Burning on the Dance Floor: Chicago Fire Incident, 1871
To quote the great Sean Kingston: “Somebody call 911 - Chicago Fire burning on the dance floor!” Or at least that’s how we remember it going.
In the 1850s-1860s, Chicago was rapidly asserting itself as a powerful American metropolis. Aside from its growing population that made it the fifth most populous city in the U.S., it also quickly learned how to exploit its midwest surroundings by founding the first grain futures exchange (now known as the CME Group). Lastly, it played a pivotal role in the growth of the western United States, serving as a key railroad connecting the east and west coasts. The summer of 1871 brought a rather dry summer which, not uncommon considering Chicago’s frequent extreme weather events, did end up damaging the structural integrity of many buildings in the downtown area, especially with many wooden buildings and sidewalks drying up. And on October 8th of that same year, disaster struck, and a great fire engulfed all but a few dozen buildings, leaving a rubbled city and a confused America.
Delegates will start their journey on the following day and are tasked with rebuilding the entire city, from walls and buildings to hearts and minds, and ultimately the city’s spirit itself. While each member of this emergency commission will play a uniquely crucial role in this effort — such as assessing damages, rebuilding governance, and providing emergency economic relief — all will work towards the same goal. But with the city being in such a vulnerable spot, delegates should also expect plentiful opportunities for backstabbing, seeking new balances of power, and overall shifting the tides (that is, of Lake Michigan of course) in their favor. Above all, prepare for an enthralling committee that will reward creativity, bold action, and creative directive names — “that’s fire” and “it’s lit” are two first suggestions we will offer.
Naxely Reyes
Chair
Naxely is a second year at the college pursuing a Human Rights and Media Arts and Design double major.
Born and raised across the Mexican-U.S. border, they grew up with the best of both worlds. In their first year at the college, they took it upon themselves to get tangled in all of the MUNiverse and don't regret it one bit. This will be their 2nd ChoMUN and they can't wait for it!
Besides the weekly trainings, you can catch Naxely doing archery or divvy-ing across campus. They enjoy spending time outdoors though a bottle of sunblock is never far away (they claim they aren't a vampire, but that's exactly what one would say).
Being involved in frats and other extracurriculars, in addition to working at one of the student-run cafes’, Naxely likes to keep herself busy (sleep is never an option) but never busy enough to not help others out. They are looking forward to seeing what delegates can come up with to collaborate on a solution to this year's committee, till then, keep an eye out in the sky!
If you ever want to get good biking trails or maybe just want to talk about skincare, feel free to reach out to Naxely at naxelyreyes@uchciago.edu.
Julien Perce
Crisis Director
Julien is a third-year double majoring in Mathematics and Economics. Originally from Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood, he’s greatly benefited from the privilege of supporting the superior baseball team as a Cubs fan now living in Sox territory.
Julien has been involved with organizing MUN conferences at UChicago since his first year, both in the content and admin sides, with his most recent experience being a Crisis Director for Khosrow I’s Sassanian Shenanigans at ChoMUN 27.
When he’s not in the library trying to prove that 1 + 1 ≠ 0, you can find him walking backwards through UChicago’s quad as he serves as a tour guide for the university’s undergraduate admissions. He also does image processing and machine learning research in the physical sciences division and is very adamant about tabs > spaces and that light mode is the superior code editor theme. And for fun, he’s a member of Greek life, and he enjoys watching the Bears continuously let down the city of Chicago year after year. He’s also a big fan of all things EDM and never forgets to mention that house music was invented in Chicago.
Julien’s email jperce@uchicago.edu is the best place to send him any questions, concerns, or EDM songs — the dais would look favorably upon Tech House or Deep House recommendations.
alan pham
CRISIS DIRECTOR
Alan is a fourth-year in the college studying Computer Science and Economics. Hailing from stunning sunny Southern California, he won’t hesitate to complain about Chicago’s crazy weather or vouch for In-N-Out’s supremacy over other fast-food burger chains.
Alan originally started doing Model UN because he felt bad wearing a hoodie in public that he got from an RSO he never took part in. Since then he has served as the Crisis Director for The Sassanian Shenanigans: The Reign of Khosrow I: 531 AD at ChoMUN XXVII and actively takes part in MUNUC, despite typically staying on the traditional side over there.
Outside of Model UN, he conducts research on the development of novel tangible user interfaces for AxLab. Otherwise, he can often be found in a prairie of grass with metal sticks and a white ball (albeit Chicago weather makes the occasion increasingly rarer) or going to the gym to move heavy things to reassure himself when he stuffs his face an hour after.
If you have any questions, concerns, or happen to know some fire restaurants that won’t make his already empty wallet cry, feel free to reach out at apham799@uchicago.edu.
Secretariat oversight:
Francisco Gutierrez, Under-secretary-general