Snow College Ethics Bowl Team takes Nationals

Team finishes competition with 5-0 record

 

November 22, 2016

Ephraim, UT – Four Snow College students competed in the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) Two-Year College National Ethics Bowl which took place on Saturday, November 19 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Calli Cahill, Elysa Garcia, Adam Hall, and Shawnee Platero competed against teams from two-year colleges across the nation. The team defeated groups from Georgia, Texas, and Maryland in addition to upsetting two-time defending champions Harper College from Palatine, Illinois.

As a result of this victory, the team received a bid to the 2017 Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (IEB) where they will compete against 35 other schools from around the country. Snow College is the only two-year college invited to compete in the 2017 IEB.

Snow College faculty member and Ethics Bowl Team coach Greg Wright said, “I am so proud of these students. The amount of work and effort required of them is extraordinary. They have great chemistry and work so well together as a team. The critical thinking and careful consideration that they displayed in making cogent, nuanced, and ethical arguments was impressive. The civility and thoughtfulness in their speaking and demeanor should be seen as examples of the type of political discourse that our country so desperately needs. Students like these are the future of our country.”

According to the APPE website, “In the competitions students demonstrate their ability to (1) understand the facts of the case, (2) articulate the ethical principles involved in the case, (3) present an effective argument on how the case should be resolved, and (4) respond effectively to challenges put forth by the opposing team as well as the panel of expert judges.” In addition to Wright, faculty members Mike Salitrynski, Matthew Gowans, and Matt Jackson were instrumental in coaching the students as they trained to answer problems related to ethics in medicine, public policy, science and more.

For more information about the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE), visit appe.indiana.edu.