Firstly, MSUIRO brought home some awards from the Conference! Go Team!  If you see them around, feel free to congratulate all of our members who returned from Chicago with an award:

Next, I want to remind everyone of our GAME NIGHT this Thursday, April 25th!  We will be hanging out in 340 Case Hall from 6:30-11:30pm.  You are more than welcome to bring any games you would like to play, and I hope to see you there!

Lastly, it is with a heavy heart that say there is only one IRO meeting remaining this year.  It will be taking place at 9pm on Monday, April 29th, in 339 Case.  The first few minutes will be spent going over ChoMUN as well as Mock Awards (lolz) and the Conference slideshow.  After that, we will be watching a movie!  With it being the start of finals week, we figured everyone could use some time to de-stress.

That’s all for now!  Enjoy the rest of your week, and happy studying!

Here ‘s a recap of what happened at this week’s meeting!

We first heard from Kelsey, who reminded us about the Game Night next Thursday, April 25th!  It will be from 6:30-11:30pm in Case Hall, and there might be snacks (noms).  Please email the MSUIRO account if you have any games you would like to bring.  She also told us about the Movie Night we will be having in lieu of the meeting on April 29th.  We will, however, be presenting the ChoMUN slideshow and Mock Awards before the movie starts, so feel free to stop by if you would like a few laughs! Lastly, Kelsey announced that she has chosen her second AVP, Hannah Poole! Congrats!

MSUMUN’s Chief of Staff, Kory Miller, shared their progress thus far.  Secretariat is diligently preparing for outreach and several other elements of next year’s conference.  

Neil DeSouza then stood up and encouraged members who will be living in Case Hall next year to join the Hall Government.  It is a great opportunity to get involved, and you should definitely look into it!

Peter then shared a ConPrep Activity, as well as the Crisis of the Day!  You can get the specifics here: ConPrep 4-15

Next, we had some very important reminders about ChoMUN!  We need everyone to be at North Case Hall at 10:30am! Please, try to pack as light as possible!  Just a heads up, we will be returning late Sunday night.

Lastly, the meeting next Monday (that’s April 22nd) is CANCELLED!

Thanks, and we hope to see you at Game Night! 

We went over a few things regarding ChoMUN, the first being that the second and final payment ($75) was due tonight.  For those of you attending this conference, our “Idinnerary” will be at Chris’ house this Friday at 8pm.  We’ll be having tacos, salsa, and QUESO. Nom Nom Nom.  If you would like to have walking tacos, feel free to bring a bag of Frito’s.

As mentioned at last week’s meeting, we will be having a mini-simulation this coming weekend.  There were some initial scheduling conflicts, but the final date and time is Sunday, April 14th, from 3pm-6pm.  We’ll send out an email later this week with the room number, as well as placements.

Don’t forget, the Conference is April 18th-21st! Only 10 days away!!  Look in your email for the letter excusing you from class sometime later this week.

Kelsey reminded everyone of our IRO game night next Thursday, April 25th, from 6:30-11:00 in Case!  Feel free to email the IRO account if you have any games to bring!

Next, we had a presentation of a potential new mobile app by member Kory Miller.  Pretty snazzy!

Peter’s AVP, Matt Pitlock,  then presented a riveting conference preparation activity.  Check it out here: Speaking in a Crisis

Just as a reminder, the feedback form has been posted! We have already received several completed forms, but the more the better!  They are crucial to helping the E-Board make IRO a better organization for you.  You don’t even have to put your name on it, nor do you have to answer every question if you do not want to.  Here’s the link: Second Semester Feedback Form!

Lastly, we registered for our first two conferences today!  We will be taking 18 delegates to BarMUN, and at least 30 to UPMUNC! Wahoo!

That was everything covered at this meeting.  Hope to see you next week!

First, we discussed which conferences we will be attending next Fall, and we will be going to BarMUN in Boston, and UPMUNC in Philadelphia!

Sam then reminded all those who are attending ChoMUN that the first payment is due TONIGHT! ($75), and the final installment is due at next Monday’s Meeting (another $75).  Also, for all of you who are interested, Sam is looking for AVPs! Please feel free to send and email to the MSUIRO account if you would like to work more closely with our lovely VP of Finance during the 2013-2014 year!

Of course, we went over some key bits of info for ChoMUN, including the Idinnerary and Retreat! This will be taking place on Friday, April 12th, at 8pm.  We will be meeting at Chris’ house, and not only will there be van/room signups, but FOOD and FUN.

We mentioned the idea of having one more “mini-simulation” before going on the conference.  This will take place from 12-3pm on either Saturday the 13th, or Sunday the 14th.  We will let you know which date to plan for within the next day or so.

