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The Belmont Abbey Debate Team participated in the 2022 North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Ethics Bowl last weekend, evaluating ethics in democracy and citizenship. The event hosted three rounds in an online format, blending policy evaluation and political philosophy. Our team of Blake Traylor, Carter Keller, and Paloma Shrauder won the final two rounds.

In round one, Belmont Abbey discussed the financing of political campaigns with Mars Hill, debating corporate free speech and popular sovereignty. The second round with Campbell University emphasized voting legislation and structures, with significant debate surrounding the ethics and pragmatism of federalist systems. Finally, the third round with Queens University of Charlotte challenged students to consider the Supreme Court, both as an independent institution and an interconnected branch of government.

Although the event was hosted in a virtual format again this year, students had the opportunity to receive feedback from professionals in the community ranging from elected officials to corporate representatives. The event looks forward to returning to an in-person format in Raleigh next year.

Our next tournament will be Bowling Green State University on February 26; this will be a practice tournament for our first-year students. Following Bowling Green, the full team will be invited to compete at the University of Arkansas tournament March 4-6.