Media & Special Interests

Press Corps

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to Press Corps!  During your time at HMC, you will be the eyes and ears of the conference.  As reporters for the HMC Times and the Capital Chronicle, you will canvass all over the conference for big scoops on breaking news and hidden scandals of the political elite.  You will also become the ultimate source for the latest developments at the conference.  We, your trusty editors, will serve as mentors, teachers, and supporters.  We will help you along the way in any way possible.

Frances Martel is a natural-born writer.  While her provocative, controversial style- inherited from the flame-throwing Cuban-American writers she grew up around- has lead her to become a prominent boxing correspondent, she stays true to her political roots with her weekly article in the Harvard Independent, a weekly campus magazine.  While she has strong opinions about everything from communism to sketch comedy, she most passionately adores 80s music, fishing, and fried pork.  She is not too a big fan of Shakespeare, Bill Maher, hippies, and reggaeton.

Courtney Skinner is a junior in Mather House who has come to love Boston weather, even though she is originally from sunny southern California.  Courtney is working toward her degree in English while pursuing a secondary in Russian Studies.  She loves journalism and is a sportswriter for the Harvard Crimson, covering men's hockey and men's volleyball.  Courtney is also the Head of Publicity and Business for On Harvard Time, Harvard's online version of the Daily Show.  She loves to travel, watch sports, read Russian literature, and drink lots and lots of Starbucks coffee.  This is her third HMC conference, and she can't wait to work with all of you!

Derek is in his first year as a Senior Staffer at HMC and he's thrilled. Hailing from Miami, Florida, he's currently a junior at Harvard University and Founder/Executive Producer of On Harvard Time, an online, nearly-weekly 7-minute news comedy television show. In high school, he founded and led his own monthly political newsletter, The We Happy Few. At Harvard, he's also President of HRTV, Harvard-Radcliffe Television. Finally, he's involved with Strategy & Operations for a interactive, new-age print & online publication called The Harvard Voice. In his spare time, he likes to play basketball and watch Harry Potter marathons.

Again, we are all extremely excited to have you join us!  Get ready for tons of fun and please don’t hesitate to contact us in the meantime if you have any questions.  See you all at the conference in February!

Sincerely,

Frances Martel
fmartel@fas.harvard.edu

Courtney Skinner
cskinner@fas.harvard.edu

Derek Flanzraich
dflanz@fas.harvard.edu

HMC-TV

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to HMC-TV, the best news station HMC has ever seen. Prepare to transform yourselves into reporters, directors, and producers.  You will have the chance to enter the spotlight and produce your very own nightly news program for all delegates to see. HMC-TV promises to be a fun, fast-paced, and rewarding experience in broadcast journalism!

Jason McCoy graduated from Harvard in 2008 with a degree in psychology, on social psychology and leadership. During four years in college, he fell in love with all things Harvard and worked in the admissions office and with campus events organization. This year, Jason is serving as the Campus Life Fellow, affectionately known as the “Fun Czar,” and is loving Harvard even more than ever. He also loves life, smiling, food, frozen yogurt, traveling, talking, life in general, and HMC – this will be his 9th conference.

Katie McCabe is a senior at Harvard studying government. She was a Senate intern last summer, catching the political bug and an interest in political psychology. She is very fond of all things Midwestern, especially her hometown Omaha, Nebraska.  Katie enjoys sports, music, and learning new instruments, from the guitar to the mandolin and banjo. This is her fourth year in HMC and HMC-TV.

We are so excited to meet you and hear all of your ideas for this year’s conference.  HMC-TV can only succeed with your hard work and creativity.  Over the next few months, keep brainstorming ideas for television features and newscasts.  If you have any questions before or during the conference, do not hesitate to contact any of us. HMC-TV is your committee. We are only here to help you and help make the conference a very fun and enjoyable experience for all involved.

