United Nations

Trip to the United Nations
Friday, November 3, 2006

          On Friday November 3, 2006, 40 Honors students, including the students from the Honors University 101 classes, embarked on a tour of the United Nations (UN) headquarters located in Manhattan, NY.  At the beginning of the tour, the group was asked what they knew about the United Nations.  Surprisingly, they did not know much. The tour guide assured them that they would learn a lot by the end of the tour.
           The students immediately learned about the flags flying around the UN building.  The flags are hung in alphabetical order, beginning with Afghanistan and ending with Zimbabwe.  All of the flags are put up and taken down daily, except for the UN flag, which always flies.
Honors students learned that the UN property in New York City does not belong to the United States, but is considered international property.  This means that it has its own police force and firefighters.  A US police officer must be invited to come onto the property.
           As the students walked through the UN, the tour guide showed them the many murals and works of art that symbolized what the UN stands for.  Everyone had the opportunity to view the Zanetti mural which documented the history and mission of the UN.  It depicted the horrors of World War II transitioning into the creation of the UN and then to its mission of peace and security.  Honors students also saw the United States gift to the UN, a mosaic of the Norman Rockwell painting depicting the Golden Rule.  The students soon realized that the artwork on the walls told a story, a story of how the UN came to exist, and what it strives to achieve.
           Everyone got the chance to see the rooms where all of the UN’s meetings take place.  The students walked through the General Assembly and the Security Council Chamber.  All had the chance to walk through an actual meeting of the United Nations.  This is not something that is typically done as part of the tour, but the students were fortunate enough to witness this.  They even got to try the earphone translators that are worn by those who attend the meetings.  After taking the tour, the Honors students had learned a lot about what the UN stands for and what it hopes to achieve.