HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS EUROPE - Registration Guide 2015 - The Premier International Government Simulation for High School Students
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HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS EUROPE
The Premier International Government Simulation for
High School Students
Registration Guide 2015
MARCH&14&1&16,&2015&
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ................................................................................... 4
2. Programs ........................................................................................ 6
3. 2015 Conference Theme ............................................................. 12
4. Conference Logistics .................................................................. 13
5. Registration ................................................................................. 16
6. Scholarship Program .................................................................. 19
7. Pen Pal Program ......................................................................... 20
8. An Overview of The HMCE Package ...................................... 21
2
59 Shepard St., Box 224, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
faculty@hmceurope.org • www.hmceurope.org
Zach Fields Dear Faculty Advisors,
President
Throughout the last quarter century, our organization has worked with thousands of
Sonali Salgado students, hundreds of faculty advisors, and dozens of schools. Each year, our
Vice President conference stands out from any other because of the unique contributions of excellence
and talent that our delegations bring to our conference. With that in mind, we are
Gavin Sullivan thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome you to H 2015.
Business Manager
Founded in 1987, HMCE has had the distinct privilege to host one of the most
prestigious government simulations in Europe for the last 27 years. Each year, the
Laura Lynn Sandoval conference brings over 400 students from all over Europe and the globe and challenges
Faculty Liaison them to engage with the same issues that concern some of the world’s most prominent
government organizations. These organizations encompass a wide variety of vantage
Jacob Morello points, from the United States Congress, District Court, and Supreme Court to the
Director of Domestic Programs European Union, International Criminal Court, and the World Health Organization.
Kaitlyn Jeong While the conference is a simulation, the skills that students develop will be extremely
Director of International Programs relevant to their future endeavors in professional, real life settings. Making
compromises, public speaking, and negotiation strategies are just a few of the critical
Shane Macedonio skills that students will learn during the conference and be able to use in the future as
Director of Operations and they pursue any career that involves working with other people. Students in our
Technology conferences are able to explore their own strengths and weaknesses and, through
understanding them, they discover how to both lead and work with others to reach the
Larson Ishii most optimal outcomes.
Chief of Staff
Our conference is fortunate to allow students to work with a highly esteemed and
qualified staffing team. Each year, our board selects approximately 30 of the most
Oksana Moscoso accomplished Harvard undergraduates, all of whom also serve at the largest HMC
Director of Scholarships and conference in Boston, to staff HMCE. These undergraduates have shown incredible
Delegate Engagement devotion to the conference mission and feature diversified interests and perspectives in
the fields of government, civics and politics. In fact, many members of our staff have
served in some capacity for the government organizations that they lead at the conference. These staffers work directly
with the students at all times during the conference.
This year, we are particularly excited to welcome you to HMCE 2015, featuring the conference-wide theme “Everyone
Matters: Government Should Encompass All Voices.” Just to name a few of our new initiatives for this year, we are
expanding our scholarship program to provide more students with opportunities to attend HMCE; we are continuing
last year’s Pen Pal program within HMCE to begin delegate exchanges prior to the conference; and we are instituting
pre-conference online seminars, conducted by committee chairs to supplement delegate preparation. These projects are
all part of honoring our firm commitment to the educational mission of HMCE, ensuring that the program is a
engaging and accessible experience for all students.
With delegations and staffers of such high caliber and a long list of exciting projects, we are confident that HMCE
will be the best one yet. We deeply thank you for sharing this experience with us and look forward to welcoming
you to our conference in March!
Best regards,
Zach Fields Laura Lynn Sandoval
President Faculty Liaison
president@hmceurope.org faculty@hmceurope.org
3
INTRODUCTION
Harvard Model Congress Europe (HMCE) is a simulation of the United States government and
several of the international organizations with which it interacts. This year the conference will be
held in Madrid, Spain over three days in the spring (March 14 – 16, 2015). Hundreds of students
from high schools around the world will come to Madrid and work together to address numerous
challenges facing the United States and international community as a whole. At HMCE, students will
discuss issues, draft policy, and pass legislation; in the process, they will develop critical thinking
skills, learn the art of speechmaking, and finesse their negotiation strategies.
This Registration Guide should serve as a reference for faculty advisors throughout the year,
familiarizing new schools with the HMCE setup and informing returning schools of the
enhancements planned for the 2015 conference. Information regarding registration, including
deadlines and fees, and the scholarship program can be found on page 19. We kindly ask that you
please register online as soon as possible.
Please note that each school is individually responsible for obtaining the documents that may be
required for entering Spain from their respective countries. That said, HMCE is happy to provide
any letters of sponsorship that may be required for visa applications.
