Model Organization of American States (MOAS) - Student MOAS Jobs

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Jobs at North Country High School-Model Organization of American States (NCHS-MOAS)

At the model there are several positions that are filled by high school students. In addition to the Delegate and Alternate pairs that participate in each committees debate, students can participate as Rapporteurs, Public Information Officers, and Reporters for the Model OAS Times.

Detailed Job Descriptions

Please select from the list below for more information on each of these jobs.

• Public Information Officers
• Rapporteur
• Reporter for the Model OAS Times

Public Information Officer

MOAS Rules of Procedure

Article 5: "Each school/country delegation is also entitled to have a Public Information Officer (POI), who shall have free access to all committee sessions, though he/she shall have neither the right to speak nor vote in session. His/duties will be to contact the local media to disseminate the Model OAS General Assembly and the participation of his/her school in this event."

Possible Roles for the Public Information Officer

• Authority Within the Delegation: Except when the head delegate assumes the role, the POI can be the official spokesperson for the delegation. The POI can also serve as a 'chief of staff' to the head delegate. Some authority is needed, as the POI's duties will entail coordinating and assisting the individual work of all of the other delegates.
• Contact with Diplomatic Personnel: The POI should be the member of the delegation who (in consultation with the Faculty Advisor) makes the contacts and arrangements with the embassy of the country which the delegation is representing (and any other diplomatic personnel in other embassies, ministries, or international organizations that the delegation may wish to consult). This intermediary role by the POI can include: setting up briefing sessions; requesting copies of printed materials; arranging for conference calls. The POI should also prepare and send all thank you letters from the delegation.
• Press Relations: The POI should prepare all press releases to local/regional media before and after the Model, and during the Model should arrange for any press conferences the delegation may wish to hold, as well as preparing information for the daily Model Assembly Newsletter, the MOAS Times.
• Communications Facilitator: The POI should establish a communications network within the delegation, which can include: creating a distribution list for E-Mail information; searching out the internet for list services to provide relevant information from and about the country represented (and any other sources that may apply to the agenda topics); preparing schedules (in consultation with the Faculty Advisor) for any planned trips and for the Model; provide copies of needed documents and other materials (having requested full access to copying privileges with the appropriate school office).
• Computer Management and Assistance: The POI should coordinate the committee delegates' revising and printing of resolutions at the Model by creating a common system(s) for disks, by being accessible with the computer to make the necessary corrections for the final copy and print them, and by serving as a check to make sure signatures are in order. The POI can also assist any members of the delegates with their speeches.
• Resource Procurer: Depending upon the individual school and the needs of the delegation, the POI can serve as a creative procurer of resources, for example: arranging for food from the food service for the trip to the embassy and/or the Model Assembly; securing supplementary financial support from school or community organizations on campus; organizing fund-raising activities.

Sample Duties Of The Public Information Officer

General Duties

1. As PIO, you are Chief of Staff, serving the Head Delegate and the whole delegation.
2. As PIO, you have the right to attend any Model Assembly committee session. You do not have the right to speak or vote, but you may consult with delegates, without undue interruption of the session.
3. To assist delegates and the Faculty Advisor, request and obtain access to photo-copying privileges, working in conjunction with the library or main office staff.
4. To carry out your many duties, it is important to establish close relations with ALL delegation members and the Faculty Advisor.
5. Working with the library or main office staff, provide copies of needed documents, distributing them generally or to specific committees, or to the Faculty Advisor.
6. In any official correspondence you engage in for the delegation (ie., that has your signature or that of any delegate), make copies, keep them in a file, and ask the faculty advisor if she/he needs a copy.
7. To inform the school and wider community about the OAS and the delegation's participation in the Model, write and distribute press releases to: a. school newspaper; b. the local newspaper; c. the local radio and/or television station.
8. Establish distribution lists for E-mail information (with help from the school computer specialist or the library staff).
9. With assistance from the library staff, search for internet home pages, or web cites, that can provide information about the country the delegation is representing.

The Trip to Ottawa or Washington

1. Working with the Faculty Advisor, arrange the briefing session with the embassy the school is representing (embassy to Canada in the case of Ottawa, mission to the OAS in the case of Washington).
2. To provide ongoing communications in case adjustments have to be made, and to arrange for later sending of materials that are identified as being helpful to the delegation, personally contact the designated embassy and its representatives.
3. Confirm the scheduled briefing session with the embassy at least 3-5 days prior to the delegation's visit.
4. Ask questions at the briefing session (in consultation with Head Delegate as to best timing), and assist the Head Delegate and Faculty Advisor throughout the trip as requested or as seems appropriate.
5. To express appreciation for providing time for the delegation, write a thank you letter to the ambassador, recognizing his/her contribution (either as the briefer, or for the assistance of designated staff), and any assistance from specific embassy staff that the delegation met with in Ottawa. Please show draft letters to the faculty advisor, before printing and sending them.

