IU Ethics Bowl team to compete nationally

The IU Ethics Bowl team will compete at the national competition in February after winning the regional contest in Indianapolis two weeks ago.\nIU will be one of 32 teams vying for the national title, attempting to win it for the first time in four years.\nSponsored by the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at IU, the team receives 15 real-world scenarios about a variety of public policies six weeks before the competition and formulates a stance on each different issue, said team coach Robert Crouch, a research assistant for the Poynter Center.\nSome of the issues students tackled in the regional competition included Iraqi translators, churches serving as polling places and undergraduate tuition rates.\nSenior Megan Robb has been on the team for three years and said they discuss “the most salient ethical issues” in their meetings.\n“Part of our job is figuring out what the crucial ethical tensions are and how we stand on those,” she said.\nRobb is one of three returning members from last year’s team. Crouch said experience is valuable and allows members to bring a broader range of studies and experiences to the table.\n“The people with more experience know what is and what is not a good strategy to take,” he said.\nThe team meets several times a week to discuss the cases. Each of the five members has primary responsibility for summarizing the major stakeholders and tensions for three different cases. The team takes turns debating each case and finalizing a stance, senior Neil Shah said.\nCrouch said the members put in a lot of practice time outside official meetings and establish a bond.\n“It’s intense. We have six weeks and we meet 10 hours a week,” he said. “There’s a certain camaraderie that develops.”\nShah said the ethics bowl allows him an opportunity to practice much needed skills. \n“It’s a great way for me to keep up with my speaking skills and my argumentative skills,” Shah said. “But more importantly, it improves our ability to think critically and develop nuanced and complex arguments.\nCrouch said the best members bring a wide variety of knowledge and a strong ability for public speaking.\n“The ability to think broadly and see multiple perspectives is key, as well as being able to confidently and clearly articulate a position,” he said.\nThe national competition will consist of the top four teams from each regional contest. \nCrouch said the team will prepare the same for nationals as it did for the previous competitions.\n“Maybe we’ll put in more hours, but in terms of a strategy, nothing will change,” he said.