Virginia International Crisis Simulation (VICS) XVII Recap

This recaps and photos were provided by Anna-Sofia Yurtaslan, the Secretary-General of VICS XVII. 

The Seventeenth Virginia International Crisis Simulation (VICS XVII), kicked off on Thursday March 22nd at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The keynote speaker at the Opening Ceremonies was Dawn Calabia, a Resident Senior Fellow at Refugees International, who has previously worked for the United Nations. Mrs. Calabia commented both on the historical role of the United Nations, and how it has changed over time due to the efforts of certain key people. She concluded by saying that the ability to listen to others, no matter how different their view points are, is the key to solving the 21st century’s main conflicts.

The VICS XVII Charity, the Hope and Resurrection School in Adiaba, South Sudan, was presented at Opening Ceremonies with a short video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P07PmSJ7RvA). All merchandise profits and money collected in the committee Charity challenge will be donated to the school!

Living up to its reputation of being the “fun” conference on the circuit, hosting both its well-renowned Head Delegate events, as well as the Corner Bar Crawl. The Baw Crawl was made competitive as delegations competed in a Scavenger Hunt to get the most UVa experiences in one night. Head Delegates had plenty of opportunity to bond at the Head Delegate Soiree, and then to compete in the Head Delegate “Competition”. All Head Delegates brought their A-game, but in the end Princeton Head Delegate, Russell Morton, prevailed. This was followed by the ultimate VICS social event, Fraternity Simulation, affectionately called FratSim. Again, delegates were given an authentic Southern experience.

Committees this year were as creative as ever, ranging from a JCC of Disney’s Heroes vs. Disney’s Villains, to the European Central Bank, Boer Wars in South Africa , or Jirga on Pashtunistan. When Closing Ceremonies arrived, the awards looked like this:

 

Rogue State: Iran

Best: Georgetown University (Dane Shikman)

Outstanding: McGill University (Martin Banach)

Honorable: University of Florida (Kevin Bowie)

 

Arab Spring: Yemen

Best: George Mason University (James McCormack)

Outstanding: Georgetown University (Anais Carmona)

Honorable: Princeton University (Adam Tcharni)

 

Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix

Best: Georgetown University (Shom Mazumder)

Outstanding: University of Pennsylvania (Carlotte Lucas)

Honorable: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Marcie Runyan)

 

The First Crusade

Best: University of Florida (Bruno Costa)

Outstanding: University of Florida (Troy Robinson)

Honorable: University of Pittsburgh (Andy Cook)

 

Jirga on Pashtunistan, 2012

Best: University of Florida (Mohamad Shatara)

Outstanding: Emory University (Armaan Sikand)

Honorable: University of Pennsylvania (Bianca Faccio)

 

Boer Wars in South Africa

Best: University of Florida (Fred Kolb)

Outstanding: McGill University (Keagan Tafler)

Honorable: College of William and Mary (Zachary Perconti)

 

European Central Bank: Current Economic Crisis

Best: McGill University (Etienne Cayer)

Outstanding: Georgetown University (Peter Brigham)

Honorable: Princeton University (Russell Morton)

 

The Frozen Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

Best: University of Florida (Rachel DeLeon)

Outstanding: Duke University (Jessica Sun)

Honorable: US Naval Academy (Cody Anderson)

 

1861 Virginia Convention

Best: University of Georgia (Brian Underwood)

Outstanding: Georgetown University (Sam Brothers)

Honorable: Princeton University (Daniel Johnson)

 

Disney’s Heroes

Best: Georgetown University (Theresa Lou)

Outstanding: University of Pennsylvania (Teddy Schneider)

Honorable: George Mason University (Janae Boschert)

 

Disney’s Villains

Best: University of Florida (Christopher Joyce)

Outstanding: University of Pennsylvania (David Berk)

Honorable: Georgetown University (Emily Siegler)

 

Mumbai Underworld: IIFA

Best: Duke University (Aman Kansal)

Outstanding: Old Dominion University (Garima Kaushal)

Honorable: University of Florida (Jessica Choy)

 

Mumbai Underworld: Mafia

Best: McGill University (Thomas Freeman)

Outstanding: Vanderbilt University (Fit Varat Bisalbutr)

Honorable: Georgetown University (Jagmeet Singh)

 

1944 Warsaw Uprising: Nazi Germany

Best: University of Florida (Andrew Vittetoe)

Outstanding: University of Florida (Paul Hayden)

Honorable: George Mason University (Emily Mulherin)

 

1944 Warsaw Uprising: Polish Resistance

Best: University of Florida (Aaron Kalafarski)

Outstanding: Princeton University (Alan Hatfield)

Honorable: University of Pennsylvania (Liz Pecan)

 

Secretary General’s Good Offices

Best: University of Pennsylvania (Alex Haber)

Outstanding: Emory University (Gina Chirillo)

Honorable: College of William and Mary (John F. Kirn III)

 

Best Head Delegate Award: Gina Chirillo from Emory University

Given to the Head Delegate who makes the Charge d’Affaires job the easiest and whose passion and enjoyment of VICS is undeniable.

 

The Spirit of VICS Award: Gina Chirillo from Emory University

Given to the delegate who most exemplifies the Spirit of VICS. This award is not necessarily about being the best delegate in committee, but about being the delegate who reaches out to other delegates as well as conference staff, making VICS a worthwhile experience. This award, given out in memory of Brian I. Gomez, was given out for the second time.