Don’t forget, the conference takes place April 18th-21st!

Next, we moved onto some ConPrep with Peter!  In addition to the crisis of the day, we had a crisis activity!  If you want to see what magical things Peter shared, here it is! Crisis Directive – 412013

Kelsey then shared some Membership Events, the first being our Game Night!  This will be taking place on April 25th, at 7pm in Case.  The exact location is to be determined, but we will let you know when we decide on the room.  It was also mentioned that the meeting on April 22nd, which is the Monday after ChoMUN,has been cancelled.  The meeting on April 29th will still be taking place, however, during which we will watch the ChoMUN Slideshow and a movie!

One last note that Kelsey shared, is that she is still looking for another AVP of Membership.  Kristi Schmidt has been selected for one of the positions, but if you are interested in filling the remaining place, feel free to send Kelsey an email to the IRO account!

Courtney then stood up to fill members in on the feedback forms that will be sent out.  E-Board plans to finish creating the form during the upcoming E-Board meeting this Sunday, after which the link to access the form will be sent out via email.  This form will be a great way for each member to let us know how we can make IRO an even better organization next year!

Lastly, MSUMUN’s Chief of Staff, Kory Miller, informed us that the Secretariat has had their first meeting, and they are looking for people who are interested in helping with Spariticipation in the Fall.  If you would like to help out, feel free to contact Kory or another member of Secretariat.

Sam is in need of an AVP! If you are interested in working on the financial side of the organization, and have some ideas of how we can get more money, this position might be great for you!  Send an email to the Gmail account and let Sam know.

If you are going to ChoMUN and some how totally forgot that it is less than a month away, here is your reminder!  Also, the first installment is due at next Monday’s Meeting. That’ll be $75, on April 1^st.  Keep in mind, you risk losing your spot if you do not have this payment.

We didn’t really have many updates from MSUMUN, our sister organization, but we were introduced to their new Chief of Staff, Kory Miller.

We then had our Crisis of the Day from Peter.  This week, we discussed the Falkland Islands Dispute, which was pretty interesting, if I do say so myself.

Peter also led us in a ConPrep Activity, in which he broke the membership into small groups representing smaller countries.  The groups then responded to Crisis Drops, one of them being a massive meteor named “Ruka Chucka Norrisa” heading toward earth.

In addition to this, we went over the Crisis Simulation from this past Sunday and announced those who won awards.  They are as follows:

Courtney Bonner: Honorable

Andrew Roth: Outstanding

Cody Schulz: Best

Great Job!

We talked a little bit more about ChoMUN, and will be hosting some research sessions.  They will take place one hour before and after the meetings on April 1^st & April 8^th.  Background Guides have been posted on ChoMUN’s website, so please have read them and be familiar with your position before attending any of the sessions.  The password for Background Guides is H2SO4 (yes, for you chem. Nerds, that is Sulfuric Acid).  Also, you do not have to be attending ChoMUN to attend any or all of these sessions.  If you would like to improve these skills, we strongly encourage you to come out and get some pointers.

Not only does Sam need AVPs, but Kelsey does too!  She will be taking two AVPs before the end of the semester, primarily because a lot of the work will take place at the beginning of next year.  You would be responsible for attending Sparticipation and College Colloquiums, and helping plan membership events as the year progresses.

We have decided to do feedback forms again!  These can be filled out anonymously, and will be regarding simulations, the new E-Board, what you hope to see change next year, and a few other things.  Check your emails, we plan to have them completed sometime this week.  Keep in mind, these are not mandatory, but the more feedback we receive, the more we can improve the organization for our members.

The next E-Board meeting will be taking place next Monday, April 1^st, at 7:30 in 339 Case.  We will be deciding on conferences for next year, so if you would like to stop in and give some input, that would be great.  We are choosing between SCSY and BarMUN, and between AMUN and UPMUNC.  If there are any other conferences you believe we should consider, bring your ideas to the E-Board Meeting.

Thanks everyone, and we’ll see you next Monday!

We first heard a few things from “Kelsey’s Korner.”  Kelsey informed the membership that attendance will now be taken online, and that members can feel free to come up and say hello, just to make sure you are getting checked in.

Chris and Sam, because they ran unopposed, went over their “Vision” for the next year.

Sam went over her Super Splendid Strategy, which included an increase in member-involved fundraisers (like bake sales and a stadium clean-up!), involvement in which may result in lower conference fees.  She also discussed her plans to leave the organization with around $6,000 at the end of next year.  If you have any questions about our finances, feel free to consult the info-graphic she emailed out a few weeks ago (feel free to email msuiro@gmail.com if you misplaced this).

Chris then went over his “Junk,” which included bits for each of the VPs’ positions as well.