Please feel free to contact Faculty Liaison Laura Lynn Sandoval via e-mail at
faculty@hmceurope.org with any questions regarding registration or conference details. We look
forward to helping you with any questions or concerns that you may have.
▪ OUR&MISSION&▪
HMCE strives to prepare the next generation of democratic leaders and global citizens. The
conference exposes delegates to the realities of the democratic process, challenging them to forge
compromise while advancing the interests of their constituencies. HMCE’s rigorously trained
Harvard staff members, many of whom are former interns of these governmental agencies, are
committed to making this learning process intensive, rewarding, and fun for the delegates.
By the end of HMCE, delegates will have become well-versed in the nuances of their governmental
agency, will have sharpened their public speaking and negotiation skills, and, last but certainly not
least, will have drawn a wealth of insight from the cultural exchange that the conference facilitates.
In recent years, HMCE has worked with schools across four different continents and has brought
together delegates from more than 20 countries. Moreover, the conference grows more diverse with
each passing year, ensuring that HMCE continues to provide students with a venue for learning
about cultural differences and thinking about issues from a global perspective.
Because of our conference’s diverse delegate population, our staff is ready to accommodate students
with varying degrees of English ability, and is to help students refine their English language
communication skills.
4
▪ CONFERENCE&OVERVIEW&▪
HMCE uses dynamic teaching strategies to engage students through simulation. Each student
participant is assigned to a role within his/her HMCE committee. For example, he or she can be a
United States Senator, Supreme Court Justice, or a diplomat to an international forum like the G-15.
Each role carries an implicit perspective based on its constituent base, interests, and region of origin.
Depending on his or her role, each student will read specific briefings written by the Harvard
committee chairs, which detail the issues that will be debated at the conference and explain what
each specific role will require. Briefings for the conference are made available following registration
and receipt of school fees. As the conference approaches, students will receive updates on their
briefing topics as well as the opportunity to complete a pre-conference assignment and receive
feedback on it from their chairs.
The three days of HMCE begin with a dose of pomp and circumstance, as delegates congregate at
the conference center for their swearing in as policymakers. From then on, delegates spend their
time in exciting caucuses, engaging committee debates, and comprehensive full legislative sessions.
Each evening, committee sessions end before dinner so that students may shed their roles for the
night and venture out into Madrid to enjoy the beautiful and historic city. At the closing ceremonies
on Monday afternoon, all students who have successfully completed the conference receive
participation awards and select outstanding delegates receive awards of excellence for their
achievements. Finally, at this time, students step out of their roles and reflect on what they have
learned during the conference.
After three days of thorough debate, cooperation, and hard work, each conference delegate will
leave with:
! Increased confidence and leadership skills
! An understanding of the workings of democratic institutions
! Improved public speaking skills and a better mastery of English speechmaking
! The ability to find common ground among disparate views
! An awareness and appreciation for negotiation, compromise, and cooperation
! Certificate of completion of a Harvard Model Congress Europe conference
5PROGRAMS
▪ UNITED&STATES&GOVERNMENT&PROGRAMS&▪
The&US&Congress&
The legislative branch of the American national government is made up of two lawmaking bodies:
the House of Representatives and the Senate, collectively known as Congress. Though the two have
equal standing within the government, each has particular institutional responsibilities, as well as
strengths and weaknesses. Each body of Congress is divided into three sub-committees at the
conference that later convene to discuss bills in a full session.
The House of Representatives is the conference’s largest legislative body and is composed of three
committees: Energy and Commerce, Intelligence and Science Space and Technology. Students will
play the role of elected representatives with a particular focus on their legislators’ ideologies, party
affiliations, and constituent interests.
Students in the Senate are also separated into three smaller committees: Foreign Relations, Judiciary,
and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Senators represent the wider constituent concerns of an
entire state’s population. A smaller and often more senior elected body, the Senate also has
constitutional authority to confirm presidential nominees and ratify international treaties.
In Committee
Congressional committees are the birthplace of legislation. At HMCE, delegates draft legislation
through informal caucuses and through discussing, amending, and voting on bills during formal
debate. Committee sessions students experience the fun, excitement, and occasional
disappointment of creating new legislation by allowing each delegate to personally invest in the
legislative process.
Two HMCE chairs coordinate each House or Senate committee for maximized personal attention.
These students spend the year writing issue briefings and updates for the committee, and during the
conference they serve as substantive and procedural experts. Staffers encourage the committee as a
whole to develop comprehensive and novel legislative solutions and work with individual delegates
to ensure that each student is actively and constantly engaged.
In Full Session
At the end of each day of the conference, the three House committees and the three Senate
committees convene into full legislative sessions. The sessions are meant to help improve students’
public speaking in larger settings. Here, students have the opportunity to present their bills and the
bills of their fellow committee members to the full legislative chamber. They serve as experts on the
topics their committee has been debating, but, in addition to taking on this leadership role, students
also have the chance to debate bills that have been passed in other committees besides their own.
