Students participating in a CCWA Model United National Conference are expected to maintain the highest caliber of professionalism and diplomatic behavior.  They are expected to treat conference staff, venue staff, faculty advisors, visitors, and fellow delegates with respect and courtesy.  Delegates must maintain professionalism in their speech, behavior, and appearance at all times.  It is also expected that students are respectful of the property of our host facility.  To participate, each delegate must also submit a signed copy of the Liability Release Form.  Delegates who fail to adhere to these standards may be removed from the conference at the discretion of the conference leadership.

Faculty, advisors, and guests attending a CCWA Model United National Conference are encouraged to oversee, monitor and provide assistance to students serving in their committees.  While advisors may not directly interfere with the business of the committee or participate in the negotiation or writing of resolutions, they should make efforts to encourage and protect the educational quality of the experience by providing helpful advice and clarification to their students.  Faculty advisors and guests must adhere to the highest standards of professionalism and courtesy toward all conference staff, venue staff, faculty advisors, and students. 

All delegates, conference staff, faculty advisors, and guests must adhere to professional clothing guidelines. Delegates whose attire is deemed to be inappropriate by conference staff may be removed from the committee for the remainder of the day.

Appropriate conference dress must conform to Western business attire.  This will consist of slacks/skirt, dress shirt/blouse, and dress shoes.  A business jacket or blazer is considered to be optional.  Sweaters, jeans, t-shirts, shorts, hats, and sneakers are considered to be casual and inappropriate for the conference.  Clothing that exposes excessive skin or undergarments is considered inappropriate.

The display of national symbols, flags, and pins of the country represented by the delegate is considered to be inappropriate. However, delegates are welcome to display United Nations symbols (such as the UN flag or gavel).

The use of traditional cultural dress is only permitted to students whose native country of origin includes traditional dress as professional business attire.  CCWA Model UN staff will not tolerate any delegate who dresses in traditional cultural dress as a way to portray a character.

CCWA Model UN is committed to providing an educational conference environment that is free of unlawful discrimination. CCWA Model UN will not tolerate any instance of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.

CCWA Model UN will not tolerate any instance of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.  CCWA Model UN will not tolerate any instances of harassment, sexual or otherwise, intentional or unintentional.  The term “harassment” for all purposes includes, but is not limited to, offensive language, jokes, or other verbal, graphic, or physical conduct relating to the factors listed above. 

If any delegate, guest, or staff member believes that they have been the subject of such discrimination or harassment, they must report the incident immediately to the conference director.  The director and members of the staff of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs will alert the students’ faculty advisors and investigate the merits of the allegations by interviewing all involved parties.  Based on the findings of the investigation, CCWA Model UN management may choose to take the following steps:

• Take no action,
• Issue a verbal warning or reprimand,
• Remove the offending individual(s) from the conference, or
• Any other action as deemed appropriate.

During the conference, delegates are permitted to use technology during committee sessions. Any usage of technology outside of conference purposes, as determined by conference staff, is deemed to be inappropriate.

If students are found to be using their computers or tablets for reasons other than those deemed appropriate by conference staff, students may first be issued a warning.

Position papers and resolutions used at the conference must be composed entirely of original work.  Any act of plagiarism will not be tolerated by CCWA Model UN and may result in removal from the conference.  The term “plagiarism” for all purposes includes, but is not limited to:

• the use of language and ideas presented by another individual without proper citation and credit,
• The use of another delegates’ draft language without their consent,
• The reuse of one’s own work and passing it off as new,
• The act of recycling position papers, working papers, and resolutions from previous conferences,
• And other instances of academic dishonesty.

While United Nations documents are within the public domain, CCWA Model UN does not permit their verbatim reuse. 

Delegates may not work on resolutions outside of committee sessions, or engage in “pre-writing”. This includes any amount of editing or writing of the document before the start of the first committee session, during any breaks from committee (including lunch), and the time period between the close of committee session II, on day one, and the start of committee session III, on day two. Any delegates found to be editing or writing a resolution outside of committee sessions will be disqualified from awards. If a delegation is accused of this, the conference director will be notified and will investigate the merits of the allegations by interviewing all involved parties.

