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Sweet Briar College
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The Sweet Briar Promise outlines our distinctive approach for providing meaningful, enduring education for women. It includes:

2.14.07
University of Richmond Edges by SBC Team en Route to Ethics Bowl Win
The Sweet Briar debate team turned in a stellar performance on day one of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges’ eighth annual Ethics Bowl. But in the end, it was the University of Richmond who faced off against a sister college, Mary Baldwin, for the title. UR won.

Teams from Hollins University and Emory and Henry College were semi-finalists in the two-day competition, which was held at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland on Feb. 11 and 12.

Sweet Briar sent a total of eight debaters led by coach Gene Gotwalt to this year’s bowl, in which teams argued their positions on hypothetical medical case studies that present an ethical quandary. Nikki Soulsby ’09, Carlisle Adams ’10, Morgan Roach ’07, Jessica Gregg ’09, Cassidy Trom ’09, Michelle Sanchez ’08, Irene Maslanik ’07 and Katherine Caola ’07 represented the College.

The format is a round-robin debate in which student teams offer and defend solutions to ethical dilemmas related to a theme. The 2007 topic was “Ethics and Medicine.” A judging panel decides the winner of each debate, and assigns points for the teams’ performances.

The teams are split into two divisions, and compete in two rounds of debates each day until the division finalists are determined.

The SBC women beat last year’s champion team from Randolph-Macon College in the opening round, an upset that was chronicled in the Feb. 12 edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. After four rounds, SBC was 3-1 and in a three-way tie for first in its division, Gotwalt said, but Richmond had scored more overall points for the tie-breaker and a place in the final round.

The VFIC member colleges and universities participate in the Ethics Bowl, which the foundation sponsors with Wachovia Bank. Former CBS journalist and History Channel host Roger Mudd co-chaired this year’s competition with President Ken Garren of Lynchburg College.

Founded in 1952, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges is a nonprofit fund-raising partnership supporting the programs and students of 15 leading private colleges in the Commonwealth. For additional information on the VFIC, visit www.vfic.org.