Debate on this broader range of issues requires all students to think deeply about their roles’ stance
6on any given issue. Each bill passed by both the House and the Senate is submitted to and
considered by the President, who either signs it into law or vetoes it.
Executive&Branch&
The US Presidential Cabinet
Members of the Cabinet advise the President on specific issues and on how his agenda can best
implemented in specific executive departments. Each Cabinet secretary, appointed by the President,
is the head of one of the executive departments or agencies. Cabinet members deal both with the
ideological considerations of policies and with their practical implications, such as policy costs and
feasibility.
As knowledgeable experts in their respective fields, Cabinet members at HMCE will have the
opportunity to testify on relevant matters in other committees. The atmosphere within the HMCE
Cabinet is dynamic and constantly changing, for members debate the merits of various policies from
their departments’ point of view and present their officially recommended policies to the President
at the end of the conference.
This program will challenge its members to think critically about what constitutes good policy and
will push the Cabinet secretaries not only to convince the Congress of the merit of their policy
recommendations, but also to write persuasive memos to the President to convince him that their
recommendations are indeed worthwhile.
National Security Council
Representing military, diplomatic, and economic interests, delegates in the National Security Council
(NSC) formulate policy, compose directives, and produce press releases to protect the safety and
security of the United States. Students in the NSC learn about international affairs while developing
their skills in strategic thinking and creative problem solving.
From the moment the selected National Security Council members receive their confidential
briefings, developments and proceedings remain top secret. The NSC must remain prepared to
manage the nation’s security under any circumstance, as a crisis may break out at any time during the
conference.
Judicial&Branch&
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court serves as the final authority on civil disputes and renders decisions that shape
the very fabric of American society. Recognizing the importance of this body in the American
system of checks and balances, HMCE’s judiciary simulates the process and procedures of the legal
system in its own Supreme Court. In attempting to uphold the US Constitution, students in the
Supreme Court will learn the importance of research, public speaking, and logic.
7Supreme Court delegates register in pairs, and, at the conference, each pair will have the opportunity
to serve as both an attorney arguing before the Court and a justice deliberating on the legal issues at
hand. During each trial, a HMCE chair will serve as Chief Justice and, in that capacity, guide the
delegates on the counsel and on the bench in their consideration of the given constitutional
questions. In the Supreme Court, students do not play specific roles but instead use their own
judgment and reasoning skills to argue and decide cases.
District Court
In District Court, students have the chance to demonstrate their talents as lawyers, witnesses, and
jurors. This HMCE program follows a mock-trial setup, and cases are argued before a
jury. The element of drama plays a large role in the District Court, as witnesses influence the course
of a trial with their testimonies.
Participation in District Court gives students a better understanding of how the American judicial
system works, both in the administration of justice and in the protection of the rights of the
accused. These trials give students a valuable opportunity to develop skills in critical analysis, oral
presentation, and preparation and organization of materials. Delegations send six-person teams to
District Court to act as the prosecution or defense, plaintiffs, witnesses, and jurors. HMCE chairs
serve as judges and head jurors for the trials.
▪ INTERNATIONAL&PROGRAMS&▪
While HMCE has its origins as an American government simulation, its array of international
programs has increased over the years. These international bodies allow our delegates to explore
multinational issues in a cooperative forum, exposing the intersection of American domestic and
foreign politics and reinforcing the importance of understanding both.
In addition to committee sessions, HMCE hosts a unique International Summit to bring delegates
from the international committees together to discuss resolutions that have been passed during the
conference. In each international summit, students representing the same nation will be able to
collaborate and promote their country’s goals and priorities across all the international committees at
HMCE. The summit will be a culmination of delegates’ efforts during the conference, will foster
cooperation across committees between delegates representing the same nation, and will allow
delegates to show what they have accomplished to the rest of the international committees.
Additionally, HMCE features an exciting critical thinking exercise called International Risk. This
exercise will allow students to engage in how diplomats negotiate and form agreements to further
their own country interests while ensuring the support of other key partner countries.
European Union
The European Union (EU) involves delegates representing all 28 members of the European Union.
Members of this committee will have the opportunity to debate the political, economic, and social
issues Europe faces at present. A strong focus on issues specific to Europe distinguishes this
committee from the other international programs.
Group of Seven
8The Group of Seven (G7), formerly the Group of Eight, will include representatives from Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as representatives
from the five leading emerging countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa). The G7
governments host a summit to address important international economic, political, and security
issues. Working in a consensus-based format, delegates will attempt to forge multinational
agreement among some of the world’s most powerful nations.
