taylor said that there is "no better way to see the city" than by gnome hunting, and proudly announced that the Skidmore students found 24 of them during their hunt. 

EUROSIM takes place every other year so in the spring of 2013, the Skidmore team will travel in to East Stroudsburg (Penn.) University for the EU conference. Beihl and Mell-Taylor are looking forward to connecting with like-minded students for the chance to again debate matters of international concern. Both believe that the EU undertakes issues that have implications for the global community, and they welcome the chance to dive in and learn more. They welcome other interested students to join them. Said Mell-Taylor, "The EU is a new and unique government institution - an evolution in the way governments are merging. A deeper understanding of it will give people a feel for the future."