2016 Fall

2016 Fall Press Release

Baylor MOAS Team Excel at Regional Competition

This past weekend, November 3-6, 2016 the Baylor Model Organization of American States (MOAS) travelled to Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas to debate policies in the Western Hemisphere along with other universities from Texas, Louisiana and Mexico. This model marked the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the model and included an academic conference, a mock trial competition as well as the model. The keynote speaker was the Organization of American States (OAS) Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Nestor Mendez. Ambassadors Jim Creagan and Floyd S. Cable also addressed the model. Baylor students represented Chile and Brazil in the Twentieth Eugene Scassa Mock OAS and presented and defended resolutions that covered issues such as reducing violence against women, achieving universal access to basic health care, improving energy efficiency, combatting juvenile delinquency, promoting civil registration, and setting budgetary priorities. Students were also tasked with resolving a historical crisis involving extrajudicial killings in Argentina in 1977. Teams had to report on how their country responded at the time and how they would respond with their current government.

Andrew Salinas (senior History major from Houston, TX) served as President of the model and chaired the General Committee with the help of rapporteur Jesus Mario Rangel Valenzuela (junior, Biology and Pre-Med from Monterrey, Mexico). May Atassi (junior, Business and Finance major from Syria) and Emily Kleinberg (senior History major from Kempner) served as chair and rapporteur for the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development Committee (SEDI). Hannah Luce (junior, Accounting and Supply Chain Management major from Golden, CO) was selected to serve on the 2017 Student Steering Committee. Jillian Anderson (2015 Baylor graduate, Journalism major from Houston, TX) was Secretary General. Parker Wooden (junior, History major from Houston was elected Secretary General for the 2017 model making him the fourth Baylor student in a row to hold this position. Other honors won by Baylor Teams included:

Outstanding Position Paper: Team Brazil under Head Delegate Gabriela McCormack (senior, International Studies major from Tucson, AZ)
Distinguished Position Paper: Team Chile under Head Delegate Mucia Flores (senior, Political Science and Great Texts major from Laredo, TX0
(It marks the second year in a row that Baylor won both awards for position papers)
Distinguished Ambassador: Brendan Smith (junior, University Scholars major from Lees Summit, MO)
(The first time ever the judges have awarded this to a delegate outside the General Committee)
Outstanding Rapporteur: Emily Kleinberg
Outstanding Delegate from the Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy (SSD): Brendan Smith
Outstanding Delegate from the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS): Parker Wooden
Distinguished Delegate from the Secretariat for Administration and Finance (SAF): Hannah Luce
Outstanding Written Resolution from SEDI: Maddy Abdallah (junior, International Studies major from Laredo, TX)
Distinguished Written Resolution from SSD: Clayton Jelinek, Co-Head Delegate for Chile (junior, International Studies major from Broken Arrow, OK)
Distinguished Written Resolution from SMS: Parker Wooden

Other students representing Brazil included: Nate Chinnery (junior, International Studies major from Corpus Chrisit, TX), Victoria Harrison (senior, English major from Wellington, FL) Arianna Gomez, Co-Head Delegate (junior, Public Health major from Eagle Pass, TX), Lawson Sadler (freshman, University Scholars major from San Antonio, TX), and Justin Plescha (senior, History major from San Marcos, TX). From Team Chile: Ross McLaughlin (junior, Political Science major from Dallas, TX), Rafael Silva Ramirez (sophomore, International Studies major from Queretaro, Mexico), Audrey Chisum (freshman, Political Science major from Katy, TX), Torin Peterson (junior Business Fellow from Rapid City, SD), and Makayla Gorden (freshman, Political Science major from Midland, TX)

Joshua Hyles a Baylor history M.A. (2010) served as Executive Director for the model. Dr. Joan E. Supplee, Lynn Professor of History coached the Baylor teams and presented a paper at the academic conference on “Defending the First Pillar: Democracy and the OAS, 1990-2001.”

For more information, please contact:

Andrew Salinas, President
Gabriela McCormack, Head Delegate Brazil
Mucia Flores, Head Delegate Chile
Joan Supplee, Faculty Advisor