New Saint Martin’s Team Ranks 4th Among Northwest Schools in Ethics Bowl Tournament

Saint Martin's University's Ethics Bowl Team - (l-r) Matthew Tietjen, Alyssa Hancock, Simone Smith, Evan Lake, Steven Smith, Father David Pratt, and Michael Artime, Ph.D.
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Saint Martin's University's Ethics Bowl Team - (l-r) Matthew Tietjen, Alyssa Hancock, Simone Smith, Evan Lake, Steven Smith, Father David Pratt, and Michael Artime, Ph.D.
Saint Martin’s University’s Ethics Bowl Squad – (l-r) Matthew Tietjen, Alyssa Hancock, Simone Smith, Evan Lake, Steven Smith, Father David Pratt, and Michael Artime, Ph.D.

The Saint Martin’s Ethics Bowl squad made a strong showing this past weekend at the Northwest Regional Ethics Bowl competition at Seattle Pacific University. Saint Martin’s finished as semi-finalists in a field of 14 teams from universities that included the University of Puget Sound, Gonzaga University, Pacific Lutheran University, the University of Montana, the University of Alaska-Anchorage, and Whitworth University.

Representing Saint Martin’s were students Evan Lake, Simone Smith, Steven Smith, Matthew Tietjen, and Alyssa Hancock. Additionally, accompanying the students were squad head coach, Michael Artime, a lecturer in political science, and squad director, Father David Pratt, assistant professor of philosophy.

Saint Martin’s dominated in the preliminary portion of the debate, achieving an undefeated record of 3-0. In their first debate, Saint Martin’s defeated Gonzaga University in an evaluation of the ethical implications associated with at-home genetic testing and the use of physician-assisted suicide for minors in Belgium. In their second debate, Saint Martin’s defeated the defending national championship team from the University of Montana in a discussion of the use of an untested nutritional supplement for food aid and the ethical concerns surrounding the commercial sale of robots designed for sex.

In the final preliminary debate, Saint Martin’s defeated the University of Puget Sound in a contest that featured discussions of environmental practices that killed certain species in an attempt to save others and the degree of responsibility held by the United Nations for the spread of cholera in Haiti linked to Nepalese peacekeepers.

Advancing to the semi-finals, Saint Martin’s eventually lost to the University of Alaska-Anchorage in a close, split decision.  This result means that Saint Martin’s is ranked 4th among all northwest schools in the Ethics Bowl competition. This is an important achievement for Saint Martin’s squad competing in only its second tournament.

“This was a tremendous tournament for our students,” said Artime. “We finished as one of the top teams in the region and won many competitive matchups, including one against the reigning national championship squad from Montana. I could not be more proud of our students and I am so happy that their hard work was recognized this past weekend.”

“Our team did a marvelous job with some very thorny cases,” Pratt stated. “I think the best praise came from a number of judges and coaches who praised our students for their grasp of moral theory and exciting arguments, as well as their command of biology, psychology and business. It was a joy to see our people being both intelligent and persuasive in an important regional competition.”

The Ethics Bowl squad will compete again in April at a tournament hosted by the Independent Colleges of Washington in Seattle.

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