KUNA Chronicle

Kicking Off KUNA

By Sean Sullivan

H ours after KUNA officially began, the country

exhibition known as Global Village opened up.
In Global Village, delegates of each country select
a location within the Grand Ballroom, and decorate
it with artifacts and decorations of their countries.
New resolutions and fresh ideas emerged in this
KUNA session, like Germanys Cultural Immersion
resolution. Refugees are more likely to be violent
in a society where they are marginalized and
looked down upon, and this resolution seeks to
fix that, says Eric Allison, a representative for
Germany and their resolution.
We want to pass a resolution that would make
it easier for refugees to find a new life in places
like Germany without harm or hate from their new
society.
Resolutions like Germanys show the passion
the ambassadors at the 2017 KUNA have for
representing their country and the resolutions
sponsored therein.
All in all, its been a great start to KUNA, and the
Global Village exhibition was a major success.
Spotlight on Security Council
By Mia Kendrick

What Do They Do?

Security Council is one of the many programs that is a part of the KUNA experience. This special
student group gathers together to discuss serious issues and crises around the world. In the Security
Council, one member from a country is able to get together in blocks to form resolutions that will
address the issues discussed in the meeting. Each member is tasked with writing a resolution draft
and with preparing a position paper that outlines the position of their country on the three Security
Council Issues. To pass a resolution, there needs to be a 60% consensus and all five of the Permanent
Members of the council (from China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States) must
agree. If there is a consensus but the Permanent Members dont agree with it, then they have the
power to veto any resolutions.

Debating in the Council

There are three main issues that are discussed in the Security Council. Resolutions for these issues are
made and then discussed in the meetings. Before debating, there is a segment for technical questions;
however, instead of having to follow the more strict parliamentary procedures, the ambassadors who
wish to speak raise their placards to be called on and then they ask their questions. The President of
the Security Council Kate Leahey says, Debate is more open, so people can respond to each others
arguments and explore new ways to solve problems. Although it has a more relaxed procedure, the
Security Councils level of debate is higher than what can be found in other committees or summits.
The ambassadors debate resolutions, amendments to the resolutions, and even amendments to the
amendments. There is a huge level of communication, and it allows almost everyone who wishes to speak
to do so. Instead of having certain pro speeches and con speeches, the countries can have the floor to
say what they think about the resolution.

