Ethics Bowl Asks Teams to Answer Moral Riddles

A lot of people are used to the idea of competing at any number of things—sports, academics or bragging rights over a favorite family pastime—but on Saturday, May 9, more than 80 students from 10 Baltimore City and Baltimore County high schools competed in something quite different. They clashed int he second annual Baltimore Area High School Ethics Bowl, at the University of Baltimore, a tournament designed to gauge how well they can think through complicated, real-world problems.

"I’ve never done anything like this before," said Marcus Bright, a sophomore at Maryland Academy of Technology and Health Sciences, of the unique competition. But, "I like giving my opinion about what I think." Bright’s mixture of nerves and excitement were indicative of many competitor’s feelings.

This year’s participating teams, typically composed of five people, and their coaches received one-page ethical scenarios, called "cases," six to eight weeks in advance. The cases fall into broad categories--for example, academic, government and personal ethics--and often involve competing interests with opposing points of view.

In a case about the fairness of using lower college entrance criteria for athletes versus nonathletes, students were encouraged to consider the benefits of successful sports programs for universities, whether or not student athletes gain playing time at the expense of a complete education, the impact on the general student body, and any other considerations someone with a stake in the outcome would need to fully engage the topic.

Teams are awarded points for the clarity of their presentation, how well they articulate the most pressing questions while avoiding irrelevant issues, and their ability to identify competing points of view. Each match lasts an hour and 15 minutes. After three rounds, the team with the most points wins.

"College ethics bowls started back [in the early 1990s]," explained Dr. Fred Guy, director of the University of Baltimore’s Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics, which hosted and organized the bowl. After sponsoring bowls among four-year colleges, then expanding to community college programs, high school seemed like the next choice. "We were tired of listening to the bad news out of high schools," Dr. Guy said. "[Our students] really love it and get into it."

Among the competitors were Ethics Bowl newcomers like Ogechukwu Nwanegwo and Irum Zar of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. "Having to memorize your [talking points] is kind of hard," Ogechukwu said . "When I’m nervous, my mind can go blank."

But she, like teammate Irum, were grateful for the opportunity. "I like that [my teammates and I] get to work together," Irum said. "We learn from each other and [from] other teams."

Other students, including several from last year’s winning school, Baltimore City College, came in to this year’s competition with a wealth of direct or similar experience. Sophomore Takihrah Thompson is a veteran of two other activities that require critical thinking and verbal dexterity: speech and policy debate. The Ethics Bowl, she said, "is not as stressful as the others. It’s a lot more free-flowing."

City College coach Patrick Daniels estimated that approximately 75 students at the school are active in ethics, debate or mock trial competitions. That experience paid off, but City fell just short of a repeat victory. In the end, City's "Black Team" (pictured took second place to Loyola-Blakefield High School, a private school team from Towson, trailing by only 11 points (447 to 436). City’s archrival, Poly, came in third, with 432 points.

--Lionel Foster