Jepson School's ethics bowl team places 10th in national competition

February 26, 2015

Cases on topics such as fracking, artificial intelligence, crowdsourced journalism and the minimum wage took center stage at the 19th Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition, held Feb. 22 in Costa Mesa, California.

An ethics bowl team from the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies placed 10th in the competition. The team advanced from one of 10 regional bowls held in November.

“Jepson had a great team this year,” said Jessica Flanigan, the coach and an assistant professor of leadership studies and philosophy, politics, economics, and law (PPEL). “The students learned a lot about ethics by researching two sets of cases, one for regionals and another set for nationals.”

Questions addressed a wide array of topics in business and professional ethics, personal relationships, and social and political affairs. Students on the team met for practice twice each week during the spring semester. One practice this fall included dinner with a former debate champion.

The team was comprised of seniors Charlotte Denoyer, Mattias Treu, Matthew Groff, and Maddie Soskin.

“I’m so thankful for how well the Jepson School has prepared me to defend my ethical viewpoints and respond to criticisms in stride,” Groff said. “I can’t even begin to describe how valuable this experience was, and how well I feel prepared to come up with an argument, consider all angles and come to a conclusion that I can defend. That’s something that I’ll carry into interviews, into the workforce and into my everyday life.”  

The team is supported by a grant from the David Davoud Donchian Foundation.

Ethics Bowl Team

Left to right: Matthew Groff, Charlotte Denoyer, Dr. Jessica Flanigan, Mattias Treu and Maddie Soskin.