Model United States Senate

Model United States Senate (MUSS) is a student event intended to simulate the legislative process of the United States Senate. Various educational bodies organize MUSS events.

DoDDS-Europe MUSS

A conference held in Heidelberg, Germany every April for 4 days for high school students from all over DODDS Europe participate to simulate the United States Senate, lobby, pass bills, and generally learn about the legislative process that takes place in the United States Senate.

US Senate Seal

DoDDS-Europe MUSS was formerly held in various locations other than the Pavilion in Patrick Henry Village. MUSS was regularly conducted off-base with students attending from non-DODDS schools, but after 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, the conference was required to be held on a military installation and students from non-DODDS schools were no longer allowed to participate.

DoDDS-Europe MUSS is organized cooperatively by the teacher board and the appointed student board. The student board is typically composed of six students from six different schools. These six students and the teachers' advisory board usually meet in December to organize most of the conference including:

• Creating the theme
• Designing and ordering T-shirts, pens, folders, etc.
• Setting debate topics
• Suggesting changes to the conference

Every participating team and their coach is expected to arrive at the conference location at a specified time, most of the time between 8-10 pm. As the senators and lobbyists arrive they are told the time frame in which they are expected to lobby. Lobbyist represent interest groups, government agencies or any organization that wishes to push for a specific act or bill.

Floyd M. Riddick Model United States Senate at Stetson University

Stetson University hosts the United States first and oldest college-level Model United States Senate program every year in March. Each year, students from colleges and universities around the nation gather at Stetson University for this three-day event. The F.M.R. Model U.S. Senate reproduces the actual procedures and activities of the United States Senate in an effort to provide experience and education for the student participants. Each student is assigned a Senator in one of five legislative committees and is responsible for researching a variety of bills and crafting appropriate amendments. In addition, the Model Senate attracts national speakers and lecturers, including former and sitting United States Senators.^[1]

Goucher College Model United States Senate

A group of political science majors at Goucher College created the U.S. Model Senate program as an educational tool to improve high school students’ understanding of the legislative process in the American government and to encourage their political engagement. Each student will be assigned to play the role of a real U.S. Senator and will participate in a two-day model senate conference. Over these two days, students will participate in floor sessions, introduce legislation, mark up legislation in committee, and attend party caucuses. They will get a sense of what it is like to be a U.S. Senator and leave with a better understanding of the country’s legislative system. The website for this program can be viewed here ^[2]

Other MUSS events

• Bridgewater State College Model United States Senate for High School^[3]

References

1. ^ http://www2.stetson.edu/modelsenate/
2. ^ http://blogs.goucher.edu/modelsenate/
3. ^ http://www.bridgew.edu/cls/BrochureHighSchoolModel.htm