Sincerely,

Jason McCoy
jmccoy@fas.harvard.edu

Katie McCabe
ktmccabe@fas.harvard.edu

Lobbyist Program

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to the Lobbyist Program of Harvard Model Congress 2009! As your chairs, we look forward to working with you, and we are excited about what promises to be a great conference of meaningful argument, debate, and discussion. Here is a little more information about us!

Riley Catlin is a senior economics concentrator at Harvard. He is very involved with on-campus extra curricular activities such as mock trial, the law society and other model congress conferences. In his free time, Riley likes to listen to music, watch movies, and meet friends. This is Riley's fourth year at the Boston conference and will be his 12th model congress conference. He is very much looking forward to working with the lobbyists.

Leslie Dyke is a senior government concentrator who grew up on the border between Texas and Mexico.  Of her various extracurricular involvements, Harvard Model Congress is her favorite, and this will be her ninth HMC conference.  She also loves Texas football, competitive swimming, and Mexican food.  She is very excited about this year’s conference and looks forward to working with you!
Ann Marie Brouillette is a senior economics concentrator from Michigan.  She is interested in international business and language study and has studied abroad in Spain, China, and France.  Ann Marie will be working in international finance next year and hopes to continue pursuing her passions of cooking, art, and travel.  This is her fifth and final HMC conference, and she hopes to make it the best one!

Jon Perrin is a sophomore philosophy concentrator at Harvard who aspires to go to law school.  He is originally from the small town of Woodstock, NY, and was a delegate at Harvard Model Congress for 3 years from Onteora High School.  Jon’s other major extracurricular activity is playing for the Harvard Varsity Baseball team. He is a huge Yankees fan, who also enjoys travelling, scuba diving, and skiing.  He is really looking forward to the conference, and hopes all of the lobbyists are excited as well!
Andre Gabriel is a sophomore statistics and sociology concentrator who was born in Brooklyn, New York but has spent most of his life in a small CT suburb. He is an executive board member of the Harvard College Consulting Group and runs a t-shirt business with his roommates. This is his second year as a chair in the lobbyist program, and he participated in Model Congress all throughout high school. He is anticipating meeting all the new delegates this year!

Please take some time before the conference to research your lobbyist group and prepare for your role at the conference, as the quality of your HMC experience is directly correlated with the amount of time you spend preparing beforehand.  Your chairs are definitely here to help, so you do not hesitate to contact us with any questions!  See you in February!

Sincerely,

Leslie Dyke
ldyke@fas.harvard.edu

Jonathan Perrin
jperrin@fas.harvard.edu

Andre Gabriel
agabriel@fas.harvard.edu

Ann Marie Brouillette
abrouill@fas.harvard.edu

Committee Assignments

HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS 2009

Pre-Conference Written Assignment

Shortly, Press Corps staff members will contact delegates to solicit requests for beat assignments.  After receiving this assignment, delegates are responsible for writing and submitting one article on their assigned topic.  These articles will be formatted and published by the staff and distributed at the opening of the conference.

Committee Assignments

HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS 2009

Pre-Conference Written Assignment

Note: There are no pre-submitted materials required for HMC-TV.  It is crucial that delegates take time to carefully read their committee guides and associated materials in preparation for the conference, especially if there are no pre-conference assignments to reinforce the material.  Staff members will be able to be in contact with delegates through the committee webpage message board to further clarify and instruct about pre-submitted materials.  Therefore, it is important that delegates make website accounts, so they do not miss relevant information.

Committee Assignments

HARVARD MODEL CONGRESS 2009

Pre-Conference Written Assignment

Lobbyist delegates are expected to write three detailed position papers on their lobby’s position on three issues that they want congressional committees to consider.  Relevant issues can be found under “Hot Topics” section of their briefing.  Position papers will require research beyond the “Hot Topics” section.  In addition, delegates should be prepared to make oral deliveries on the main points of their position papers, as this preparation will serve as the basis for congressional testimony.