Mathavi Sankar for People’s Daily

Change Is the Only Constant

by Mathavi Sankar for People’s Daily

Every year, thousands of high school students descend upon Baltimore to attend the Johns Hopkins University Model United Nation Conference (JHUMUNC). This year JHUMUNC is celebrating its 17^th year of operation with 32 action-packed committees and over 2,000 delegates. But the committees and delegates will not be the only new things this year. After all, as they say, “change is the only constant.”

One such notable change is the hotel in which the conference will take place. For the past couple of years, JHUMUNC has taken place in the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, which is located in downtown Baltimore, right across from the Inner Harbor. However, this year the conference will be held at the Hilton Baltimore, an AAA Three Diamond hotel. “The Hilton will provide a convenient and comfortable environment for all of our delegates,” assures a JHUMUNC staff member. Delegates and advisors will be able to enjoy contemporary accommodations 15 minutes from the Baltimore Washington International Airport. Furthermore, delegates will have plenty of opportunities to browse the local shops and dine at the surrounding restaurants, including a Jimmy John's and a restaurant called The Diamond Tavern, both of which are located within the hotel itself. The hotel also has a well-equipped fitness center and a large pool with a lifeguard on duty for delegates who do not want to leave their daily workouts at home. In the spacious hotel rooms themselves, each delegation will find unbelievably comfortable beds, luxurious furniture, wired and wireless Internet access, a large LCD HDTV, and a safe for valuables.

Despite all these benefits, there are some disadvantages to having the conference at the Hilton. A delegate from one of the Quadrumvirate committees commented, “The Hilton is further away from the Inner Harbor than the Renaissance Hotel. The Inner Harbor has so many places to shop and eat. Before, we just had to run across the street during lunch and dinner breaks to get any kind of food we wanted. But now we can’t.” The Inner Harbor is approximately 7 blocks away from the hotel. Walking that distance in the single-digit temperatures (which have become the norm lately) can be quite the struggle.

But it looks like the ever-prepared JHUMUNC staff have a solution to that problem as well. This year, for the first time ever, JHUMUNC will be featuring a variety of food trucks directly outside the Hilton Hotel during the dinner breaks. Will Dorman, JHUMUNC Chief of Staff, reports, “Various trucks will come. In my experience, as a native Baltimorean and frequent patron of food trucks, food ranges a wide array of prices. A common number is around $12 but there are always menu items for less and for more than that.”

Despite all these changes, the one thing delegates can expect to remain constant is the quality of the conference. JHUMUNC’s philosophy is simple: to provide delegates with multiple opportunities to engage with the field of international studies, both inside and outside the committee room. Keep an open mind and you’re bound to have fun!