Five Salem College students traveled to Raleigh to compete in the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) inaugural Ethics Bowl, Feb. 10-11 at Meredith College in Raleigh.

Students Jillian Slinger, Terry Bennett, Heather McCracken, Kelsey Cochrane and Victoria Hall represented Salem. They were chosen based on their major in business administration, economics or accounting, their academic achievements/GPA and solicited recommendations from faculty. They were accompanied by Kimbrough Professor of Business and Economics and Director of the Salem College Center for Women in Business, Alyson Francisco. Beth Gianopulos, a Salem College alumna and attorney with Wake Forest Baptist Health, also accompanied the group, serving as a debate coach.

Fourteen member institutions competed in the bowl, which focused on the theme “Ethics in the Workplace.” The debates were scored by a panel of trained judges that include business and community leaders from across the state. Teams were evaluated on the quality of their argument, research, presentation style and moral theory. Each round was facilitated by trained moderators who also are business and community leaders in North Carolina. The Salem team won one round of competition.

The NCICU Ethics Bowl is designed to provide an academic experience that increases student awareness about applying ethics in leadership, decision-making, interpersonal relationships and other issues in today’s society. NCICU chose the theme “Ethics in the Workplace” to help encourage a sense of social responsibility and accountability among students at independent colleges and universities.