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CEHV Hosts Findlay University for First Ethics Bowl Scrimmage

November 18, 2025

CEHV Hosts Findlay University for First Ethics Bowl Scrimmage

Five students seated in a line listening to one student speak
Photo Credit: Kathryn Joyce
The second year for OSU’s Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (APPE IEB) team is underway with an exciting start! On Tuesday, November 4, the CEHV-sponsored OSU team hosted its first-ever scrimmage, inviting Findlay University to campus for an evening of pizza and friendly competition. Findlay’s coach, Matt Stolick, worked with one of OSU’s coaches, Sally Moore, to design a mini-round format that provided a fun and collaborative experience for all students. 

Every year, APPE IEB releases a Regional Case Set of 15 short cases that present ethical dilemmas. This year’s set covers topics such as allowing incarcerated individuals to donate organs in exchange for sentence reductions, the harms caused by overtourism, the representation of actors with disabilities in media, purchase restrictions for citizens receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and other current issues.  

Teams have roughly two months after the cases are released to conduct research and refine their arguments before competing at their nearest regional event. During the competition, teams face off against other schools, presenting arguments based on moderator questions that they have not seen before, written by APPE IEB and edited by regional organizers. To prepare for formulating coherent arguments on the spot, the OSU | Findlay scrimmage included questions such as:

  1. Should the criminal justice system treat crimes the same, even when a particular group is disproportionately targeted?
  2. When the majority and minority disagree on public values, what ethical principles should guide officials’ decisions?

In the mini-rounds, teams practiced presenting their arguments, responding to other teams’ arguments, and providing detailed feedback based on APPE IEB judge scoring materials. The scrimmage was as rigorous as it was collegial, allowing both teams to sharpen their moral reasoning skills before regional competition.

OSU will compete in the Ohio Valley Regional Competition at the University of Cincinnati on Saturday, December 6, 2025, in pursuit of a bid to the national competition scheduled for early 2026.