Group of Fifteen
The Group of Fifteen (G15) is similar in concept to the G7, but is composed of developing
countries from around the globe. There are in fact seventeen member nations of the G15: Algeria,
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria,
Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. Both the G15 and the G7 discuss similar issues of
global importance, but they bring very different perspectives to the table, as the G7 is comprised of
developed nations, whereas the G15 is composed of developing nations. As Brazil, India, and
Mexico are actually members of both the G7 and the G15 in real life, these three countries will be
present in both the G7 and the G15 at HMCE; this overlap will add an interesting and challenging
dynamic to the discussions in each committee and will ensure that all perspectives are considered.
The G15 hosts summits to address issues of concern to developing countries, like trade, technology,
and healthcare, as well as more overarching concerns such as economics and security.
International Atomic Energy Association
The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) seeks to promote safe uses of nuclear energy.
The organization assists developing countries in administering radiation in hospitals and in
harnessing nuclear energy for power. It is also authorized to implement various safeguards to
prevent against the military use of nuclear energy. This committee is a great fit for students
interested in science and engineering. Members of the IAEA will be tasked with evaluating the risks
involved in applying nuclear technology to fields beyond weaponry, such as medicine and
agriculture. The pressure will be great: nuclear and atomic power certainly can change the world – in
both amazing and catastrophic ways – and without the IAEA to oversee crucial dilemmas in policy-
making, the international community would be at a loss for how to act.
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC) was the answer to calls, which began in 1919 and which
became louder following the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, for the establishment of an
international tribunal to hold individuals accountable for egregious human rights violations. Today,
122 nations are party to the ICC, and the ICC has the authority to try individuals for genocide,
crimes against humanity, and war crimes. At HMCE, the ICC will feature a lead prosecutor and
attorney staff and an array of judges that help to decide the fate of the accused after they are given a
fair trial and opportunity for a legal defense. Students will have the chance to portray both attorneys
and witnesses, dealing with critically important trials that may come to define our generation. From
opening statement to cross-examination to closing argument, this trial process will require
everything that delegates have learned about making logical and passionate arguments to create a
dynamic and novel legal committee for HMCE.
9International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeks to promote economic growth and financial stability.
In the developing world, the organization has the additional but related goal of alleviating poverty.
The work of the IMF ranges from releasing policy papers and advice to issuing bailout funds to
bankrupt countries, as it famously did during the Eurocrisis. As questions continue to arise about
the direction that economies should take around the world, students will be tasked to help provide
the answers and ensure economic prosperity for generations to come.
United Nations Conference on International Organization
The United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO) is a new addition to
HMCE 2015. Delegates in this committee will simulate the conference that established the United
Nations Charter and that took place from April 25, 1945 to June 26, 1945 in San Francisco,
California. Delegates will be divided into four commissions that were present at the original
conference, including: General Provisions, General Assembly, Security Council and International
Court of Justice. The UNCIO will push delegates to think deeply – to ponder the difficult question
of how structure might impact function, in the case of a highly complex, international body. As they
construct the rules for writing and passing international resolutions, delegates will need to be
prescient, foreseeing how their rules might affect the international community’s ability to respond,
decades later, to human rights abuses, impoverishment, security threats, and concerns related to the
global balance power. Once these crucial concerns have been addressed, delegates will produce a
document organizing the system of international relations for generations to come.
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the highest-ranking and arguably the most
important committee in the United Nations, and as such, it is in the forefront of virtually any
international security crisis. The five permanent members of the UNSC (China, France, Russia, the
United Kingdom, and the United States) will be included, as well as ten additional representatives
from other nations. The UNSC will also work closely with other international committees as well as
the US National Security Council.
World Health Organization
A specialized agency of the United Nations, students in this committee will simulate a globally
important organization whose primary aims are to improve the quality of public health and
accessibility to proper health care worldwide. Students will represent nations from around the world
and will collaborate to create resolutions to promote public health and combat disease. They may
also be tasked with dealing with possible pandemics or other international health emergencies, which
will require quick critical thinking.
World Trade Organization
Delegates in the World Trade Organization (WTO) will work on the world’s most important trade
issues. As the international arbiters of trade disputes, students in the WTO are in unique positions to
affect how countries interact with each other and support economic success not only for individual
countries but also for a global, international, and interdependent economy.
10▪ NON1GOVERNMENTAL&PROGRAMS&▪
Media
The HMCE Media publishes The HMCE Times, a daily newspaper that keeps a pulse on the progress
of the conference, reporting on breaking news and happenings. Published each day of the
conference, this online paper keeps students updated on the activities of their fellow delegates and
informs all participants of the current political climate.
