Texas A&M is hosting its Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA) again this spring. I would like to encourage UTA students from your units to attend.  Conference details and online registration forms are at http://scona.tamu.edu/conference.html

The conference has a different theme each year: this year’s meeting, titled “Surviving ourselves: ignite the human potential" focuses on the U.S. workforce in relation to political institutions.  The conference includes a number of roundtable discussions that will be of interest to students in various disciplines.

SCONA offers an add-on session, the International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE), from February 17-18, in which participants discuss and negotiate a hypothetical international incident that has been designed by the Army War College. The facilitators in this session are officers from the Army War College.  The ISCNE is open to juniors and seniors who register by January 21, 2015.  Students in ROTC are given first priority for registration for the ISCNE; SCONA provides ROTC attendees with housing, gratis, for the entire conference. The contact person for further information about the ISCNE is Joseph Dunne at [log in to unmask]; http://scona.tamu.edu/war_college.html

Approximate expenses for the conference are:

Students not in ROTC (conference lasts Feb. 19-21, or Feb. 17-21 if attending ISCNE):

Registration:  $100, or $125 if attending ISCNE

Housing:  $97/night (conference rate) at Ramada College Station ($194 for two nights’ lodging, $388 for 4 nights if attending ISCNE)

Meals: the three breakfasts are provided at the host hotel; most other meals are at the expense of attendees

Cost per attendee will be about $350 (Feb. 19-21), or about $550 if attending ISCNE (Feb. 17-21)

Students in ROTC who attend the ISCNE (conference lasts Feb. 17-21):

Registration: $125

Housing: provided by SCONA

Meals: the three breakfasts provided at the host hotel; most other meals are at the expense of attendees

Cost per attendee will be about $350

Students may be from any majors at UTA.  

Each unit would select attendees within the next month; ISCNE attendees need to be chosen in the next two weeks.  Registration is not refundable, so it is important that students who commit to this be prepared to attend or that units select alternates.  

Please let me know if you would like more information. If you do select students to attend, would you please let me know their names?  

—Elisabeth