Update as of July 13: BarMUN XIV will be in-person, on the Boston University Charles River Campus, contingent on health and safety policies from the City of Boston and the Boston University administration.

BarMUN XIV’s COVID-19 Policies can be accessed here.

8 February 2021 

Dear Delegates,

I hope you are all well and staying as safe as possible, wherever you are in the world. The last year has been like no other, and the pandemic brought with it major obstacles and disappointments, both on and off the collegiate Model UN circuit. As such, the secretariat chose the theme “conquering the storm” to drive this year’s conference: an acknowledgement of the difficulties of the last several months and our own unfortunate cancellation, paired with a resolution to come back stronger than before, regardless of the challenge. 

The secretariat has been hard at work for several months now, exploring all the possibilities available to us, both for a virtual and for an in-person conference, and I am deeply sorry that we cannot currently offer a concrete answer of what format the conference will take. It is of course our greatest hope to have an in-person conference, with a chance to show off our beautiful city and to engage in classic events like our head delegate social and delegate dance — but delegate health and safety, as well as the comfort and well-being of the Boston University community, are of utmost importance. A final decision regarding the format of the conference will be released at the start of July, taking into consideration feedback from all delegations in addition to national, state, local, and university guidelines.

In the event of a virtual conference, fees will be reduced to reflect the lower operating costs of running a virtual event, and all staff and delegates will be briefed on specific changes to their committees as they are adapted to a virtual format. The BarMUN secretariat has already been in close collaboration and contact with our competitive team and sister conference for the last few months, identifying areas of improvement for virtual committees so that we can bring you the best possible experience. Further details will be released on this website as decisions are finalized, and I, along with my Director-General Ethan and Director of Delegate Affairs Juliana, are always at your disposal.

As I write this letter to you all, it is still early February — in fact, it’s nearly 4 in the morning, I’m somehow already on my second coffee of the day, and I have been aimlessly flipping through my notes for the last hour, thinking about what needs to be done between now and October. Even in this chaotic state where I tend to do some of my best thinking, it is impossible to prophesy or predict what the world will look like in eight months, whether we will be better or worse off. Yet if there is one thing in which I have unfaltering confidence, it is the resilience of the delegates, staff, and everyone else who makes BarMUN what it is: a chance for us to share our passions for history, politics, literature, and so much more. We are ready to make good on our promise to conquer this storm and many others.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at sg@barmun.org. Be safe and be well — I look forward to seeing you all in October.

With all my love,
Barrett Yueh