While the UN World Health Organization has declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency, COVID still poses a real and serious threat to the wellness of WMHSMUN delegates, sponsors, staff, and the William & Mary community. In order to protect all conference participants while remaining cognizant of current public health and safety recommendations, we have assembled the following list of guidelines. If you have any further questions, please reach out to Registration Director Jessica Sadek (registration@wmhsmun.org) or Secretary-General Laila Hall (secgen@wmhsmun.org). 

1. The Secretariat strongly recommends that all participants get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to attending WMHSMUN.

   1. Find a COVID-19 vaccination site near you.

2. The Secretariat strongly recommends that all participants get a flu shot prior to attending WMHSMUN.

   1. Flu shots are available at most pharmacies for no cost under most insurance plans.

3. The Secretariat welcomes the use of masks, but will not require masking from attendees or staffers.

4. Any potential conference participant must not attend if they test positive for, or suspect they may have, COVID-19, the flu, or any other contagious illness. Additionally, if any participants fall ill during conference weekend, they are asked to remain in their hotel room for the remainder of the conference or return home if possible. If a conference participant falls ill and is unable to attend as a consequence, please contact the Registration Director for next steps and to determine if a refund is possible.

5. If there is a positive COVID test within a delegation, that info will be made aware to all sponsors, but social events will continue to be held as planned. 

In summary, WMHSMUN will not require proof of vaccination, negative test results, or masking in order to attend and participate in the conference, though all are highly encouraged. However, if any attendee tests positive for a contagious illness, you are required to inform the Registration Director as soon as possible to determine a path forward. 

Delegates are expected to wear Western Business Attire (WBA) in committee. Clothes should be clean and presentable. Appropriate WBA may include a coat/blazer, blouse or button-down shirt, formal dress, slacks or skirt, tie/bowtie, and dress shoes. The only exceptions to this dress code are our Friday and Saturday night social events and Sunday morning committee sessions, when delegates may wear a conference t-shirt and jeans.

In order to enhance and maintain a productive committee atmosphere, personal communication devices such as cellphones, tablets, and laptops are to be at the silenced or disabled beginning of each committee session. Electronic devices may be used outside the committee room if necessary. If a delegate has a medical or family emergency and has a reason to receive a call during committee, please inform the committee director before the session begins. Conference personnel can grant exceptions to this policy if informed of any necessary accommodations prior to or during conference weekend.

Plagiarism is not tolerated at WMHSMUN. Plagiarism in any form, including reusing written materials from previous conferences, will automatically disqualify delegates from individual awards. Additionally, any delegation that has multiple cases of plagiarism may be reconsidered for delegation awards.

The WMHSMUN conference takes the value of academic integrity seriously. It is the belief that the contributions of delegates should be authentic and reflective of their original ideas. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) undermines this principle. As such, the use of AI tools is strictly prohibited. Any delegate that violates this policy will face consequences in line with WMHSMUN’s Code of Conduct. These include disqualifying delegates or delegations from awards or participation in conference activities and removing the offender(s) from the conference.

1. The use of AI to generate pre-written position papers, speeches, or any other written materials is not permitted. Delegates are expected to create their own work based on personal research and reflection.

2. Delegates must not use AI to copy or paraphrase content from external sources. Presenting AI-generated work as one’s original work is considered plagiarism.

3. Delegates should not use AI to generate resoloutions, working papers, or any other written material during committee. It is encouraged that delegates present work that reflects intellectual engagement and collaborative effort.

Delegates are encouraged to reach out and clarify any doubts they may have concerning academic integrity and the use of AI. WMHSMUN is committed to supporting delegates in understanding the importance of original thought and ensuring that all work submitted is in accordance with our values.

Prewriting refers to clauses, resolutions, crisis notes, and directives that were prepared prior to or outside of committee sessions. Research notes are permitted.

To ensure an engaging and collaborative experience, pre-writing is strictly prohibited at WMHSMUN. Exceptions regarding outside-of-committee work may be granted on a case-by-case basis by individual daises during conference weekend, but daises will not accept any resolutions, directives, or supporting materials written prior to conference weekend. Pre-writing is taken very seriously at our conference, and any delegate found guilty of this offense will be disqualified from individual awards. Additionally, any delegation that has multiple cases of pre-writing may be reconsidered for delegation awards.

