US Senate
The US Senate was established by the Constitution as one chamber of the federal government’s legislative branch, the United States Senate is comprised of one hundred members—two senators from each of the 50 states—who serve six-year, overlapping terms. Senators, along with members of the House of Representatives, propose, author, and vote on federal legislation that touches upon all aspects of U.S. domestic and foreign policy. Senators provide advice and consent on executive nominations and treaties and conduct oversight of all branches of the federal government.
It is my honor to welcome you to WAMUN 2016. More importantly, I would like to welcome you to WAMUN’s first-ever U.S. Senate Committee, which will be your hub for debate during the three days of “MUNing” that await us. I sincerely hope you make the best of your experience here at our school.
While you are reading this you may be thinking that the U.S. Senate is an odd committee. Indeed it is! Even though we still call it WAMUN, this event will this year be more like a three-day debate conference, with hundreds of students attending from all kinds of schools to hone their debating, negotiating, and public speaking skills, all whilst representing their school and making new friends along the way. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you debut in our brand-new U.S. Senate.
One caveat: you may be enrolling in this committee planning to employ the same debating tactics and procedures traditionally used in other committees; that will not be the case in the U.S. Senate. Whilst experience from other MUNs will certainly come in handy, be prepared to investigate, strategize and perhaps even improvise in order to adapt to not only the Senate’s debate style, but also the dynamic crises that may be thrown in to keep you on your toes. I assure you that us chairmen of the Senate have been working hard on making sure your experience as rich and fun as possible by keeping the debate fervent and contentious.
The following pages of this booklet are meant as a starting point to guide you into the issue. They are not, however, limiting nor all-inclusive. As such, you are strongly recommended to further your investigations regarding the topic at hand, your senator’s position, and the Senate’s procedures in general. I wish you the best of luck, and if you have any doubts whatsoever, do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail.
Sincerely,
Luis E Sosa (lesosa@asu.edu)
U.S. Senate Presiding Officer