On November 10th, Georgetown’s Ethics Bowl team traveled to the University of Baltimore to compete with 13 other teams in a debate-style competition sponsored by the the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE). Georgetown took first place in the Mid-Atlantic regional competition after winning every single round, and the team will now compete in the national competition in February 2013 in San Antonio, TX.

During competition, the students bested veteran debaters from Clemson University, UNC—Charlotte, Lynchburg College, the University of Richmond, and (in the final round) the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Debate topics included the moral permissibility of rape jokes, governmental interference with street art or graffiti, the ethics of setting up elaborate trusts for pets in a will, and obligations that the U.S. has to other countries in relation to drug trafficking.

Captain Corrine Schmidt headed a debate team including Christian Rice, Sona Jain, Maggie Cleary, and Ijeoma Egekeze. These students were assisted by a prep team including MJ Koo, Michael Vu, and David Schuler. In addition to receiving financial support from the Kennedy Institute and advisement from KIE Research Scholar Karen Stohr, the team was coached full-time by current KIE Graduate Fellow Colin Hickey and former Fellow Laura Guidry-Grimes, along with full-time coach Lauren Lefebvre. Part-time coaches included Georgetown graduate philosophy students Michael Barnes, Andy Blitzer, Nabina Liebow, and Tony Manela.