Conference Policies

DELEGATE AGE PARAMETERS

Please note that LABMUNC is a high school conference. Delegates must be high school students between the ages of 13 and 19 at the time of LABMUNC V.

DRESS CODE

All delegates must adhere to an appropriate and professional dress code. Western Business Attire is required of all participants while committees are in session. Conference identification—name tags —must be worn visibly at all times.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Sexual Harassment and Discrimination are not permitted - LABMUNC will not tolerate any instances of discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, national origin, religion, age, socioeconomic status, and/or ability. If any delegate or advisor believes they have encountered discrimination, which has resulted in a hostile working environment, they should bring it to the attention of their chairs or Secretary Generals. LABMUNC will involve the appropriate personnel, which may include advisors, and will take appropriate action, which may include:

Suspension from committee,
Disqualification from individual awards,
Expulsion from LABMUNC without refund,
Ban the individual or delegation from attending LABMUNC in the future
Any other action deemed necessary and appropriate.

ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES

Use or possession of marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, or any other illegal substance is strictly prohibited for all delegates.

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

Delegates should not be using Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, or any other kind of social media during committee sessions. Outside of committee sessions, delegates should practice appropriate behavior on these sites and apps. Inappropriate postings and/or bullying via social media will not be tolerated, and students found in violation of this policy may face i) Disqualification from awards, ii) Suspension from the remainder of committee sessions, and iii) Dismissal from the conference.

PHOTO POLICY

All delegates may be documented, either in photographic or video form, at points throughout the conference by LABMUNC staff.

ADVISOR REQUIREMENTS

The following chaperone related policies are implemented to ensure delegate safety:

At least one advisor present per each delegation
An advisor/delegate ratio no higher than 1 advisor for every 25 delegates
Advisors do not necessarily need to be teachers; in the past, LABMUNC advisors have included parents or other staff members from a school.

COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE

Committee attendance is expected of all delegates unless the delegation’s advisor has notified us ahead of time. Advisors should have delegates notify the chair directly ahead of time through the committee’s email. Emails can be found on the committee’s webpage. This policy will be enforced by roll call attendance taken at the beginning of each session. Advisors will be notified if any of their delegates are absent from committee. Further, Delegates should be on-time to both committee sessions.

PLAGIARISM/AI

Plagiarism or the use of AI in any form is strictly prohibited at LABMUNC. This rule applies to position papers, draft resolutions, directives, and any other documents that delegates may write before or during the conference. This can range from copying a position paper that a teammate had previously written, copying from a journal article without proper citation, as well as copying from sources such as ChatGPT. All written work produced over the course of the conference will be checked for plagiarism and AI.

Research is encouraged when preparing for the conference, and delegates should feel free to cite information in their position papers and other documents, especially pertaining to the specific views of their country or character. However, delegates cannot claim others’ ideas as their own. Therefore, when using outside sources and research, explicit citation is required—while MLA format is encouraged, delegates are welcome to use other citation styles.

Any concerns that a delegate has violated LABMUNC’s plagiarism/AI policies may be relayed to the Secretariat, who will investigate all significant cases brought to their attention. Any delegate found guilty of plagiarism will be moved down an award. For example, if the delegate were going to receive "Best", they would receive "Outstanding" instead. Depending on the severity of the violation, the delegate could be removed from awards. Furthermore, the LABMUNC Secretariat reserves the right to search laptops, binders, and other in-conference materials in response to these allegations. All confirmed policy violations will be brought to the attention of the delegation’s advisor(s).

PRE-WRITING

Pre-writing is also strictly prohibited at LABMUNC. Pre-writing includes any language, clauses, or directives that were written before a committee formally opens. Even if the ideas in a pre-written document are original and not plagiarized, delegates may not bring in clauses or directives before the first committee session.

This does not imply that delegates should not bring in any resources whatsoever, since delegates are strongly encouraged to research their topics and be familiar with the views of their country or position. Delegates who violate pre-writing rules will serve the same punishments listed above for plagiarism/AI.

TECHNOLOGY

As LABMUNC V is a no-tech conference, in order to respect other delegates and prevent distractions, the use of laptops, tablets, and cellular devices is prohibited in committee rooms while the committee is in session. Delegates may not use their phones, laptops, tablets, or similar devices at any time during committee, unless technology use is included in a delegate’s confirmed accommodation, or unless otherwise stated by the dais.

AUTHENTICITY

In Model United Nations, delegates must represent the views of a country or individual, not themselves. Therefore, delegates are reminded to adhere to the stances of the country or position that they are representing. However, delegates should not feel constrained by this rule; compromise, cooperation, and creativity are central to the spirit of the United Nations, and delegates should not feel that they should ever sacrifice diplomacy to remain completely authentic to their position. Delegates who feel unsure about their position on a specific topic can reach out to their dais at no penalty to themselves, either before or during the conference.

ACCOMMODATIONS

For accommodation requests and questions related to disability, please contact LABMUNC’s secretaries generals at labmunsg@gmail.com. Accommodations include those related to a disability, technology accommodation, or dietary restrictions.

AWARDS

LABMUNC gives out awards in each committee to recognize delegates who demonstrate strong diplomatic ability, including speaking skills, depth of research, and collaborative leadership. In addition, chairs will award delegates based on their impact on the committee. In General Assemblies and Economic & Social Councils, this will primarily include delegates’ bloc leadership, speeches, and their influence on working papers and resolutions, while in crisis committees, the dais will evaluate the quality and impact of delegates’ crisis arcs.

LABMUNC also gives out delegation awards to schools who demonstrate excellence across a wide range of simulations. For awards purposes, the cut-off between large and small delegations is determined using the median delegation size; therefore, delegations should avoid estimating this cutoff in advance.

Awards per Committee:

Best Delegate
Outstanding Delegate(s)
Honorable Mention Delegate(s)
Verbal Commendation*

*Does not count towards team awards

Delegation Awards:

Best Large Delegation
- Outstanding Large Delegation

Best Medium Delegation
Best Small Delegation

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