More specifically, students are assigned press beats, reporting on new developments in each
committee, and providing news analysis to help delegates understand the wide range of issues
discussed at the conference. In addition to writing feature articles and editorials, reporters will
engage in thought-provoking debates on the cultivation of sources and journalistic ethics and
integrity, as well as participate in high-level press conferences with the government organizations.
In the Media, students receive some of the most hands-on interaction with staff in the entire
conference. A HMCE staffer sits down to edit articles with their writers, explaining the reasons for
each necessary change. As the conference progresses, each reporter improves upon his or her skills
in accurate, interesting writing and good investigative reporting.
▪ PROGRAMMATIC&INNOVATION&▪
We are pleased to offer delegates at HMCE 2015 a taste of another exciting facet of government -
namely, campaign season and election fervor. Delegates in HMCE's domestic programs will have
the opportunity to debate the pros and cons of candidates running for either the Republican or the
Democratic presidential nomination. Meanwhile, international programs delegates will simulate the
United Nations Security Elections of 2016, allotting temporary seats on that body - arguably the
most powerful body in the arena of international politics - to one African country, one Asian
country, one Latin American country, and two European countries. We are excited to release more
details on both of these programs in October. Until then, please contact either of our programmatic
officers - Jacob Morello at domestic@hmceurope.org or Kaitlyn Jeong at
international@hmceurope.org - with any questions or concerns.
11HMCE 2015 CONFERENCE THEME
EVERYONE&MATTERS:&GOVERNMENT&SHOULD&ENCOMPASS&ALL&VOICES&
Across the world, millions of individuals don’t have a seat at the governing table – and they should.
To ignore this basic dilemma in the interest of maintaining the political status quo belies the very
conceptions of Twenty-First Century global governance and values that HMCE 2014 sought to
unveil. At best, marginalized citizens continue to find their voices diminished by purportedly
democratic institutions and representative leaders at the ballot box, in the courtroom, and in the
press; at worst, governments adopt oppressive policies and prejudicial biases against segments of
their constituencies that deny individuals the basic right to coexist in their home countries. With
ethnic and religious minorities silenced and systematically killed in developing states, and with
political fights for an end to discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, religion, and
race in the developed world, governments grapple today with a number of dilemmas that bring the
ideas of basic human rights and democratic representation to the forefront of the political
conversation in a way not wholly unlike the revolutionary democratic transitions that have
characterized the past three centuries. In dealing with modern questions of underrepresentation,
discrimination, and outright dehumanization across the globe, delegates at HMCE 2015 can simulate
and envision a world not only as it is, but also a world as it should be.
At this year’s conference in Madrid, delegates will be exposed to pressing dilemmas which highlight
both the challenges that global citizens face in a world where crucially important voices are kept out
of governing conversations, and those that we encounter in attempts to bring these key voices into
the debate without jeopardizing stability and peace. From conference keynote speakers to briefing
materials, the idea that everyone matters – or, rather, that they should – will be a common theme in the
message that HMCE presents to attending delegates. Students at the conference will grapple with
this central idea through briefings in our committees: with Supreme Court arguments about gender-
based affirmative action, Senate Judiciary legislation to deal with pay gaps for women in the
workplace, UNSC solutions for child soldiers, International Criminal Court trials on war crimes of
sexual assault, District Court civil disputes about workplace discrimination, and many more. We
look forward to finding important answers and new questions through student debate and
compromise, and we remain ever confident that in a world where young leaders are given the
intellectual tools to explore ideas of inequality and underrepresentation, that we might reach a point
in our lifetimes where governments truly do encompass all voices.
12CONFERENCE LOGISTICS
▪ LODGING&AND&FEES&▪
Although HMCE has had a variety of hotel
arrangements in the past, we believe that the most
effective conference configuration is one that
allows all of our students to stay together in the
same hotel. After our wonderful experiences with
HMCE 2013 and 2014, we will be staying again this
year at the Meliá Castilla Hotel, a beautiful hotel
and conference center that very conveniently
provides us with both our conference rooms and
lodging for the weekend. Because the Meliá Castilla
serves both as a hotel and as our conference center, delegates will have the opportunity to interact
after conference hours. This enables the delegates to learn from one another in a more relaxed social
setting and allows them to reap the full benefits of our conference’s global diversity.
We are thrilled to host our conference in the cosmopolitan setting of Madrid, but this location also
represents a significant cost to our conference. Because we receive no separate funding from
Harvard University, we rely on student delegate fees to cover all of our costs, which range from the
transportation of our staff and hotel payments for lodging and conference rooms, to the publishing
of our briefing book and the production of folders, badges, and placards for our delegates.
All schools, regardless of the number of students that they bring, must pay a school fee (the
). Each school must pay
an additional $275 delegate fee per student. The hotel cost will be €125 per night for a double room
(space for two people). Please note that all of the rooms at the Meliá Castilla are double rooms.