Delegations that accuse others of pre-writing or working on a resolution outside of conference hours without sufficient evidence, as determined by the conference director, will penalized, but not disqualified, while awards are determined.

Only delegates who have submitted completed position papers by the appropriate deadline will be eligible for awards at the conference. 

The consumption and or possession of alcohol, tobacco or illegal substances at the conference will not be tolerated under any circumstances.  If a delegate is found to possess or consume alcohol, tobacco, or illegal substances, the delegate will be immediately removed from the conference. 

Conference attendees are expected to treat the hosting venue, its staff, property, and guests with courtesy and respect. Conference participants will be held responsible for any and all vandalism or damage that they inflict upon conference venue or CCWA property.  Excessive noise, rowdiness, roughhousing, throwing of objects, accessing prohibited areas of the conference premises, and/or any unruly behavior will not be tolerated.  The conference staff and venue reserve the right to expel participants for these or other disruptions to the safety and wellbeing of other participants or venue guests. 

If delegates bring valuables to the conference, they accept full responsibility for these items.  CCWA and the venue are not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen items.

The conference director reserves the right to expel any delegate, delegation, school, advisor, chaperone, or group from the conference at any time due to the violation of or failure to comply with conference regulations or for any other reason deemed appropriate.  CCWA Model UN has a zero-tolerance policy concerning alcohol, illegal substances, theft, harassment of any kind, or assault.  Expulsions will take effect immediately upon issuance and all conference materials must be surrendered to conference staff upon expulsion. 

During the conference, CCWA staff may take photographs, videos, and interviews of delegates and conference participants.  These photos, videos, and interviews may be used by CCWA for promotional, educational, and other purposes.  By attending this conference and signing the liability release form, all participants consent to being photographed, videotaped, or interviewed by CCWA and to CCWA’s use of these materials in any manner of their choosing.

Registration for any CCWA Model UN Conference must be made by an advisor or teacher. Once the online registration form has been submitted, CCWA staff will assign the country and committee placements for the number of students indicated on the form.  While CCWA allows schools to request specific countries and committees for their students, assignments are given on a rolling basis. CCWA cannot guarantee that official assignments will match with those requested by the school. 

Once CCWA has allocated the committee assignments, CCWA Model UN staff will send an email to the advisor listed on the form with the official assignments listed.  The advisor will then have one (1) week to reply back to confirm and lock in their assignments.  If an advisor fails to reply within one week, their spots will be forfeited and reallocated to other schools. 

In cases of limited capacity, CCWA may institute a limit of thirty (30) to forty (40) students per school for each conference, depending on the conference. If open assignments remain thirty (30) days prior to the beginning date of the conference, those assignments will be made open to schools wishing to bring additional students to the conference.

Adjustments in the number of students attending the conference may be made at any time prior to the close of business ten (10) business days prior to the beginning date of the conference.  Schools will still be responsible for the conference registration fees for students who have not been withdrawn from the conference before this time.

Payment of the conference fees must be made in full prior to admission into the conference.  CCWA requests that payment be made in the form of an online payment, check, credit card, or purchase order at least 2 weeks prior to the first day of the conference. If payment cannot be secured before the conference, CCWA will accept a purchase order issued by the school. If payment or a purchase order is not received prior to the beginning of the conference, delegates will not be permitted to enter the conference.

If payment has been received, CCWA will issue refunds for schools and students who withdraw from the conference prior to the close of business ten (10) business days prior to the first day of the conference.  After this time, CCWA will not issue refunds.

These rules are to be understood as additions to federal, state, and municipal laws and ordinances, participating school policies, venue policies, and common sense.  Serious infractions of these rules may result in the expulsion of the individuals involved from the conference at the discretion of the conference director. 

All interpretations of conference rules and policies are to be made by the conference director.