Campbell University’s five-person team of undergraduates had its best showing in more than a decade of competing at the annual North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) Ethics Bowl, held Feb. 10-11 at the Legislative Office Building in downtown Raleigh.
The team of Zeke Epps (sophomore, English pre-law), Jadon Olsen (senior, Christian studies), Nicholas Pallas (senior, biomedical humanities), Alex Garcia (senior, biomedical humanities) and Katie Mills (senior, biomedical humanities) became the first to advance to the event’s semi-final round with a perfect 4-0 record. The group, coached by Christian studies faculty members Dr. Adam English and Dr. Ken Vandergriff, suffered its first and only defeat in the semifinal round to eventual champion Queens University of Charlotte. Topics covered during the initial four-rounds of competition included germline editing, food and energy shortages, artificial intelligence and mental health.
“Campbell has competed every year since the beginning of this program in 2012, and this is the first time we have advanced to the semifinal round with a perfect record. We are extremely proud of the effort that these students put into practice and preparation,” said English. “The team has been preparing for this competition since November.”
The NCICU Ethics Bowl features 16 North Carolina private schools, with more than 60 corporate, nonprofit, legislative and community leaders serving as judges and moderators for the two-day event. It is supported each year by sponsorships allowing students to participate at no cost to themselves or their institutions.
“All the participants demonstrated a high level of understanding of and insight about the complex issues presented,” said NCICU President Hope Williams. “It was apparent that they had done significant research in preparation — judges and moderators of the event said the students’ commitment to the integrity of the event and the issues in the case studies presented instills them with great faith in these future leaders.”