In accordance with last year’s policy, HMCE invoices will no longer include hotel fees.
Faculty advisors will instead reserve rooms directly through Meliá Castilla, which has
graciously made the process easier for schools. Following registration with HMCE, we will
provide you code to complete your reservation as the final step of the registration.
Hotel Contact Information
Meliá Castilla Hotel
Calle Capitán Haya, 43
28020 - Madrid
www.meliacastilla.com
13▪ BREAKDOWN&OF&FEES&▪
Early (deadline – November 7, 2014): $199
School Registration Fee: Regular (deadline – December 5, 2014): $249
Late (deadline – January 2, 2015): $299
Delegate Participation Fee: Per delegate: $275
Lodging Fees: Double room per night: €125 (Available from
Thursday, March 13 – Tuesday, March 18)
Additional note: Although breakfast is provided each day, faculty and students are responsible for
providing their own lunch and dinner. Please note that meal prices in Madrid start around €10 (13
USD). We suggest that students and faculty bring €50 (65 USD) for each full day a school plans to
spend in Madrid to cover food, transportation, and any other costs such as souvenirs.
14▪ TENTATIVE&CONFERENCE&SCHEDULE&▪
Please see a tentative schedule of the conference below. Although most items are fixed, there may
be some changes to certain items within the scheduling. Once you have registered your e-mail
address on the website, you will be informed of any changes made as the conference draws near.
Friday, 13 March 2015
20:00 – 21:30: Early Registration
Saturday, 14 March 2015 (Congressional Services – Open 08:00 to 21:00)
07:05 to 08:30 – Breakfast
07:05 to 08:30 – Registration
07:05 to 08:30 – Conference Services Open
08:35 to 10:00 – Opening Ceremonies
10:05 to 13:00 – Committee Session
10:05 to 10:30 – Faculty Meeting
10:35 to 20:00 – Faculty Lounge Open
13:05 to 14:30 – Lunch Break
14:35 to 16:30 – Committee Session
16:35 to 17:30 – Special Session: Race to the White House/ Battle for the UNSC
17:35 to 18:00 – Faculty Meeting
17:35 to 19:30 – Full Session for Domestic Programs
17:35 to 19:30 – International Summit for International Programs
17:35 to 19:30 – Crisis Session
19:35 to 20:30 – Congressional Logrolling
19:35 to 20:30 – International Risk
Sunday, 15 March 2015 (Congressional Services – Open 12:30 to 21:00)
07:35 to 09:00 – Breakfast
08:05 to 20:30 – Conference Services Open
09:05 to 12:00 – Committee Session
09:05 to 09:30 – Faculty Meeting
09:35 to 20:00 – Faculty Lounge Open
12:05 to 13:30 – Lunch Break
13:35 to 15:30 – Committee Session
15:35 to 16:30 – Special Session: Race to the White House/ Battle for the UNSC
16:35 to 17:00 – Faculty Meeting
16:35 to 18:30 – Full Session for Domestic Programs
16:35 to 18:30 – International Summit for International Programs
16:35 to 18:30 – Crisis Session
1518:35 to 19:30 – Congressional Logrolling
18:35 to 19:30 – International Risk
Monday, 16 March 2015
07:05 to 08:00 – Breakfast
08:05 to 11:00 – Conference Services Open
08:05 to 09:30 – Grand Finale of Full Session for Congressional Programs
08:05 to 09:30 – Grand Finale of International Summit for International Programs
08:05 to 09:30 – Grand Finale of Crisis Session for Special Programs
09:35 to 11:00 – Grand Finale of International Risk for International Programs
09:35 to 11:00 – Grand Finale of International Risk for International Programs
11:05 to 12:30 – Reflections for All Programs
12:35 to 13:30 – Closing Ceremonies
REGISTRATION
This year the registration process for the conference takes place in three phases:
1. Registration and School Registration Fee Payment
2. Delegate Fee and Role Requests
3. Role Assignment
Registration and School Fee Payment
The first step in preparing to attend HMCE 2015 to register your school at hmceurope.org/
register. In this online form, schools will fill out all of the necessary contact information and disclose
an approximate delegate count. After registering, please use the online tool to submit the
corresponding non-refundable school registration fee. The school registration fee is determined
according to the date by which the fee is paid:
Before November 7, 2014: Early Registration – $199
Before December 5, 2014: Regular Registration – $249
Before January 2, 2015: Late Registration – $299
Payment information below. Please note that after January 2, HMCE reserves the right to
assess additional late fees as necessary. Please do not hesitate to e-mail faculty@hmceurope.org with
questions about the registration process or to request further information prior to registering.