Any form of harassment or discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, or disability will not be tolerated. Bullying, harassment, and cyberbullying in any form are prohibited at the conference. Any offenders will be dealt with immediately and strictly. Reference Appendix A and Point 5 of the Code of Conduct.

Delegates participating in novice committees must meet the following criteria:

1. Novice delegates may not have participated in more than three committees, either online or in-person, including middle school conferences, internal conferences (meaning conferences hosted by a club or team for its own members), and/or training simulations.

2. In addition to the previous qualification, novice crisis delegates may not have participated in more than two crisis committees (meaning of a crisis delegate’s three committee experiences, no more than two may be crisis).

3. Novice delegates must not have competed in any non-novice committee at WMHSMUN in prior years.

4. Delegates who have received any individual or double delegate award including but not limited to best delegate, outstanding delegate, honorable mention and verbal commendation, at previous conferences are not eligible for novice committees. This stipulation includes receiving awards at middle school conferences and online conferences at any level.

Note on awards deliberations:

Awards will be given to those who exhibit outstanding growth in their abilities throughout the conference weekend. Failure on the behalf of any delegate to meet any of the above criteria will result in disqualification of that delegate from awards deliberations

WMHSMUN prides itself on being an education-forward and delegate-driven conference that rewards critical thinking, research, and preparation in addition to the conference weekend experience. For this reason, WMHSMUN encourages all participants to write a position paper prior to the conference. Position papers help delegates get involved in the committee, prepare for the conference, and think analytically.

For WMHSMUN XL, position papers will be REQUIRED to be eligible for individual awards in ALL committees (excluding the Ad Hoc committee); General Assemblies, Specialized Agencies, and Crisis Committees, and their Novice Committee counterparts.

A position paper must be at least 2 pages in length and generally should not exceed 6 pages. Additionally, it must include cited sources, which will not contribute to the page count. Using plagiarized or Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources to write their position paper will result in disqualification from individual awards and may result in consequences in line with our Code of Conduct Policy. For more resources on what a WMHSMUN position paper should include, please look to our resources on the Position Paper website page.

Position papers must be submitted to committee directors online no later than Wednesday, November 4th at 11:59 PM to be eligible for awards.

You can find our full Position Paper Policy for WMHSMUN XL here.

Philosophy

At its core, WMHSMUN is an educational conference and exercise in building critical thinking and global citizenship. Delegates should treat WMHSMUN as an opportunity to strengthen their speaking, writing, listening, and collaboration skills. We have framed our conference’s mission in terms of three values: diplomacy, substance, and empowerment, and the Secretariat strongly believes in rewarding delegates’ commitment to these pillars.

Individual Awards

Delegates are selected for individual awards primarily based on their embodiment of WMHSMUN’s values. Committees award the following distinctions, from least to most distinguished: Verbal Commendation, Honorable Delegate, Outstanding Delegate, and Best Delegate.

Delegation Awards

Delegations are selected for awards based on individual delegates’ achievements and their overall embodiment of WMHSMUN’s values. WMHSMUN awards the following distinctions: Outstanding Small Delegation, Best Small Delegation, Outstanding Large Delegation, and Best Large Delegation.

WMHSMUN also presents the Michael Charles Coon Award for Diplomacy to a delegation that has not received one of the above distinctions. This prestigious award is named after the former Secretary-General of WMHSMUN IX, Michael Coon. Under Michael’s leadership, WMHSMUN blossomed into the conference it is today, but he tragically passed away a month before the realization of his hard work. This award is given in Michael’s memory to the delegation that best embodies William & Mary’s spirit of community, integrity, and collaboration.

Individual Position Paper Awards

Delegates will be eligible for an individual position paper award per each committee in addition to individual distinctions–Verbal Commendation, Honorable Delegate, Outstanding Delegate, and Best Delegate. As WMHSMUN seeks to value different kinds of Model United Nations experience, delegates who receive a position paper award will not receive an additional individual award. Each WMHSMUN committee will award at least one position paper distinction, larger committees may award more distinctions.

Individual Position Paper Awards will be based on the following criteria:

• Research on assigned country/position, committee topics, and potential solutions

• Correct Citation Style and Formatting

• Originality and Creativity

  • Note: the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and plagiarized materials are strictly prohibited in all aspects of WMHSMUN.

• Writing Quality

The Secretariat’s Position Paper Delegation Award

The WMHSMUN secretariat will award the position paper delegation award to a delegation based on the individual achievements of delegates and their position papers.