Taking home first place at the ethics competition on March 8, the Ethics Team, comprised of Illana Krause, Will Clifton, Alexandra Krebiel and Caleb Bryant, were ecstatic.

“By the time we learned that we had won the competition it seemed unreal considering that just a few minutes before, we were frantically making a PowerPoint,” Clifton said. “We barely managed to scrape it together. In the end the feeling was very rewarding and I think I can speak for the team and say the whole experience was very satisfying.”

At an ethics competition, teams of four analyze a business case study and then create a plan of action that they see as being the most ethical way to handle the situation. This plan is then presented to a panel of judges made up of business leaders.

“The case study was based off of a London university accepting ‘dirty money’ from a non-profit associated with a human rights-violating regime,” Krause said. “After the first round, we found out we qualified for the final rounds. That meant we had one hour to read and analyze a mini case study, and put together a presentation and speak in front of a panel of over 10 judges.”

With this one-hour time constraint, the team set to work.

“In the end, as stressful as it was to work in that small amount of time, we really felt like we came out strong and were able to tackle any kind of questions the judges could throw at us,” Clifton said.

After the team presented their case in the final round, they waited for the results. It was announced that West Shore Ethics Team won first place.

“The competition went extremely well,” Krause said.  “Our team was able to work well together and be professional while having fun. I am so proud of our team’s success, as we really worked hard in developing our way to evaluate whether or not a course of action is ethical. We are especially grateful to have Mr. Sarver as such a dedicated and knowledgeable coach who helped guide us through the process.”