The UALR Ethics Bowl team became the first in university history to compete in the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Championship national finals Feb. 28. The squad qualified for the national competition by outperforming 16 teams at the 15th annual Texas Regional Ethics Bowl in November.

The UALR team traveled to San Antonio, Texas, for the national competition. They defeated the teams from SUNY Buffalo and Georgetown University in the first and second rounds, respectively, before falling to the U.S. Naval Academy in the third round.

Team members are Rachel Horton, Georgette Huyler, Angela Johnson, Bianca Mayo, and George Wilson. Drs. Rochelle Green, Allison Merrick, and Michael Norton were the coaches for the team.

To qualify for nationals, the team competed in one of the 10 regional competitions held across the country. The top 32 teams earned a spot in the national competition.

The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Championship is sponsored by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. In the competition, undergraduate students debate a variety of contemporary issues related to practical and professional ethics.

Teams prepare arguments regarding central ethical concerns. Some examples include proprietary rights, the potential impact of geoengineering on the environment, and issues of professional ethics in both the private and public sectors. The teams are judged in terms of the coherence of their presentation, the relevance of their ethical considerations, and their thoughtfulness.

For more information about the Ethics Bowl Team, contact Allison Merrick, the faculty sponsor and co-coach at axmerrick@ualr.edu.