Delegate Fee & Hotel Payment
16The next step in registering for the conference is to make Final Payments. Once schools have
registered and paid the school registration fee, they will receive a confirmation e-mail from HMCE
that includes an invoice for delegate fees. The payment deadline for all delegate fees is January 2,
2015. There can be NO refunds of delegate fees after January 2, 2015. Once delegate fees are paid, a
final e-mail will provide a confirmation and an additional group code and contact for making the
final reservation with the hotel.
Role Requests and Assignment
Please note that we have made some adjustments to our role request and assignment process. This
year, we will be asking delegates to submit applications, if they would like to participate in select
number of smaller HMCE committees that require heavy oral participation. Recognizing that
HMCE delegates come to the conference with equal dedication to learning but with varying degrees
of familiarity with the English language, we hope that the application process will help ensure that all
delegates feel comfortable, supported, and – at the same time – appropriately challenged in their
HMCE committees. The application-based committees will include District Court, International
Criminal Court, National Security Council, Presidential Cabinet, Supreme Court, and United Nations
Security Council.
The introduction of application-based committees has created a new phase in the timeline for
HMCE role assignments. Like last year, role assignments for non-application-based committees will
be distributed on a rolling basis in December, with delegations receiving the opportunity to reserve
specific roles, once they have paid both school and delegate fees. This year’s addition to the process
is that, once delegations have submitted the and paid the school fee, they will
receive access to applications for these smaller committees. Applications will be due on November
21, 2014, and decisions will be released by early December. While we will hold successful applicants’
spots in these committees for a reasonable amount of time, we will need payment of delegate fees, in
order to confirm these applicants’ roles.
Following the distribution of roles in application-based committees, we will enter into the first-
come, first-serve allocation process for our larger committees, which generally involve more
resolution-writing and tend to focus more on building delegates’ negotiation and compromise skills.
. After December 5 (the regular registration deadline), we will begin to process
role assignments. The due date for all role requests is January 2.
Please understand that we will only assign your school roles once we have received all your
payments; roles will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis according to the date that we
receive your full payment. Role requests turned in earlier will be given preference for their
committee choice, although in order to balance committees we may not be able to grant all students
their top choice. All role assignments made to a school’s delegation are final, and requests for
changes will only be considered as necessary on a strict case-by-case basis.
When requesting roles, we ask that the faculty advisor submit a list of each delegate’s top three
committee preferences so that, in the case that we are unable to provide them with their top choice,
we will try to assign them one of their other preferences. When choosing roles, please refer to the
17descriptions of the committees included in this Registration Guide, or contact the board or
committee chairs directly for more information.
While every effort will be made to accommodate the requests of each school, we are unable to
guarantee any specific role to any school. It is in the best interests of schools to register early in
order to improve the likelihood of receiving their desired roles. Please note that we cannot guarantee
any requested roles until all delegate fees have been paid. The earlier the conference and hotel fees
are paid, the earlier you will receive your full delegate role assignments. No conference space will be
granted after January 2 until all fees are paid in their entirety.
Making Payments
In an effort to streamline the Registration process, this year HMCE will provide an online payment
system that can be found directly on the Registration webpage at hmceurope.org/register. On this
page you will find not only the Initial Registration Form but also the online payment tool through
which you may submit your school fee. Based on your anticipated delegation size, indicated on your
Initial Registration Form, you will receive an invoice for your anticipated delegate fee. The delegate
fee payment tool will become available on the Registration webpage on November 22, 2014, after
scholarship decisions have been released. At this time, delegates who have been awarded
scholarships will be exempt from paying their delegate fee. More information regarding the
scholarship program can be found on the following page.
The online payment tool is the default payment method for HMCE 2015. However, if you have any
questions or concerns regarding this form of payment, please contact faculty@hmceurope.org.
Additionally, please contact HMCE by e-mail at faculty@hmceurope.org to notify us once
your payment has been sent.
No Refund Policy: Due to the heavy fixed costs of conducting a conference of this size, HMCE is
unable to provide any refunds. Under no circumstances will HMCE provide refunds of school
or delegate fees.
18SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Harvard Model Congress Europe awards need-based financial scholarships to select students who
may not ordinarily be able to attend the conference due to financial considerations. Through this
program, we hope to expand the opportunity to participate in this unique and valuable event to a
greater number of students. It is our belief that increasing the socioeconomic diversity of the
conference enhances the experience for all involved. Bringing together students from a wider variety
of backgrounds provides the conference with new perspectives, brings novel ideas to the table, and
stimulates fruitful debate.
Students chosen to receive these scholarships will have their delegate fees waived and the cost of
their hotel stays during the conference paid for. Some recipients will receive additional travel cost
compensation. They will also receive certificates recognizing them as Harvard Model Congress
Europe scholarship recipients.
The application for the scholarship program can be completed at hmceurope.org/scholarships.
