Values Victory

Posted February 19, 2009:

Shenandoah University's four-person ethics team went to the 10th annual Wachovia Ethics Bowl at Washington & Lee University and came home a very close second-place.

Emmy Award-winning U.S. television journalist and broadcaster Roger Mudd (second from left) joins the Shenandoah University ethics team, left to right, Eric Swensen, Drew Palanzi, Jason Guy,Kevin McKenzie and Constance DeVereaux.

Only two points separated SU from the winning team (Washington & Lee) in the 15-team competition Feb. 8 and 9.

Shenandoah students Jason Guy, Kevin McKenzie, Drew Palanzi and Eric Swensen made it to the championship round by winning the first four rounds in their division. The SU team defeated teams from Sweet Briar College, Randolph-Macon College, Roanoke College and Hollins University.

This year's Ethics Bowl topic was "Ethics and Journalism." Sixteen teams from 15 independent colleges and universities participated in the event sponsored by the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges (VFIC) and Wachovia.

One of the championship round judges was Margaret Warner, senior correspondent with "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS.

After the competition, Warner said it was one of the closest championship rounds she had seen, and she actually judged the Shenandoah-Washington & Lee debate as a tie. The Shenandoah University Ethics Bowl team is coached by Dr. Constance DeVereaux, who teaches arts management and philosophy.

McKenzie and Palanzi are senior political science majors. Swensen is a junior political science major, and Guy is a freshman pre-pharmacy major.

This is the 10th year Shenandoah University has been represented at the VFIC Ethics Bowl, and it was SU's best finish to date.

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