JCC Deus Ex Machina: Robber Barons v. Luddites, 1811 (Robber Barons)
In the age of steam, a new world has been born. The continued development of the steam engine has unlocked never-before seen developments in the world of transportation, production, and the very structure of society itself! The cosmos has aligned on a brand new future, and the robber barons are the only ones who can make that future possible.
Whether they be the owners of production, the investors in these engines, or other parties that particularly benefit from this progress, the robber barons are in a unique position to utilize this new steam technology to grow their wealth and pursue their ambitions. Will they revolutionize transportation with steam locomotion and unite the globe in a way never seen before? Will they completely overhaul the production and manufacturing process— potentially cementing Britain as an economic powerhouse for ages to come? The possibilities are endless for the robber barons, for in steam there is power, and in power there is creation.
However, the only thing that can possibly stop such a world from coming into fruition are the deplorable luddites. Aiming to dismantle all of the progress the robber barons have created thus far, the luddites continue to destroy our intricate engines and spark their senseless riots. They do not understand the great boons that the robber barons can bring to our society, as they only seek to revert our world to a broken state before technology. However, ignorance is not an excuse for their crimes, and the robber barons must put an end to this sabotage in order to seize this crucial moment in history— using whatever means necessary to do so.
The committee begins with an unsettling air. There was yet another Robber Baron victory as they successfully stifled a huge Luddite riot, which could act as a reminder to all of the workers throughout London that at the end of the day, the Barons wielded the power. However, such a celebration was short-lived as the Luddites also carried out one of the largest cases of frame breaking in a long time too, which reinvigorated the Luddites resolve. Both sides take a hit from one another, and the tensions keep rising and rising, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that there’s something else at play here. That eeriness, like something is turning the cogs in this grandiose machine, just outside the reach of human comprehension.
Erica Olea Velasquez
Chair
Erica is a fourth-year at the college majoring in Biology and Public Policy on the pre-med track from sunny Santa Barbara, California. Though her loyalties should belong to the West Coast or the Midwest, if you ask her about her favorite burger joint, she’ll probably argue that What-A-Burger is the best burger joint, because though she loves California, her heart does partially belong to Texas (hook ‘em)!
Prior to chairing for Deus Ex Machina, Erica served as an assistant chair for The Kasparov Gambit: The International Chess Federation (ChoMUN XXVII), chaired for Grand Granada Gambit: Nasrid Emirate of Granada (ChoMUN XXVIII), and crisis directed for JCC: Ad Astera Per Aspera (ChoMUN XXIX). She has also chaired for MUNUC, our high school conference, and has participated on the circuit.
Outside of MUN, Erica is very active in a wide variety of things. She volunteers around Hyde Park regularly, and does research at UChicago Medicine. If she’s not in her lab or in the library, you can find her cooking (she’s a foodie) or at the gym (possibly rock climbing!).
Erica can’t wait to be your chair! If you want to reach out to Erica about anything, even if it's to just say hi or talk about college football, her email is eoleavelazquez@uchicago.edu.
Nasario Miranda
crisis director
Nasario (Nas) Miranda is a fourth-year student who is double-majoring in Environmental Science and Economics. Though his family is from Puerto Rico, he grew up in Oklahoma, so he actually has a good reason to be an OKC Thunder fan. He’s also involved in running UChicago’s high school Model UN conference (MUNUC) as well. For ChoMUN, he’s served as an EAC for Ad Astra Per Aspera: Dominion of Solace, 2734 in ChoMUN XXIX, a Chair for Mischief and Met-dling: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2025 in ChoMUN XXVIII, and an AC for How The A Sausage Gets Made: Armour and Company Board of Directors, 1906 in ChoMUN XXVII.
Beyond the MUN world, he’s previously been the publicity chair of the Gamma Sigma chapter of the Alpha Phi Omega community service organization, and he’s currently assisting a lab on bivalve research. In his free time, he loves working out, digital painting, longboarding, cooking Puerto Rican food, and waiting for the next Steel Ball Run episode to air.
You can feel free to reach out to Nas at nasariom@uchicago.edu.
Wilson Mach
coordinating crisis director
Wilson is a fourth-year majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. Coming from the great city of New York, he will not hesitate to remind everyone that Taylor Swift wrote not one, but more than 12 songs about it. He competes in UChicago's travel team and is heavily involved in MUNUC, UChicago’s high school MUN conference. Within CHOMUN, Wilson served as a Chair for MOMAgeddon: Museum of Modern Art, 2026 at CHOMUN XXIX, Crisis Director for Mischief and Met-dling: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2025 at CHOMUN XXVIII and an AC for NothingNatural About This: A Night at the American Museum of Natural History at CHOMUN XXVII.
Outside of MUN, he enjoys wandering Chicago to satisfy his craving for good food and regularly gets frustrated figuring out why the code he spent 10 hours on doesn’t work.
Wilson is extremely excited to coordinate this committee and to help delegates get their mischief managed. If you have any questions or want to share any obscure historical facts, feel free to reach out at wmach@uchicago.edu.
Secretariat oversight:
elizabeth zeilman, under-secretary-general