PSIA Contributes to SMC Ethics Bowl Win
(UNG’s Senior Military College Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Team poses after their second-place victory.)
(Photo previously published by Denise Ray in UNG News)
UNG placed second after competing against all six of the United States' Senior Military Colleges in the Senior Military College Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl with PSIA cadets playing a vital role in the accomplished victory. Out of the four students on the esteemed team discussing and debating seven relevant national cases, three are a part of the PSIA family: Nevaeh Owen, a sophomore majoring in strategic and security studies; Greg Fuentes, a junior majoring in political science; and Piper Sheetz, a junior majoring in international affairs.
Piper Sheetz shares how the SMC Ethics Bowl “has improved my critical thinking and communication skills by giving me the unique opportunity to discuss military related ethical issues with cadets from other senior military colleges.” She remarks how the SMC Ethics Bowl allowed her and her team to engage in discussions grounded in personal experiences, adding “a deeper level of insight and responsibility to each conversation.”
The SMC Ethics Bowl asks students “to form solid opinions and then refine them by challenging one another’s claims” allowing Sheetz to put into action what she has learned while studying international affairs. Sheetz points out how “the PSIA department prepared me really well [for the SMC Ethics Bowl], especially through classroom discussions. Professors often encouraged us to challenge our own research and conclusions, rather than just defend them. That pushed me to look at issues from multiple perspectives and consider different experiences.”
After graduation, Sheetz plans to put her knowledge and experience, such as with the Ethics Bowl, into action and commission as an infantry officer in the National Guard as well as pursue a Master of Arts in International Affairs or potentially attend law school.