Please note that a complete application includes both a Student Form and a Faculty Adviser Form
(which will be e-mailed to faculty after the Student Form is completed). Recipients will be selected
on the basis of financial need, enthusiasm for the opportunity to participate in the conference, and
academic achievement and potential. When choosing which students to nominate for scholarships,
faculty advisers are advised to consider these criteria.
The deadline for submitting all application materials is November 14, 2014 at 23:59 UTC-4.
Scholarship recipients will be announced by November 21, 2014. If you have any questions about
scholarships, please e-mail Director of Scholarships Oksana Moscosco at
scholarships@hmceurope.org.
19PEN PAL PROGRAM
The Executive Board of HMCE 2015 is excited to continue last year’s Pen Pal Program this fall with
the introduction of a few adjustments to last year’s format. In an effort to provide additional time
for cultural exchange and networking, HMCE students will have the option to participate in a
conference-wide Pen Pal Program prior to the conference. Different from last year’s program, we
have chosen to confine this program to HMCE so that students may connect with others that they
will eventually have a chance to meet in person at the conference in March. This will also allow them
to tailor their conversations to HMCE specific topics, and perhaps aid in their conference
preparation.
Registration for the Pen Pal Program will become available to schools once they have registered for
HMCE 2015. On the registration form, faculty advisors will indicate whether or not they would like
their students to have the option of participating in the Pen Pal Program. If yes, faculty advisors will
then list the e-mail addresses of the students in their delegation. Once the form is submitted, HMCE
staff will correspond with those students, inviting them to participate in the program. The goal of
this registration process is to make participation in the Pen Pal Program a decision that is school-
sanctioned yet, ultimately, made by the individual student. Faculty advisors will be c ed on all e-
mails sent from HMCE to their students and should feel free to e-mail Faculty Liaison Laura Lynn
Sandoval faculty@hmceurope.org with any questions or concerns regarding their students’
participation in the program.
Program participants will be expected to correspond with their counterparts at least once a month
(and they are, of course, welcome to chat more often). All correspondence will occur through an
online system managed by the HMCE staff.
20AN&OVERVIEW&OF&THE&HMCE&PACKAGE&
Since its inception 27 years ago, Harvard Model Congress Europe has continually raised the bar for
government simulation and speech-and-debate instruction for secondary school students across the
globe. Each year, the leadership of HMCE has sought to build a stronger, more intellectually
rigorous conference, and the Executive Board of HMCE 2015 is proud to continue that legacy.
That said, the long-term goal of HMCE is increasingly about expanding our educational reach from
three days in March to the entire academic year. With this year’s theme emphasizing the
incorporation of all voices into political discussion, we hope that students will be empowered to
continue their conversations beyond the confines of the conference. Our vision is that delegates will
not only learn about the importance of advocating for the voiceless, but will be inspired to enact real
change in their hometowns and eventually the globe.
Registering for HMCE, in short, is no longer simply a ticket to a three-day conference. It is a
gateway to an educational and inspirational experience that lasts from the fall through the spring—
before, during, and after the conference itself. The following three initiatives epitomize this year’s
efforts:
Committee Innovations. This year, both domestic and international programs will feature
additional committees. In domestic programs, the House and Senate will each be composed of 3
committees, which are designated to tackle specific issues. As in the real US Congress, delegates in
these committees will become experts regarding their respective committee themes. This
specialization will afford more richly informed aggregate discussions in Full Session. In International
Programs, delegates in the new UNCIO committee will have an opportunity to reshape history
through the re-drafting of the United Nations Charter. By adopting a historical perspective,
delegates will formulate fresh ideas to solve current issues that face not only the United Nations, but
many other international organizations as well.
Expanded Scholarship Efforts. HMCE’s educational mission extends to students of all cultural
and socioeconomic backgrounds. In line with this year’s theme, the Executive Board plans to ensure
that voices from all different financial backgrounds are heard at HMCE 2015. Thus, we are making
concerted efforts to expand our scholarship program to reach more students than ever. The
inclusion of more scholarship recipients will not only affect those who receive financial assistance,
but will enhance the overall conference through increased cultural exchange and accessibility.
Online Pre-Conference Engagement. Last year’s implementation of pre-conference online
curriculum and committee chair Office Hours, not only enhanced delegate preparation, but also
substantially expanded delegates’ interactions with their chairs and engagement with HMCE
material. Through the online engage portal, the HMCE experience is no longer confined to a three-
day conference but is a year-long educational opportunity. The Executive Board of 2015 is excited
to continue this initiative by expanding the online engage portal to include educational webinars
conducted by committee chairs in their various areas of expertise. Delegates will also have the
opportunity to schedule online video calls with their chairs to aid in their preparation and begin
forming connections in the months leading up to the conference.
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