Anna Little of Anderson helps Clemson Ethics Bowl team place No. 2 in nation

2012 Mar 16

Anna Little of Anderson is a member of the Clemson University Ethics Bowl team, which placed second in the national Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition.

Little is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering.

Clemson's five-student team continued its winning tradition at the March 1 competition in Cincinnati by defeating opposing teams round after round to advance to the final round. The score for the championship round was unprecedented, with opponent Whitworth University winning by a single point.

"This group is one of the strongest and most cohesive I've worked with," said coach Charles Starkey, associate professor of philosophy and religion. "Their teamwork at the competition was outstanding, and their hard work in preparing for the competition paid off.

"Their composure and ability to get at the heart of the ethical issues was second to none," he added.

The Tigers defeated past champion Indiana, as well as perennial debate powerhouse DePauw University, in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

The team is coached by Starkey and Kelly Smith, an associate professor of philosophy and religion, with Dan Wueste, director of the Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson; Steven Satris, the C. Calhoun Lemon Fellow of the Rutland Institute for Ethics; and Teddi Fishman, director of the International Institute for Academic Integrity at Clemson.

The Clemson team qualified for the national competition by winning the competitive mid-Atlantic Regional Ethics Bowl for the fourth consecutive time last November. Clemson Ethics Bowl teams won the national title in 2008 and took second place in 2009.

The team is sponsored by the Rutland Institute for Ethics and the philosophy and religion department and receives support from the Humanities Advancement Board.

Ranked No. 25 among national public universities, Clemson University is a major, land-grant, science- and engineering-oriented research university that maintains a strong commitment to teaching and student success. Clemson is an inclusive, student-centered community characterized by high academic standards, a culture of collaboration, school spirit, and a competitive drive to excel.