Pi Sigma Alpha shines at conference
By Ramiro Montoya
The Texas A&M International University’s Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honors Society) and the Political Science Association attended in November the Model Organization of American States conference in San Antonio, Texas, at Saint Mary’s University.
Representing TAMIU at the conference were Carlos Cantu, Jose Lopez, Jacqueline Verastigui, Miguel Trevino, Gerardo Perez, Alfredo Jimenez, Juan Mendive, Anibal Jimenez and Andrea Beattie. Each school’s delegates attending were given the task of representing a country in the Organization of American States, an organization built to procure diplomacy and solve hemispheric problems. The TAMIU’s group assumed the role of the United Mexican States.
The delegates spent countless hours researching pressing political issues pertaining to Mexico, as well as spending many hours researching and practicing Parliamentary Procedure. The TAMIU delegates were divided into 5 committees, the General Committee comprised of Head Delegates (Cantu), the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs (Lopez, Verastigui), the Committee on Hemispheric Security (Trevino, Perez), the Department on Trade and Tourism (Alfredo Jimenez, Mendive), and the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (Anibal Jimenez, Beattie).
The delegates were given the task of defending Mexican ideals while assuring diplomacy. Each committee proposed a resolution that needed to be passed by the assembly. All the resolutions proposed by the TAMIU delegation were put to a vote and passed.
Though there were more than 20 different delegations present, the TAMIU delegates from the Committee on Hemispheric Security, which included Trevino and Perez, won the Outstanding Delegate Award. The TAMIU committee competed against schools such as St. Mary’s University, Saint. Mary’s Law School, Baylor, and other prestigious universities that attended. More than 21 delegations and 14 universities, including Saint Mary’s Law School, Saint Mary’s University, Baylor, UT El Paso, attended the event.
“I’m very proud of the delegation for working arduously and with tenacity,” said Charlie Cantu. “This is our second year attending this conference, and we have made distinctive advancements such as being recognized.”
“Even though many of these schools actually have a class on the Organization of American States, we were able to meet continuously in order to represent TAMIU,” added Cantu. “This conference is great because we want our members to develop skills that are pertinent to life matters.”
“In this conference we learned how to compromise with different people/cultures in different situations,” continued Cantu. “We learned how to research more deeply for material concerning political and inter-hemispheric matters.” Furthermore, we were able to grant our members with a hands-on experience crucial for the well-being of their future professions and endeavors, he concluded.
About Pi Sigma Alpha:
Pi Sigma Alpha is an Honors Society for students who wish to advance in the field of Political Science. The organization is geared towards providing the competitive edge to its members. The organization members promote events such as Study Abroad, internships, and community service. Participation to such events provides independence, leadership and skills vital to the member’s succession in life. Pi Sigma Alpha provides aid to many organizations, such as the Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, and the many branches of SCAN.
Because the academic realm is crucial to the wellbeing of any society, members host events such as debates open to student participation, where congressmen and public officials speak to the students at TAMIU. These debates inform the TAMIU public on current important issues pertaining to politics. The events provide a better understanding over the legal system or other organizations. Also, Pi Sigma Alpha plans to host mock-trials or mock-conferences to challenge students and promote a more active, academic, and politically informed campus.
For more information, contact Charlie Cantu at charlie@dusty.tamiu.edu.