Preparations for Plattsburgh State

1. Initiate contact with the mission of the represented country in Washington, introducing yourself to the ambassador (if possible) and identifying and meeting the embassy officials that can assist the various committees if individual delegates need special assistance.
2. Arrange for the copying of all resolutions to a common disk, of which you will be in charge in the revision of resolutions and the printing of copies for submission at the Model. Make sure that there is a good supply of paper for printing.
3. Assist the Faculty Advisor in the paperwork for room and meal reservations, and for student emergency forms.

The OAS Model Assembly at Plattsburgh State

1. Assist Head Delegate and Faculty Advisor as requested or as seems appropriate.
2. To ensure consistency and correctness of the delegation's resolutions, print the final draft of resolutions from the common disk; then make sure ALL resolutions are circulated among ALL delegates for substance, form, and proof-reading (arrange a common time for this).
3. Make sure that each delegate's resolution is in proper form and has the signature of the Faculty Advisor before its submission for approval of formal consideration.
4. Given the changes that will be made to many resolutions during the course of the Model, make sure that a computer and printer are readily available at ALL times: in the University Library computer lab; or, if available, at one of the stations in the College Center; or by maintaining a portable computer and printer.
5. As is your right in the rules of procedure, circulate among the committee sessions, providing assistance where needed and a communications links among the delegation. As much as possible, let delegates know where they can reach you.
6. Arrange AT LEAST ONE press conference, or write AT LEAST ONE press release, at the Model, consulting with the Head Delegate and the faculty advisor.
7. In consultation with the faculty advisor, suggest revisions in this list of PIO duties.

Committee Rapporteur

MOAS Rules of Procedure

• Article 25: "The Rapporteur shall keep accurate records of all committee business, including attendance and roll call votes. The Vice-Rapporteur shall be available to assist.
• Article 41: "At the start of each Plenary and Committee meeting, the Rapporteur will call the roll to determine attendance, consistent with Article 39. Delegates who arrive after the roll has been completed must be recognized by the Chairperson before the delegation my take part in the proceedings."
• Article 58: "At any time during the consideration of the proposal, a motion may be made to amend it by a delegate on the Speakers List [if speaking in the negative]. The text of proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Rapporteur, preferably in typewritten form.

What Rapporteurs Do at the Model Oas

The Rapporteurs are an integral and important part of the Model OAS exercise. Normally, each Rapporteur is assigned to a specific committee. Rapporteurs attend all committee sessions and assist the Chair of the committee by performing the following tasks:

• Calling the roll at the start of each session, thereby determining the number of voting delegations.
• Noting, and informing the Chair, of late arriving delegations, so that these may be recognized by the Chair at the appropriate moment and added to the list of voting delegations.
• Reading the operative clauses of proposed draft resolutions when they are presented to the floor.
• Taking note of the delegations being added to each Speakers List, presenting this list to the Chair, and ensuring that the list is followed correctly, by noting in writing as each delegation speaks or yields its time.
• Receiving proposed amendments, and making a preliminary recommendation as to their suitability and legibility, before passing the amendment to the Chair for final decision.
• Assisting the Chair in the tallying of votes, by counting placards along with the Chair.
• Calling the roll of voting delegations when there is a roll call vote.
• Keeping a clear record of the disposition of all proposed draft resolutions and amendments.
• Ensuring that the proposed draft resolutions are taken up in the appropriate order, per the Booklet of proposed resolutions.
• Ensuring that the Committee follows its Modus Operandi, by informing the Chair of concerns on this question.
• Keeping an accurate record/log of sessions, proposed draft resolutions and amendments introduced, attendance, roll call votes, disposition of proposed draft resolutions and amendments, times of calling to order and recesses/adjournments, etc.
• Cooperating with the Secretariat in communicating the disposition of proposed draft resolutions, per the procedures set up at the Model Assembly.

In Preparing for the Model Assembly, the Rapporteur Should

• Be broadly familiar with Roberts Rules of Order.
• Be familiar with the substantive content of the agenda topics of the committee with which they are working.
• Be familiar with the Rules of Procedure for the Edgar Maya Model MOAS.

North Country High School Model Oas, Rapporteur Job Description, Spring, 2003

Contact Information

Dr. Stuart Voss
Distinguished Service Professor of History
Director North Country High School Model OAS
Office: Champlain Valley Hall 224
Phone: (518) 564-5214
E-mail: vosssf@plattsburgh.edu