Why Its So Cool

The Security Council is unlike any other program. Debating in the Security Council requires more
communication skills than in the Committees or Summits, because the members form blocks, which
is where groups of countries with similar interests band together to make resolutions to address the
issues in a matter that they seem fit. Many countries during the caucus hours group together to share
ideas and to form opinions on the resolutions being debated. This makes forming connections with
people is easier and it helps to open ones mind to different ideas. Micah Fowler, from Boyle County
High School, is representing China, one of the Permanent Members. In Security Council, there is more
time connecting with people you dont know. You have less time in your comfort zone, Micah said. For
people going to KUNA to form new friendships with people from across the state, Security Council is
one of the best ways to do so.
 Security Council Hacked
A t the High School KUNA 2
conference, United Nations
information was breached. The
Security Council took action
and had a discussion about the
issue. Several emails had been
recovered from the media team.
While in the Security Council
meeting, the United States
informed the council that a recent
leaking of emails had caused
the United Kingdom and the
United States
to not support
the resolution
being discussed.
According to the
United States,
Russia had been
intervening with
the Middle East
and was behind
the cyber attacks
towards the US.
The US proposed
sending troops
into Ukraine to
monitor Russia.
During a caucus,
the countries
talked to the US,
UK, and Russian
representatives to help develop a
stance on how to feel about the
recent events. During discussion,
India, Korea, Morocco, Ukraine,
Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Sweden,
Argentina, and Laos sided with
Russia. UK and Denmark openly
agreed with the US. Mauritania,
Haiti, Samoa, France, and
Germany stated that they would
stay neutral.
After further investigations,
the United States and the United
Kingdom decided to declare
war on Russia. They asked
By Mia Kendrick
their allies to gather their forces.
Many representatives had a hard
time trying to stay on task with
discussing the current issues and
resolutions. The United States
and the United Kingdom tried
to strip Russias veto power.
Russia, in retaliation to the United
countries stated, If you declare
war on mother Russia, we will
bury you!
After the second General
Assembly, the power went out
due to someone tampering
with the power. The culprit was
unknown. Countries blamed each
other and gathered with other
countries to try and make a pact.
After the disorder, the countries
settled down and resumed
the meeting. The mindset had
shifted. The attacks on the UN
as a whole had caused them to
join together to try and to pursue
peace. Finding out who was
really behind the attacks was
pressing on the minds of the
Security Council members.
Sweden made a resolution
proposing to shift the focus
of the Security Council from
the three issues, towards
the main crisis that were at
hand. They also called for
a ceasefire, immobilization,
and the condemnation of the
hacker. Russia vetoed the
resolution. Russia was invading
and militarizing Ukraine, US
was asked to
intervene.
Fingers were
still being pointed
after several
moderated
caucuses.
UK received
communications
that revealed
that Russia had
been preparing
for an attack on
New York. To
this point, there
had been no
real progress
in solving the
crisis. Some
countries were
not cooperating.
Hysteria was spreading,
the countries trying to solve
the issue. The SZRU was
responsible for a coup in the
Ukraine and was responsible
for the attack on the UN.
Ukrainian president was M.I.A,
the intelligence agency was the
one who orchestrated the coup.
Ukraine needed US and UK
military forces to help overthrow
the coup in Ukraine. The issue
had been resolved.
 Security Council in Review
By Joseph Coffey
S ecurity Council is a program where students
get to experience what it feels like to be a
representative for the country their school is
representing. This year, forty-one students got
the chance to represent countries spanning from
the U.S. to the Vatican City, with nothing but their
countys needs and wants in mind.
In this exciting and thrilling program, hot
topics were discussed and debated between the
representatives. This year, the representatives
debated issues such as immigration and space
exploration. Each country had the opportunity to
state what they thought about the issue.
Once each representative had received the
chance to state their opinion, the council broke
into a ten to thirty minute session to caucus
among themselves and forge resolutions with
countries who share similar opinions. During each
session, representatives displayed leadership and
teamwork while working together.
After the session concluded, the council reunited
and debated the newly formed resolutions.
After copious amounts of debate between the
representatives and without biased opinions, the
countries voted and amended the resolutions to
best fit the needs of all countries.
After experiencing the debates and caucuses
between the countries, it was obvious that all of
the representatives studied and researched their
countries thoroughly. Every representative kept
their country in mind when debating and amending
resolutions. This lead to heated debates between
clashing countries over the presented issues. Even
after the brutal debates, the representatives still
enjoyed themselves and had an exciting time in the
2017 KUNA Security Council debates.
 Chidum Okeke Interview with the HS KUNA 2 Secretary General
By Sean Sullivan

When did you start attending Y conferences?

I started in eigth grade. I started with KUNA I didnt do
KYA that year.
What do you like about KUNA?
I like coming to a different place where you can see different perspectives
from other people and the countries they represent, and its a way to separate
yourself from the American identity and seek a perspective that maybe you
havent seen before.
What was it like running for secretary general?
It was pretty competitive-- I ran against 15 candidates. But I liked it because I got
to talk to different people and get my name out there. And I think I was able to
just go out there and be comfortable, be vulnerable, and just talk to people that
I would never usually talk to. So I guess then people can see my want for the
position and my capability to serve as secretary-general.

Is it hard dealing with everything the secretary general does?

It can be pretty overwhelming at times. It hasnt gotten too bad, but tonight it should be
pretty busy.
Human rights simulation evokes emotion in some,
and newfound perspective for all
By Seth Longworth

A nnually at KUNA, a meaningful demonstration takes place where something that is often
overlooked and taken for granted is carefully put into perspective for universal understanding.
The demonstration exhibits a similar purpose at each conference, yet it is always modernized
to ensure the meaning is understood and felt by all. Most delegates are aware of the current
international refugee crisis.
To bring light to this topic, each of the presiding officers selected a country to speak on. For
example, Security Council President Kate Leahey spoke on the corrupt government of Myanmar
and brought to the assemblys attention that over 65,000 had fled Myanmar for Bangladesh.
International Court of Justice President Taylor Whitsell highlighted that the Congo, although a
hidden gem in relation to natural resources, was a poorly developed country prone to violence.
Although over 900 refugees have been relocated to Lexington, KY from the Congo, a common
theme of the entire presentation was, There is still more to do.
To conclude the simulation, a representative from the Congo was brought forth to make known
that if the entire Congo delegation were refugees, only the individual brought forward would survive
and create a successful life for themselves. This demonstration also acted as an invitation for
delegates to contribute to the Kentucky YMCA Global Initiative fund, which is an important outreach
that, according to Y-Staff Alex Muckler, will, help to right some of the wrongs in these countries.
 Louisville at Night, photo by Emilee Moore

My Favorite Part about KUNA is...

