Year-old Model Arab League brings home
awards from Fayetteville

By Heather McCutcheon, Herald Staff

The Arkansas State University Model Arab League recently took home several awards at the South Central States Annual University Model Arab League competition held at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

"It was ASU's first year to have a Model Arab League on campus, yet we won the event," MAL member Christi Crawford, a sophomore journalism major of Jonesboro, said.

According to MAL president Harold Pickett, a senior political science major of Batesville, the organization is a simulated meeting of the League of Arab states.
The organization's purpose is to promote knowledge of the cultures, politics, economics and international relations in the Middle East.

"Being involved in the Model Arab League helps you to gain knowledge of how people in different countries would react to certain situations," Pickett said.
Pickett said 16 students from ASU competed in Fayetteville on March 29-31, eight representing Algeria and eight representing Palestine.

"We prepared intensively in bi-weekly meetings at which we studied the positions of our countries and drafted resolutions that were in character for Algeria and Palestine," he said.

Pickett said once at the competition, the students argued their cases and defended their resolutions in committee meetings sessions.

He said that the team's delegations were highly successful.

He said the conference also included Middle Eastern food, music and dance, as well as a lecture and slide show presented by Scott Ritter, former chief United Nations weapons inspector for Iraq.

Pickett, who won Outstanding Delegate on the security Affairs Committee, said the team brought home four individual awards and one group award.

"ASU's Palestine delegation was recognized as the best delegation from any participating university," he said.

The MAL organization was started on ASU campus earlier this year after MAL faculty advisor Dr. Ross Marlay, professor of political science, spoke with several of his students about the organization.

After bringing MAL to the their attention, the students decided to organize a MAL chapter.

"Starting the ASU chapter was a student initiative," Marlay said.