by Elise Goitia '18

The Knox College Model United Nations club took a step in the literary direction and recently held an event based off the world created in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series.

The event, titled "Model UN: Muggles v. Wizards," gave students a scenario in which magical wizards attacked the British National History Museum in London, England, leading to the question of what would happen if muggles, or non-magical people, and wizards could no longer co-exist.

Doug Hulsether ‘16, vice president of Model UN, said he hoped the event would open up the experience of a fun, political debate to students who had never participated in one.

"The event offered a new sense of experience for people outside the club," Hulsether commented.

"While we do talk about international relations in our meetings, a lot of what we do is planning events like this that reach out to campus and we think will be engaging to people outside of our club," he added.

Model UN is a national organization where students participate in simulated meetings and discussions held by the United Nations. It provides the opportunity for students to learn firsthand the inner workings of democracy and experience politics through critical thinking and debate.

Sam Burgess ‘19 said the event helped her prepare for Model UN's spring break trip to Belgrade, Serbia, to debate in the International Model UN conference.

"The debate was great," she said about the event. "Model UN can seem intimidating, but it teaches you everything you need to know in a really fun way."

During the event, students dealt with real issues that paralleled ones discussed by the United Nations, such as supplying basic needs to wizarding families and how to react to muggle hostages being held in the magical prison, Azkaban. In 2015, the club organized a simulation, "Encounter: First Alien Contact," based on a hypothetical scenario of an international response to an impending invasion by a huge alien spacecraft.

"We have a small club that's dedicated to providing both international and national experiences in debate so that people can earn opportunities they couldn't otherwise at larger schools," said Zachary Fairclough '19, who acted as chair, or the leading mediator, during the debate.

The focus of the event, said Fairclough, was to open up Model UN further to the rest of the Knox campus. Many of the participants at the event belong to the Knox College Model UN Club, but some students who engaged in the debate had come to experience something new.

"This debate was a way to bridge that gap between relevant issues in a diplomatic world, as well as a fantasy that most people know and want to talk about," Fairclough added. "Putting yourself in a situation where you're able to learn from teaching others is why I love Model UN."

Photos - Above: As Richard and Door watch, Hunter battles one of the Black Friars in a scene from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, performed during Knox's Repertory Theatre Term 2016. Below, Knox's Model United Nations Club in 2015 debated how countries might respond to an alien invasion.