Committee Procedure

These policies are included in each committee’s respective background guide. However, several committees (such as the Non-Traditional committees) may have different procedural elements, so please refer to the Background Guide as the final authority on procedural questions.

Violations of committee policies during conference weekend can be reported through our misconduct forms. All issues pertaining to substantive misconduct occurring during conference weekend will be handled directly by relevant members of the NCSC Secretariat and the Conference Executives.

If accommodations are required for any of the following policies, please email the Secretary General or Executive Director.

NOTE: NO POSITION PAPERS are required for any committee at NCSC LI!

Plagiarism and Pre-Writing

All pre-written and plagiarized documents, such as directives or crisis notes, are strictly prohibited at NCSC. Pre-writing constitutes any language, personal directives, joint personal directives, or committee directives that were written before debate formally opens during the conference weekend. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, verbatim or near-verbatim copying and pasting from academic sources or other websites. Any delegate found guilty of pre-writing or plagiarism will be immediately disqualified from any award in their committee. The NCSC Secretariat reserves the right to search computers and laptops, notebooks and binders, USBs, and any form of electronics for Model UN-specific documents in response to allegations.

General Assembly Committees

These policies apply to all Assemblies & Summits (including the Ad-Hoc General Assembly)

Note on Parliamentary Procedure

Committees will run following standard General Assembly Parliamentary Procedure. The primary vehicles for debate will be the moderated caucus, the unmoderated caucus, and the speaker’s list. In order to foster substantive debate of the highest quality, this committee will prioritize one topic over the other after a series of debates and votes in Committee Session I to set the order of the topics. Delegates should not expect there to be significant (if any) debate on the second topic chosen. As the weekend advances, delegates will be expected to collaborate on and contribute to working papers, which will eventually turn into draft resolutions. The Chairs will have discretion over the number of working papers and draft resolutions submitted to the dais. Delegates should bear in mind that the last resolution passed supersedes any prior work it conflicts with. For awards, delegates will be evaluated on both their in room (speaking) and out of room (writing and bloc formation) skills. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact either of your Chairs.

Materials and Technology Policy

Resolutions and working papers in all A&S committees will be written using Google Docs. Delegates will be required to bring a designated device that can access Google Docs during all committee sessions. All resolutions and working papers will be shared with the Chairs’ emails. 

The use of cell phones is strictly prohibited during committee sessions. Delegates will be permitted to use laptops for writing working papers and draft resolutions. Laptops are only permitted to be used during unmoderated caucuses and outside of committee rooms while committee is in session. The NCSC Staff has the discretion to enable or disable usage if they deem necessary or appropriate.

Crisis Committees

These policies apply to all crisis-style committees, but please refer to your committee’s background guide for specific crisis elements.

Note on Parliamentary Procedure

Crisis committees will run following standard Crisis Parliamentary Procedure. They will be run in a default moderated caucus and will contain crisis elements such as note-writing using a two-pad system and regular crisis updates. The Chair, Crisis Manager, and/or Grand Crisis Manager may, at their discretion, suspend normal debate rules in order to enact a timed-crisis period. Delegates should be prepared for a fast-paced committee with continuously evolving circumstances based on delegate notes, passed directives, and crisis staff discretion. The committee may pass directives, communiques, and press releases by a simple majority vote. Delegates will be allowed to write personal directives, or crisis notes, using a two-pad paper system and use their personal portfolio powers to take private actions within their purview. Delegates may also write joint personal directives with other delegates in order to combine portfolio powers and take more substantial private actions.

In the case that any non-traditional elements that deviate from the above are introduced by NCSC staff, delegates should not hesitate to provide feedback on the nature of these elements or how they were implemented, to either their respective Under-Secretary-General or the In-Conference Feedback Form.

Materials and Technology Policy

Directives and related documents, including press releases and communiqués, in all Crisis style committees will be written on loose leaf paper. Delegates will be able to use paper from their delegate padfolios, which will be distributed before the first committee session. Crisis notes and joint personal directives will be written and sent on paper using a two-pad system. Delegates will be able to write joint personal directives on paper and submit them to the crisis staff when crisis notes are collected.

The use of cell phones is strictly prohibited during committee sessions, unless in the event of an emergency. Delegates may not use laptops or other similar technology for any reason during committee sessions, without the express permission of the Chair and/or Crisis Manager.