Sixteen Ball State students became European Union delegates Thursday at the 12th annual Midwest Model European Union in Indianapolis, where they took home two top awards and four individual awards for their simulations.
The students, 15 of whom were members of political science professor Gene Frankland's course on the politics of the European Union, represented the United Kingdom and Poland in an intercollegiate simulation of European Union decision-making processes. Ball State placed second for its representation of the United Kingdom delegation and placed third for representing the Polish delegation.
Frankland said he was proud of the students and was glad the conference, held on IUPUI's campus Thursday through Saturday, allowed the students to represent some of the European Union's key players.
"They got to embrace and perform in their various roles, which is kind of interesting," Frankland said. "It provided them with an active learning experience."
Frankland said his students participated in the Midwest Model European Union as part of a class project for which they prepared all semester. His class was designed to prepare students for the conference every year, he said.
Ball State was among 10 universities, including schools from Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin, that attended the conference last week. The universities represented 17 European Union delegations, he said.
Frankland said after eight of the Ball State students were assigned to the British delegation and the other eight were signed to the Polish delegation, the students participated in three-day sessions in which they discussed foreign affair issues ranging from terrorism to border control.
"We prepared, and we worked really hard," Frankland said. "We did quite well, and the students are really happy it turned out the way it did."
Frankland said the European Union, originally named the European Coal and Steel Community in the early 1950s, consists of 15 countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and France. Ten new members will become part of the European Union in early May, he said.
Because Poland will be among the union's largest new members, Ball State students were fortunate to be able to represent both the British and Polish delegations during the conference, he said.
"We were all positioned to be in the center of the action," Frankland said. "That gave the students an advantage."
He said Ball State has participated in the Midwest Model European Union for the past 12 years and has claimed three first-place finishes, among other runner-up awards. This year, he was proud when Ball State students won four out of seven individual awards, he said.
Senior Brian Daniels of the United Kingdom delegation was named best prime minister and sophomore Paul Angelone, also of the United Kingdom delegation, won best environment minister. Junior Adam Bruesch of the Polish delegation was named best agriculture minister, while senior Tiara Wuethrich, also of the Polish delegation, was named the best director-general.
Wuethrich, who attended the conference as an alternate, said she was pleased with the students' performance last week. She was glad they were exceptionally prepared, she said.
"From an outsider's perspective, Ball State appeared as the most professional group," Wuethrich said. "They worked hard in class, and it showed in their simulations. I was very impressed with what everyone knew. "
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