Wheaton's Model Arab League team prepares for competition

For years, Wheaton has fielded Model United Nations teams to debate current affairs with other students nationwide. This fall, the college will send its first Model Arab League team to competition.

The Model Arab League (MAL) is a student leadership development program administered by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Participants-colleges and high schools from across the United States-learn about the politics and history of the Arab world and the arts of diplomacy and public speech. The Wheaton students' interest in the internal dynamics and influences of countries has spurred their interest.

''The Model Arab League at Wheaton came together out of a desire to increase awareness of Arab world issues as well as to promote opportunities for education and serve as a basis for dialogue on Arab world concerns,'' said Naleli Morojele '09 of Bloemfontein, South Africa, the team's vice president of communications. She hopes that she and the group's group's Executive Committee-Lillian Buchhalter, Christopher Stenning, Mohammed Mehdi and Robert Callahan-can build the team to 15 members.

History Professor Gen Liang, the faculty advisor, believes the team will attend the Northeastern Model this fall before moving on to the larger model at Georgetown. The Wheaton group hopes to represent the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar or Egypt. Morojele said that these countries are especially interesting not only because of their histories and politics, but also because of their economic issues.

''Our members are interested in the immigrant imbalances in the countries we have chosen, and how those imbalances affect resources and economies,'' she added.