As the blue and white flag flying from University Hall announces, the Harvard Model United Nations (U.N.) began Thursday with nearly 1000 college students from 85 colleges participating in the four-day event.

Although not as large as the model U.N. for high school students held here earlier this year, the present version for college students is the second or third largest in the nation, and the largest of its type ever held at Harvard.

The participants, who spent the past three months studying their assigned countries, registered Thursday afternoon at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, where the participants will spend most of their four days.

Joel S. Migdal, associate professor of Government, gave an opening speech on international relations before the first work session began.

The model U.N. consists of two main councils, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. Every delegation has one representative on either of these two councils.

Cara B. Seiderman '81, secretary general and chief organizer for the event, said this year's U.N. attracted so many people because of international relations' recent "movement into the limelight."

Seiderman added that recent international events, such as the plight of the boat people and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, attract much of the model U.N.'s attention. One group of delegates calling themselves the United Islamic Liberation Front for Afghanistan, tried to gain "observer status."

Nathan A. Low '82, a member of the Harvard staff organizing the event, said the organizers assign countries according the school's performance in other model U.N.'s the University of Baltimore, which Low said performs well annually, is this year's United States.

One-hundred Harvard students work to run the U.N., while another 100 take part as delegates. The International Relations Council funds and organizes the event.

Although the delegations which perform best do receive prizes, competition plays a small role. Elizabeth Pierpont '81, a member of the Rumanian delegation, said "It's not a debate tournament at all." The model U.N. emphasizes cooperation, as skills for causing and negotiating come into widest use, she added.

Seema Berquist, a senior from Annhurst College participating in her first model U.N., said William L. Tayler, a former political science professor at her college stirred interest in the model U.N. Tayler helped develop the world charter of the United Nations.

Richard L. Babson, a junior from the University of Virginia, said, "If people do things correctly, you learn an awful lot about different positions" on various issues. "It informs you about the world," he added.

Although the delegates spend most of their time working in committees, they have a dance scheduled tonight at the Park Plaza, and a party set for Sunday evening after the last official meeting.