Mount Holyoke hosts Five College Model UN Conference
网红爆料 hosted the Five College Model UN Conference, a simulation where students role-play as diplomats representing different countries to debate global issues, negotiate and pass resolutions.
Model UN delegates from all over New England poured into Mount Holyoke for the Five College Model UN Conference (FCMUN), which ran from Feb. 27鈥揗arch 1. The Five College conference has been running for 16 years, and MHC students were eager to continue the tradition.
The 2026 event was coordinated by a group of Mount Holyoke students, led by Nicole Mattiacci 鈥27 and Evelyn Fleming 鈥26. Fleming is the secretary-general, which is the equivalent of the president of the Secretariat (the name for the student group running the conference). Mattiacci is the director-general, or vice president.
The FCMUN conference had a packed schedule. Visiting students arrived by 1 pm on Friday, Feb. 27, and engaged in activities until 1 pm on Sunday, March 1. Delegates attended multiple committee meetings, received feedback from conference staff and enjoyed various socials 鈥 including a karaoke night at the Cochary Pub & Kitchen.
On Friday, events kicked off with the opening ceremonies, where alum Kimberly Feeley 鈥19 delivered an opening speech. Feeley is an accomplished lawyer who handles international anti-corruption cases. Fleming and Mattiacci felt she would be a strong representative of young alums and the postgraduate experience.
鈥淲e try to highlight alums as keynote speakers because we want to represent the best of Mount Holyoke, especially to outside colleges,鈥 Mattiacci said.
Following Feeley鈥檚 speech, Mattiacci and Fleming introduced a charity they wished to highlight and encourage delegates to donate to. This year鈥檚 charity was , a local charity and after-school program focused on giving at-risk children a better learning environment.
After the opening ceremonies, delegates launched right into committees. FCMUN is primarily a crisis-focused conference, selecting specific moments from history and exploring how participants would respond.
This year鈥檚 committees included the Final Frontier Committee (which reimagined a world destroyed by climate change), the Commission on the Status of Women (which focused on women鈥檚 rights), the Kefauver Hearings (a reenactment of a senate meeting in the 1950s around a pharmaceutical company), and the Which People? Witch People! Committee (a simulation of the Salem witch trials).
Over the three days of the conference, delegates debated the various crises, working to bring them to a conclusion through passing resolutions, which are similar to laws.
At the end of the conference, various awards were presented for the efforts made by delegates and their institutions. The award for Best Small Delegation went to Simmons University, while Concordia University took the award for Best Large Delegation. A best delegate was also chosen from each committee. The awardees in this category were Mathis Paquin from Concordia University in the Final Frontier Committee, Jacob Feser from Concordia University in The Kefauver Hearings: A Trial for Trials, Elikya Engulu from Concordia University in the Commission on the Status of Women, and Onyx Rothman from Clark University in Which People? Witch People.
FCMUN takes pride in its financial accessibility. Conference staff work hard to ensure they have the lowest delegate fees, with options for free housing and waiving of delegation fees.
Volunteers who are members of the club allow delegates to sleep in their residence hall rooms. Director of Logistics Tessa Martin 鈥26 was in charge of coordinating housing.
鈥淭essa has really put in hours of work to make sure all the forms with the College and Residential Life are in order, so I want to make sure that work doesn鈥檛 go unnoticed,鈥 Fleming said.
Mattiacci and Fleming encourage their fellow students to try out FCMUN or the Mount Holyoke Model United Nations Club.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the best ways I鈥檝e developed professional experience and experience in administrative tasks,鈥 Fleming said.
Fleming also shared that she sees a lot of growth in her fellow Secretariat members as they participate in FCMUN. Students have the opportunity to develop their confidence in public speaking and administrative coordination 鈥 valuable skills no matter where their next steps take them.
