SHU’s Debate Team Scores Points in Northeast Competition
Team weighs in on teaching of critical race theory and federal funding for preschool
Sacred Heart University’s Ethics Bowl debate team reached the quarterfinals of the Northeast Regional Ethics Bowl 2021 tournament in Baltimore, MD, arguing a host of issues including the critical race theory and federal funding for preschool.
In the first round, SHU tied West Chester University of Pennsylvania after debating incentives for vaccines and the moral justification for Florida’s placement of exotic pets on its prohibited species list.
In the second round, SHU defeated New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce University after debating the teaching of critical race theory in schools and calls to defund police that stemmed from the Black Lives Matter movement.
The SHU team lost to Salisbury University of Maryland in the third round, which focused on statehood for Washington, D.C., and federal funding for preschool.
Moving on to the quarterfinals, which analyzed the merits of bitcoin and the Walt Disney Company’s efforts to rectify past negative representations of various cultures, SHU tied with Notre Dame of Maryland University but then lost to Notre Dame in a tie-breaking debate.
The SHU team members competing at the Ethics Bowl were Jenna Bargisen, who is studying communication disorders and speech pathology; Kendall Decker, pre-med and molecular biology; Luke Healy, English; and Stuart Thomas, finance. Team members Rebecca Margolnick-Fernandez, biology major; Crystalyn Garcia, psychology; Rachel Glowniak, engineering and math; Madison Sandquist, exercise science; and Mark Sharkey, political science, did not attend the debate but helped with research and practice.
Ono Ekeh, SHU associate professor and Ethics Bowl debate team coach, said the students performed well and made SHU proud. “Due to COVID-19 uncertainties, I had written this year off and wasn’t going to put a team together. As fate would have it, we assembled a team very late in the process,” said Ekeh. “These students barely had any practice time; we felt like we were building a plane in the air. But they were absolutely amazing, wonderful ambassadors in terms of quality of performance and character. They received many compliments from their peers and garnered the respect of some very exacting judges.
Ekeh also expressed appreciation for Mark Beekey and the College of Arts & Sciences’ continued and steadfast support of the team. “I’d also like to thank all the faculty who recommended students for the team. It means the world to the students that you think that highly of them,” he said.
Pictured, from left, are Jenna Bargisen, Kendall Decker, Luke Healy and Stuart Thomas.