A crisis committee is a body of up to twenty-five members who convene to develop a solution to an immediate and rapidly developing crisis. Topics in these committees can vary from being a historical event, to a current disaster, as well as into the future with themes that include both fiction and non-fiction.
Style of Debate
In a crisis room, debate occurs in a moderated caucus where a moderator calls upon delegates to give their positions opinion on the topic of the caucus. This speaking time is often used to attempt to persuade the committee to pass a directive in order to help resolve the crisis. These directives are often less than one page and contain multiple actions that will be taken by the committee as a whole if passed. Directives are how the body interacts with the outside world, and while they may specify a result, it is up to the crisis team to determine how the directive impacts the situation. Directives can also serve as a press release that informs the general public of the committee's action in an attempt to shed a positive light on the actions performed by the committee.
Short (5-15 minute) unmoderated caucuses are often common so that delegates can get up and interact with other delegates that they wish to work with extensively even if they are not located near each other. It is also possible for delegates to pass notes around the room during a moderated caucus so that communication among delegates is always possible. During this time directives are often written and merged to move the committee forward through a problem that was not able to be solved in a moderated caucus.
Short (5-15 minute) unmoderated caucuses are often common so that delegates can get up and interact with other delegates that they wish to work with extensively even if they are not located near each other. It is also possible for delegates to pass notes around the room during a moderated caucus so that communication among delegates is always possible. During this time directives are often written and merged to move the committee forward through a problem that was not able to be solved in a moderated caucus.
How is Crisis different from a GA?
A crisis committee differs from the traditional General Assembly format of Model United Nations in a few ways. The first and most notable of these differences is that in a Crisis committee you no longer represent a nation but instead are assigned the identity of someone relevant to the crisis (i.e., Political/Military leader, Major Business owner, or Religious leader). With such a position you have the unique abilities and resources available to them, also known as your Portfolio Powers.
What are Portfolio Powers?
Portfolio powers are the unique tools that each delegate is given to work within the committee to, without the action of the entire committee, further the goals of not only the body that they serve but also to further their ambitions. These powers vary dramatically based off of the position held by the delegate, but a detailed outline of the position's powers can always be found in the background guide for the committee.
How do I use my Portfolio Powers?
The second thing that differs between Crisis and GA is the idea of “front room” versus “back room.” The front room of a crisis committee is made up of the debate that occurs between delegates along with any directives passed by the committee. Actions in the, however, are not taken by the committee and are instead directed in the form of a crisis note. A crisis note is a message written by the delegate as their position that then requests additional resources from an ally of their position. For example, the governor of Florida could call upon his lieutenant governor to cancel the funding of a public building and divert those funds to some other action. At this point, a FLCS crisis staffer would read and respond to your message with either a positive or negative result based off of the reasoning, quality, and supporting evidence included in the crisis note. Through a series of well-written notes, this funding could be turned into a significant project that reflects well on the delegate's performance.
How do I work with other Delegates?
If you would like to do something that is not within your portfolio powers however the person who does hold these powers is willing to work with you, then you can submit a joint-crisis note. A joint-crisis note is identical to a standard crisis note except that at the bottom of the page both delegates must sign off on the note. This note can be written by one or both delegates, but all that is important is that both agree to the contents of the note.
Variations Upon Crisis
The most common variation of crisis is the Joint Crisis Committee (abbreviated JCC). A JCC is a crisis committee in which delegates are split between two separate sides. Each side has its own committee room, chair, crisis director, awards, and dedicated crisis staff. While this may sound like two completely separate committees, the critical point of a JCC is that each side of the committee can interact with one another and take place in the same crisis arc.
For example, a World War II committee might have an Axis side and an Allies side. On the Axis side, a German general might want to attempt to launch a coup to overthrow Hitler and thus messages the Allies side of the committee in an attempt to get British and American support. In a standard crisis committee, the delegates in the committee are often trying to deal with situations that the crisis staff throws at them, a Roman committee may need to deal with a rebellion of profligate soldiers, an invading barbarian horde, and a declaration of war from the Persian Empire, which are all orchestrated by the crisis staff. In a JCC, most of the obstacles each side of the committee will face are due to actions taken by the opposing side. To use the previous example, if the Axis side succeeds in conquering Moscow from the Allies, then a crisis update the Allies would receive is that Moscow has fallen and thus they need to decide whether to try and recapture it or cut their losses and move somewhere else. In a JCC, the crisis staff is more focused on serving as the arbitrators whenever the two sides come into conflict (which is often) rather than creating obstacles for the delegates to face.
For example, a World War II committee might have an Axis side and an Allies side. On the Axis side, a German general might want to attempt to launch a coup to overthrow Hitler and thus messages the Allies side of the committee in an attempt to get British and American support. In a standard crisis committee, the delegates in the committee are often trying to deal with situations that the crisis staff throws at them, a Roman committee may need to deal with a rebellion of profligate soldiers, an invading barbarian horde, and a declaration of war from the Persian Empire, which are all orchestrated by the crisis staff. In a JCC, most of the obstacles each side of the committee will face are due to actions taken by the opposing side. To use the previous example, if the Axis side succeeds in conquering Moscow from the Allies, then a crisis update the Allies would receive is that Moscow has fallen and thus they need to decide whether to try and recapture it or cut their losses and move somewhere else. In a JCC, the crisis staff is more focused on serving as the arbitrators whenever the two sides come into conflict (which is often) rather than creating obstacles for the delegates to face.