Art of the Deal
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Tommy Pollack ChairTommy Pollack
Chair
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the Art of the Deal. You will be coming to a weekend with people hailing from every inch of the globe to participate in three high-paced, high-level crisis simulations on incredibly relevant topics. As members of this committee, we want to see constructive discourse in a time in which destructive discourse reigns supreme. My name is Thomas, but you can call me Tommy (it gets confusing with two Thomases). I’ll be leading our committee along with the astonishingly qualified and good looking Zach Sweeney and Thomas Cosentino. I’m a third year student in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business (Dual degree between College of Arts and Sciences and Wharton) studying Finance, Real Estate, and Chinese. I’m from the heartland of America, reigning from Columbus, Ohio. Within Penn’s International Affairs Association, I compete on our Intercollegiate Model UN Team (Intercol) along with Zach and Thomas. Outside of the IAA, I am a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a hiking leader for Penn’s pre-orientation program, PennQuest, and a member of Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault. We want this weekend to be a good one for everyone, and as delegates ourselves, we know conferences can be stressful. Feel free to loosen up in our committee, maybe make a joke or two, and have some fun yourself. We know that we will. So welcome to the 53rd University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference and welcome to the Art of the Deal. We can’t wait to work together with all of you this coming October. If you have any questions about the committee, I can be reached at tpollack@wharton.upenn.edu.
Sincerely, Tommy Pollack
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Thomas Cosentino Crisis DirectorThomas Cosentino
Crisis Director
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to UPMUNC 53! My name is Thomas Cosentino, and Tommy, Zach, and I are so excited to join you in Art of the Deal, a weekend consisting of three highly engaging crisis simulations. While serving as your CD with Zach for the weekend, I look forward to reading thrilling crisis notes, creating entertaining updates, and most importantly facilitating a dynamic weekend for you all. A little about me: As the definitively superior Thomas, I have the privilege of keeping my full name. A Sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, I’m majoring in Political Science and Philosophy, and am especially interested in Political Theory and Law. In the International Affairs Association, I’m a member of INTERCOL, Penn’s travel mun team along with Tommy and Zach. I also serve on the Undergraduate Assembly, the lobbying branch of student government. As for my interests outside of school, I’m an avid eater and sports fan. Hailing from Pittsburgh, you can catch me on campus missing a Primanti’s Sandwich and in my Penguins jersey fighting off Flyers fans. Tommy, Zach and I see this weekend as an opportunity to challenge you all, but to have some fun as well. Come into committee prepared for an engaging and exciting weekend. Please feel free email me with any questions at tcos02@sas.upenn.edu.
Sincerely, Thomas Cosentino
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Zach Sweeney Vice-ChairZach Sweeney
Vice-Chair
Dear Delegates,
It is my privilege to welcome you to what will be one of the most accurate, intense, and rewarding committees ILMUNC has to offer. Your co-chair and I are great friends and have taken many classes together (we also joined Penn’s intercollegiate model UN team the same year!) So it’s safe to say that committee chemistry will be perfect. In a few moments, you will plunged into the AOTD committee; however, first let me be like Djon Taylor and “Introduce myself”. Though I love rap (yes, this will win you points in committee), I am not the gangster that you probably take me for. Though I currently reside in Philadelphia, PA I was born and raised on a small farm near Darnestown, MD and attended a Jesuit Prep School in Bethesda, MD (shout out to the DMV). I am a current Senior at the University of Pennsylvania enrolled in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business pursuing degrees in Economics and International Studies with minors in Biological Basis of Behavior and Spanish. Aside from CDing, I am into biomedical and healthcare policy research at Penn and I think that is largely because I am committed to positive change and think that medicine is a phenomenal way to make a difference. Additionally, I compete on the intercollegiate circuit for MUN where I am known for my loud outfits and degenerate demeanor. When I am not causing problems or solving them, I love to lift weights, visit cafés, and explore the world around me (HMU if you want me to share any spots I’ve been to or have any to share).++As for my passions, all of you already know that anyone doing UN is passionate about International Relations but I’m sure a little insight into my background wouldn’t hurt anything but our attention spans. I centered my whole high school around IR and studied abroad in Argentina, Europe and throughout Southeast Asia! It was abroad that I fell in love with the diversity and international politics. One thing that always has fascinated me during my time abroad has been finding modern infrastructure in poorer areas. This conundrum gets even more interesting when we explore making a deal. After coming back from a broad, I taught classes over the summer on the role of the UN in international development while simultaneously introducing the class to fake news, crazy stories from wild places, and rap songs. It is my sincere intention to incorporate my knowledge from these experiences into our work as the Art of the Deal simulation. Now what does that mean? It means that if you have done your research and bring new perspective to committee, you will enjoy the overall quality of committee. The idea of “a deal” is often underappreciated but is a goldmine for those with an interest in business and politics, and you all are going to be the prospectors, so it is best to enter the mine with a headlamp—prepare beforehand and do not be afraid to reach out with questions. Most importantly delegates, you struck gold with this committee and I promise you that we will make this committee as intense and entertaining as possible. For those of you still reading, thanks for sticking through my rigmarole; now it’s time to do your research—you will be the ones deciding how to prioritize different corporate interests for the CVS Aetna Merger, you will determine what becomes of these two behemoths acting as one, and you will decide what the world makes of this crazy time period, and I have total faith that you will all do amazing! Over the next few months, my and I will be preparing extremely hard for what should be an insane committee. Feel free to reach out to me or your USG, Catherine Qian, for questions, but otherwise, I hope you all get excited for Art of the Deal.
Sincerely, Zach Sweeney
Committee Introduction
Can you master the art of the deal? This fast-paced and high-intensity committee will involve three different negotiations over the course of the weekend, each chaired by a rotating member of your dias. The topics will challenge delegates’ ability to think on their feet, be versatile, and adapt to new and different situations. The topics will be released soon.
Committee Introduction
UPMUNC’s “Art of the Deal” committee format is unique on the collegiate circuit. Over the course of the weekend, the committee will tackle three entirely separate simulations, with each delegate taking on a new role for each new crisis. A background guide will soon be released below, which outlines only the first simulation; the other two situations will be revealed over the course of the weekend, so arrive ready to tackle any and everything.
If you have any questions about this committee, feel free to reach out to your Under-Secretary General Catherine Qian at qiancy@wharton.upenn.edu