Model Arab League: 2022 Season in Review
Photo By LA Easley
Centenary’s Model Arab League (MAL) team has had a successful run at two conferences this year. From February 12-13, 2022, the team competed in Houston’s Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce Regional Conference, and from March 18-20, 2022, they went all the way to Spartanburg, South Carolina for the Southeast Regional Model Arab League (SERMAL) Conference. Most years MAL only attends one conference in the spring, but after a second consecutive year winning the overall first place delegation award in the Houston Conference representing Bahrain and several individual awards including Lily Ann (LA) Easley’s first-place award in the Political Affairs Council, Jo Bennett, and Milla Reddick won first place in the Social Affairs Council, and Nia Passman’s second-place award for the Council on Environmental Affairs, they were able to secure funding for the second conference in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
For Houston, the team consisted of four seniors—LA Easley, a Communications and Political Science duel degree, Jo Bennett, a History major and Political Science minor, Milla Reddick, a Biology and Neuroscience major, and Nia Passman, a Biology major and English minor—and one French exchange student—Noemie Loiselle, a Journalism and History major. At the Houston conference, Centenary’s team represented 4 out of 5 councils and was the smallest team present with only five members compared to most colleges’ 10+ member teams.
For the Spartanburg Conference Centenary’s team continued to represent Bahrain and dropped to four members—Easley, Bennett, Reddick, and Passman—and they would only represent three out of eight councils. This put the team at a large disadvantage for any overall awards. Despite the small group though, Centenary’s MAL team won third place overall, LA Easley won first place in her council, and Jo Bennett and Milla Reddick won first place in their council.
So, what is MAL, and what happens at conferences? The Model Arab League Conference is a simulation for representing countries that are members of the Arab League. This is a way for Centenary students to learn the history and politics of the Middle East, learn how countries work together to pass resolutions for problems in this simulation, and build their resume not only with awards, such as winning First Place against schools with student populations over 80 times larger than Centenary just this last year but by talking to renowned international and foreign figures that come to facilitate the event.
Centenary’s TREK program and Mission Statement push students to look outside their community and develop valuable skills for operating in the world. Model Arab League exemplifies the five components of TREK and specifically is showcased in this section of the Mission Statement: “Centenary students will be challenged to read, listen, and think critically; to write and speak clearly; to analyze, interpret, and synthesize ideas and information qualitatively and quantitatively; to celebrate the diversity of human cultures; and to appreciate the value of artistic expression.”
Model Arab League also encourages cross-disciplinary application of ideas and skills, which encourages students to continue learning outside the classroom and enhances learning in the classroom. Just a few of the skills that you’ll gain in MAL are public speaking, leadership, diplomacy, negotiation skills, and research. These skills can help students with career focuses such as Pre-Law, Communications, Environmental Studies, Business, and countless other vocations.
The MENA region, which is composed of the Middle East and Northern Africa, is often left out of curricula. Model Arab League provides an opportunity for students to expand their knowledge of diverse, under-represented cultures. People from the MENA region are also under-represented at Centenary, and Model Arab League works to undo beliefs about the Middle East and Africa based on ignorance and bigotry, while providing students whose families are from the MENA region a place to connect with their cultural heritage; as former President of Model Arab League, Maria Zabaneh, can attest.
While providing this important opportunity for all of campus to gain a better understanding of the history and politics of the MENA region, the club also provides credit hours for the vast amount of research and study you dedicate to the program. You can gain 0-2 credit hours in history or political science, a total of 8 maximum credit hours during your time at Centenary focused on the Middle East and Africa.
In April, MAL will be celebrating April’s Arab-American Heritage Month on campus with a three-day event April 12-14, 2022. The festivities and learning opportunities will include a lecture during convocation hour from the MAL team, Dean Pierce, and Anne-Marie Bruner-Tracey on Bahrain and the MENA region; it will be a fun event in the library on April 13th from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., where you can learn more about MAL, sign up for next year, and eat some desserts. There will also be a panel during Convocation Hour, discussing several critical topics. Make sure to mark your calendars and come support your fellow Arab-American peers and the Model Arab League!
