UNITED NATIONAS FLAG FLIES HERE FOR A DAY

The bright blue United Nations flag joined the Missouri and U.S. flags in front of Academic Hall on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the peace-seeking organization.

Members of the Model U.N. organization at Southeast Missouri State University sponsored the flag-raising, conducted the day after United Nations Day.

Dr. Rick Althaus, political science professor, said organization members work all year planning the model United Nations session conducted each fall. This year's will be Nov. 7, attracting about 300 high school students from throughout the region.

University Model U.N. members chair the day's debates. The members will participate in their own mock United Nations session in St. Louis this spring.

"The high school students usually want to represent a big security council country -- The U.S., the United Kingdom, China, France or Russia," said Mike Binz, Model U.N. vice president. "They get excited about coming up here and getting into the role of representing another country."

Organization members also keep a close eye on United Nations-related events throughout the year. Each has his own opinion about what 50 years of the United Nations has done for world peace.

"During the Cold War, Selective Security and other programs didn't work," said David Jewell, Model U.N. secretary-general. "It was just the United States backing up everything."

"I believe there is a need for the U.N.," he said. "Maybe one day it will start working."

Althaus said he believed a problem was lack of positive exposure in the media for the U.N.'s humanitarian efforts.

"There will always be some need for a forum where people from different parts of the world get together and talk about issues," he said.