Meeting people who are How united everyone is, how I Meeting and talking to all the
passionate about the same things can talk to everyone, and how new people
as I am and getting to immerse friendly, diverse, and culturally
myself in other countries aware everyone is

Graham Shaw Sarah Ali Jake Gawarecki

Desales HS Tates Creek HS Louisville Holy Cross
 The Elevator Ride from Hell
By Joseph Coffey

T he date was March 24, General Assembly would commence soon, so nineteen students and three
elders made their way to the elevator. They had all just had a good nights sleep and were looking
forward to another day of KUNA, but little did they know, their day would not start off on a good note.
While the rest of KUNA was at GA, the unlucky 22 stood helplessly in a blazing, crowded room of
torture for 55 minutes. Administrators searched for their missing students, but their attempts were to no
avail.
The problem began as soon as the first student stepped aboard the elevator. Printed on the wall
near the bottom of the elevator was the weight capacity. One of the students on the elevator later
stated, You would have had to have been searching for the weight limit to find where it was. The
weight limit on the elevator was 3500 lbs. With 22 people on the elevator at once, the weight limit was
easily surpassed.
The elevator was making its way down to the third floor, but because of the weight of the
passengers, the elevator passed the third floor and came to a stop between the second and third
floors. Soon after being stopped, the students inside realized they werent going to make it to the GA.
The heat set in not too long afterward, and then the sweat followed, but the situation quickly got worse.
Not too long after the room started to heat up, the air started to run out. Students described it as
only being able to get half a breath every time they breathed in. To the everyones relief, some of the
students managed to pry open the door so that fresh air could flow into the dank room. After battling
the heat and shortness of air for about 15 minutes, some hotel staff members came to the scene
and notified technicians. The technicians had to manually lift the elevator; the machine could not
do the task by itself. The students inside were not allowed to climb out of the elevator due to safety
precautions, so they waited about another 30 minutes for the elevator to reach the third floor before
they could exit. As the sweaty and equally tired students rushed out of the elevator, staff met them to
see if they were okay and gave them water, so the students could cool themselves off. Although the
students missed GA and a part of their later meeting, everyone was fine in the end.
 KUNA is a time to come forward and celebrate the best of what each
delegation and country has to offer. We learn about different cultures,
different people, and different lifestyles, about the issues nations all around
the globe are facing, and how these issues affect not only those countries
citizens, but us as well. No other experience can match what KUNA
provides for us.
As high schoolers, citizens of Kentucky, we have the opportunity to
experience a world of cultures and ideas, all without traveling beyond the
borders of our state. Celebrate this opportunity. Relish in the experience,
for the lessons being learned and the memories being made are those that
will last a lifetime.
 Will Harris

Editor-in-chief

Letter from the Editor

Id like to thank the Media Corps team for all of their hard work over the past three days.
They have made my job as Editor-in-Chief much easier and have been nothing short of
fantastic. Whether it be the broadcast team, newspaper team, or photographers, I couldnt
have asked for a better group. I want to extend a huge thank you to my assistant editors;
Sarah Potts and Claire Nickell for their hard work in the weeks leading up to the conference
as well as today. The past three days have been nothing short of remarkable and I will not
forget the friends I have made and the people I have met. Serving as Editor-in-Chief has
been a huge honor and I am thankful for being elected to serve in this position. Attending
more than twenty conferences this one will definitely be remembered as my first. I wish my
Media Corps team the best of luck in all of their future endeavors as well as next years
Editor-in-Chief. For all of you considering Media Corps in the next few years I would strong-
ly encourage each and everyone of you to sign up! You will have a blast and learn so much
while you are participating in Media Corps.