95

I had a good weekend. A long weekend, but a good one. On Wednesday I left SF around noon and headed to SB for Model UN. The conference went well, although one of my chairs was unable to make it due to some personal problems so, like last year, I had to try to run the conference while chairing a committee. I like chairing. But I was very much looking forward to being able to observe in the other committees. I was generally happy with the way the conference turned out. Of course there were some problems. Like Jon. I knew that having him around was going to be a problem. And I told Peter that when he first pulled Jon into the Secretariat. My biggest annoyance about this year was that I wasn't able to implement any of my ideas. I've spent the last 7 years studying Model UN conferences around the world, trying to bring the best of those conferences to WestMUN. Last year when I ended up at SG, I was hopefully that I would be able to make some changes. But given the state of disarray things were in when I ascended to SG, I had to put all of that on hold. When I was appointed by the Board of Directors to be SG for a second time, I again thought that perhaps I would be able to make some changes to the way WestMUN operates, resulting in a better conference. But staffing problems, disagreements with members of the Board, failed communication with members of the Board, and a lack of support meant that again I "just did the job" without really getting to improve anything. So I applied for Secretary-General again this year. And I was passed over. I saw it coming. Peter has been very openly hinting at the fact that we needed to find a new SG. But I saw this as an opportunity to have a good support staff, which would've meant I could make some of my ideas come to fruition. I also saw a lack of anyone ready to do the job. When I was interviewed by the Board, I told them that I knew that allowing me to run the show one more year, with Juni as my Under Secretary-General, that Juni would be 110% ready to take over for WestMUN 18. I also knew that a Secretariat with me as SG, Juni and Solomon as USGs, and Chris as a my seasoned Chair, that we could take on the ideas I have for how to improve WestMUN. The division of labor I had planned would've allowed me, Juni, and Solomon to have very specific duties that would allow us to concentrate on certain areas allowing us to strengthen the conference overall. With Juni as my USG over Specialized Committees, and Solomon overseeing the General Committees, I could be left to revamp the rules of procedure, train the Chairs (with Chris' help), and maybe even put us in a position to compete with other conferences. Instead, Juni was selected by the Board to be SG. And Solomon was made his USG. And now I'm left in the cold. Dave has offered me a position, though I'm not sure I'm interested in being his lackey. Peter sees me as assuming a role similar to that of "party elder" in the American Political world. In his mind, I'd work with the Board and just do what I want to do as long as it helps the conference. But the job I want is already taken. And so my plans for WestMUN are over before I could even get them started. I'm having a hard time seeing WestMUN in my future. I don't want to be done with it, but I feel like I've hit a ceiling as far as where I feel I'm the most use. Being in the Administration instead of the Secretariat is not that appealing to me. I'd much rather actually be involved in the conference instead of just making phone calls and sending e-mails or whatever else I'd do in Administration.

So after 7 years, my relationship with WestMUN might be at an absolute end.