Competing in national ethics bowl is a win-win for University of Richmond team
A University of Richmond team ranked among the top college teams nationwide in this year’s Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competitions. The Richmond team — comprising seniors Samantha Chiaino, Sassan Fahim, Allyssa Flanagan, Timothy Khoh, and Emerson Linden — was among only 36 out of 215 teams competing in regional competitions that qualified to advance to the national competition, held March 7-8 in St. Louis. The Spiders placed 16 out of 36 teams at the national competition, securing a spot in the top 7% of all 215 teams that competed in APPE ethics bowls nationwide.
“The competition was stiff!” Khoh said of the national ethics bowl. “These were the best teams in the country. While I never thought of myself as a ‘debate kid,’ I get the hype now.”
Khoh’s teammates shared his enthusiasm. All credited their coach, Dr. Javier Hidalgo, a professor of leadership studies and philosophy, politics, economics, and law, with preparing them to compete successfully. The Jepson School of Leadership Studies covered the team’s competition fees and travel expenses.
The team coalesced in the fall semester in Hidalgo’s class Leadership Ethics Applied in the Field. Based on their second-place finish at the Southeast Regional Ethics Bowl in November, the Spiders qualified for the national competition. This semester during an independent study with Hidalgo, they continued honing their skills in the lead-up to the national competition.
“My learning goals were for the students to engage in effective public speaking, articulate and defend ethical arguments, and work well together as a team,” the professor said.
Hidalgo had the students prepare and practice presentations on 17 cases for the national competition. Ethics bowls differ from debates, he explained, in that each team must offer clear, focused arguments that demonstrate an appreciation for varied perspectives on ethical dilemmas in education, business, politics, and life.
“Participating in the ethics bowls was a phenomenal experience to have important discussions about real-world ethical dilemmas,” Flanagan said. “It challenged me to think critically to prepare nuanced positions on complex cases.”
Hidalgo offered several examples of the cases the Spiders presented at the national competition: Is it morally acceptable to be a fan of someone who has committed a violent act? To engage in strikes and work stoppages to correct a perceived injustice? For physicians to deviate from the scientific consensus on treatment?
Fahim said competing in the ethics bowls taught him the value of teamwork and diverse points of view. “The experience served as a reminder that there is often not one right answer to difficult questions, and we need to ensure different perspectives are heard,” he said. “It never ceased to amaze me how each member of our team added something different and useful each round we competed in.”
“We learned invaluable critical thinking and communication skills that will serve us well upon graduating from Richmond,” Chiaino said.
Linden agreed. “My ethics bowl experience will help me analyze ambiguous issues in the future, especially as I hope to work in the policy and law sectors,” she said.
But at least one teammate, Khoh, applied what he learned almost immediately. Only days after competing in the national ethics bowl, the Singapore native completed the assessment and selection process for a career in the Singapore foreign service.
“I was confident, but not overbearing,” Khoh said. “I spoke to the assessors with poise and accepted and rebutted criticism from my colleagues with a deep sense of respect. All this is to the credit of my ethics bowl training and my coach, Dr. Hidalgo.”