While other students on campus are preparing for Thanksgiving break, the students of Professor Ronald Fox’s Government 138 class are headed to Chicago to represent Sacramento State in the American Model United Nations International Collegiate Conference.

Fox said all 18 members of the class will attend the conference in Chicago because it is one of the course requirements. He said that in 28 years of attending model U.N. conferences he has only had one student ever miss the conference.

Heather Woodford, a student in Government 138, said students begin preparing for this conference in summer. “Once we are approved by Professor Fox to take the class he starts emailing us with topics to research for the class.”

The simulation is modeled directly from the current UN and each participating school is assigned a country to represent in the conference. This year Sac State students will be representing Brazil.

Woodford said at times this can be difficult because they have to stay in character at the conference so if the country that they represent does not support human rights or environmental efforts then they are not allowed to vote in favor of those issues and are supposed to do their best to get others to vote against them.

The class spent the summer studying Brazilian politics and then learned about how the UN works so that they could better represent Sac State in the competition.

Fox said students are given a lot of notice about the trip so that they are able to apply for funding from Sac State.

Students apply for Student Academic Development Grants, Instructionally Related Activities Grant, Academically Related Activities Grants, and grants from Associated Students, Fox said.

“These sources cover most of the airfare, lodging and delegate fee expenses. The cost of food and entertainment is paid by the individual,” Fox said.

Even with all of the grant money received it still was a strain for some people in the class because they had to pay all of the fees up front and wait for reimbursement from the different grant programs, Kristina Flores, a student in the class, said.

The class is available to students of all majors, Fox said. This semester there is an art major, an economics major and a history major enrolled.

“To be selected for the course students must have a high grade point average, an interest in international politics and a willingness to work hard to bring respect and honor to our university,” Fox said.

His students agree that it the class requires a lot of hard work. Woodford said each student is required to sign a contract nearly three pages long on the first day of class that requires them to make this course their first priority.

“This is one of the toughest classes I have ever taken, but if there are any students out there who are eager to learn about world politics, have the desire to be knowledgeable about the latest news and how it effects other countries then this is the class to take,” student Lesley Kilp said.

Professor Fox said last year Sac State won five awards at the conference and that he hopes the class does just as well this year.

The conference ends on Nov. 23 and the class will be flying home on Thanksgiving Day.