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2026 Ethics Bowl Team Prepares for Statewide Competition
VWU’s team will join students from 16 other VFIC colleges and universities to deliberate on Ethics and Business in February
University News | January 6, 2026
Virginia Wesleyan University’s 2026 Ethics Bowl Team will compete in the 26th annual statewide collegiate Applied Ethics Bowl sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) on February 13, 2026, to be hosted on the campus of the University of Richmond. The team has been preparing to compete head-to-head against 16 other highly-qualified student teams from Virginia’s leading independent colleges and universities, deliberating a variety of case studies and real-world dilemmas relating to this year’s Ethics Bowl topic, “Ethics and Business.”
The 2026 VWU student team includes Andrew Steiner ’26, Elena Lichtenwalner ’26, Daren Abramaitys ’28, Raymond Slattery ’28, Abigail Wigginton ’29, Jahki Emmons-Mayo ’28, Avery Belisle ’27, and Eleanor VanDuyne ’29. The first five will travel to the University of Richmond in February to represent VWU and compete in the statewide event. The team as a whole has been preparing for the event, meeting to argue practice cases with faculty coordinator and Assistant Professor Philosophy Dr. Levi Tenen.
Tenen, who is serving as the faculty coordinator for VWU’s team for the first time, notes that the students are preparing for the February competition by meeting weekly over the past four months to analyze real-world ethical dilemmas and practice debating.
"I am incredibly impressed with the teams’ ability to analyze the nuances of cases and work together to reach a shared view,” notes Tenen. “I’ve learned so much from them in the process. And as icing on the cake, they’ve been collaborative, critical, and incredibly professional from the outset."
A part of the team's preparation for the statewide competition includes an event hosted on campus by The Robert Nusbaum Center in The Lighthouse in Clarke Hall. On February 5 at 7 p.m., members of the campus community are invited to gather for a debate demonstration prior to team's competion in Richmond.
During the VFIC statewide event, business and community professionals serve as judges and moderators. Many notable individuals from a variety of career fields including business, law, education, finance, journalism, and others will listen to team presentations and offer reactions. In a one-day event on Friday, February 13, the first round will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a networking lunch, three more rounds, and a reception. The team with the most points in each division will then compete in the final lightning round. The winning team will be announced in the early evening.
Virginia Wesleyan University's 2020 Ethics Bowl team, comprised of Alex Powers ‘21, Anitra Howard ‘22, and Criofan Shaw ‘23, took home the Batten Trophy when they won the Ethics Bowl. Deliberating the topic, “Ethics and Higher Education,” the 2020 team edged out Hampden-Sydney College in the final round to win the Batten Trophy for the second time in the event’s history. Virginia Wesleyan also won the very first VFIC Ethics Bowl in 2000, deliberating the topic of “Ethics and Society.” The VWU team was awarded runner-up in 2014, deliberating on the topic of “Ethics and Health Care,” and again earned runner-up in 2019 on the topic of “Ethics and Social Justice.”
The VFIC Ethics Bowl program was first conceptualized in 1997 by the VFIC Ethics Task Force, co-chaired by prominent journalist and former VFIC Trustee Roger Mudd, and Phillip Stone, former president of Bridgewater and Sweet Briar Colleges. The mission of the task force was to explore opportunities to involve students at VFIC colleges in the lively debate and consideration of applied ethics—real world dilemmas that affect people's lives in increasingly complex ways.
Founded in 1952, the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges is a nonprofit consortium supporting the programs and students of 17 leading independent colleges in the Commonwealth: Virginia Wesleyan University, Bridgewater College, Emory & Henry College, Hampden-Sydney College, Hollins University, Hampton University, Mary Baldwin University, Marymount University, Randolph College, Randolph-Macon College, Roanoke College, Shenandoah University, Sweet Briar College, University of Lynchburg, University of Richmond, Virginia Union University, and Washington and Lee University.
Learn more about the VFIC Ethics Program.