In regard to Membership, the E-board will be working to resolve problems with cliques within the organization, which we plan to do by increasing membership events.  We are also hoping to make parties exclusive to IRO members (Wahoo!).

As far as TechOps goes, the website will be updated more frequently, with more recent pictures that showcase membership events as well as conferences.  We also plan to update the facebook more often, and include “fun” videos and articles in our posts.

Conference Preparation will see a few great changes as well, primarily in regard to simulations.  The first sim next year will be a doubld delegation in hopes of helping the newer, less experienced members.  We will also give you the dates for simulations at least a month in advance, and hopefully, be able to improve the schedule for sims so they are either with MSUMUN, or at least not taking place on back-to-back weeks.

In addition to discussing specifics within the other executive board offices, Chris went over a couple of other key issues within the organization.  The first of these, was placements for future conferences.  The new E-board will be working participation at simulations into our final roster decisions.  This will be done to avoid the problem of having people attend the sims, but exert zero to little effort.  Do not worry though, we will be sure to tell you during your sim feedback sessions whether or not you received your participation.
Chris went over one last thing, and that was IRO Meetings.  The meetings will continue to be at 9pm in 339 Case, and attendance for last year started at this meeting.  Attendance will still factor into placement for conferences, but it will be based on percentage of attendance, not the number of meetings (that way, new members in the Fall won’t have less of a chance of going on a conference because it is their first year with the organization).

We also informed the membership that our weekly E-Board meetings will take place on Sundays at 9pm in the Business Library.  The exception being this upcoming Sunday’s meeting, which will take place at noon in Case (before the ChoMUN Simulation).  Any member is more than welcome to sit in on these meetings, so feel free to stop by!

Once the E-Board was done talking, we invited the lovely Erica Zentner up to share some news about MSUMUN, our sister organization.  She informed us that the new Secretariat has been hired and they have tentative dates for MSUMUN XIV: March 14th-16th of next year!  How exciting!  We were also reminded about the MSUMUN Appreciation Dinner for all those who participated in MSUMUN XIII, taking place this upcoming Wednesday, March 20th, from 6-8pm at El Azteco.  All food and non-alcoholic drinks will be covered by MSUMUN.  Hope to see you there!

Next, Peter took the stage for his Plentiful Points for Preparation!
Peter reminded us that there is a Sim THIS Sunday, March 24th, from 1:00-6:00pm in 340 Case Hall.  Don’t forget!  Peter then went over the Crisis of the Day and a Crisis Activity.  For a recap, click here: ConPrep 3-18

One last thing!  We went over some ChoMUN Info!  The Conference will cost $150, which can be made in two payments.  The payments are to be made in amounts of $75 on April 1st and April 8th.  If you do not have your money, you risk losing your spot on the roster.  You must let E-Board know by March 31st at 9pm if you have any extenuating circumstances.

Feel free to email the E-Board at msuiro@gmail.com if you have any questions!

Have a great week!

Without further delay, your new Executive Officers are as follow:

President: Christopher Bourdganis
VP Finance: Sam Herzing
VP Membership: Kelsey Weyhing
VP ConPrep: Peter Sattler
VP TechOps: Courtney Moeggenberg

Again, a huge thanks to everyone who came out, and we look forward to seeing you at next week’s meeting!

–Courtney

It has been an absolute honor serving as your Vice-President of Technology and Operations this year, and I am truly humbled that you voted to elect me. This past year has been absolutely amazing, and I am glad I got to know each and every one of you. I know the next E-Board will do an amazing job, even if it loses its Republican majority (and Non-James Madison Majority). I love you all, and hope you enjoyed my annoying antics this year!

Signing off,
Robert Morelli
VP TechOps
MSUIRO

Vice President of Membership-
Kory Miller
Kristi Schmidt
Kelsey Weyhing

Vice President of Conference Preparation (ConPrep)-
Nick DeRyke
Peter Sattler

Vice President of Technology and Operations (TechOps)-
Kory Miller
Courtney Moeggenberg
Hannah Poole

The offices of President and Vice President of Finance had unopposed incumbents, and thus Chris Bourdganis and Sam Herzing have been re-elected automatically. The election will occur this Monday at 9pm. Good luck to all of the candidates!

We will be having our official IRO on Ice event this Friday at 9:30pm at Munn Ice Arena. Come there to see how truly uncoordinated the E-board actually is!

Elections nominations will occur at the next meeting. While I am sure you are all very sad that I (Robert) am graduating, please feel free to ask myself or any of the E-board members about what their jobs entail to see if it is something you might want to run for!

ChoMUN sign-ups will be next Monday as well! The conference will cost $150, and will take place April 18th-21st. For more info, shoot an email our way!