It’s Saturday afternoon, in a medium-sized room in the Holmes Student Center and Shehzad Merchant is in his element.

Dressed in a greenish-brown suit and a multi-colored tie, he debates, proposes ideas and lobbies. Bouncing up and down in his seat, Merchant flashes a somewhat-devious smile, wanting a piece of every discussion.

Jargon such as “resolution,” “motion” and “working paper” flies around the room. If it resembles a United Nations meeting, it’s not a mistake; it’s Model UN’s annual spring mini-conference.

Of the hundreds of Student Association-recognized student organizations on campus, Model UN is among the more organized and dedicated ones. It has the awards to prove it. And Merchant, as the president of Model UN, is its leader.

When Merchant found out that NIU had a Model UN club five semesters ago, he discovered it was basically in shambles. It was unorganized, at best, but he thought it had potential. With the help of Vice President Anna Berger and faculty adviser Andrea Radasanu, Merchant resuscitated it.

He recruited members around the clock to make it what it is today: an ethnically-diverse group of around 30 dedicated members.

“Everybody out there now will tell you I recruited them somehow,” Merchant said, a senior political science major who wants to one day work in the real UN, of the club’s members.

A few of those members were recognized with awards at the Midwest Model United Nations Conference in St. Louis last month. Among them was Merchant, who earned the conference’s most prestigious award: best delegate on security council.

“He’s always talking in class about Model UN. He’s always promoting it,” said Model UN Treasurer Richard Walsh of Merchant, as the two ate lunch in the Student Center Friday.

“Remember why I joined Model UN?” Walsh asked Merchant.

“Because I dragged your ass to it,” Merchant quipped.

On a more serious note, Walsh said, “Shehzad is one of the best diplomats I know. He taught me everything I know about diplomacy.”

“We make people aware of social issues,” Merchant said. “People need to be aware of world issues. We live in one world, not one country.”

Back at the mini-conference, the topic of debate is refugees. Multiple tables are lined up in a square formation with Berger, acting as the secretariat, in the front. Model UN members sit in front of placards with names of countries on them.

When members voted to suspend the debate for five minutes, nearly everyone jumped up, rushed toward each other and started arguing their positions. “Delegates, remember that diplomatic courtesy is to be used,” Berger said.

“We’re all friends now,” Merchant said Friday of he and his fellow Model UN members. “I couldn’t imagine going to college without these guys.”