This past Saturday, our club's team competed at the Rotary ethics forum at Loyola Marymount University. This year, our team included Edith, Kevin, Mark, and Sammy, and they were coached by a Rotarian, TJ. The ethics forum is a competition in which teams of four Rotaractors present their research, stance, and/or possible solution to an ethical issue. This was our third year competing, and our topic was whether or not it carrying concealed firearms on college campuses should be allowed.
The competition was made up of three rounds: a 10-minute first round, a 5-minute second round, and another 5-minute third round, in which only the top three teams participated. After each round, each of the teams received comments from the judges and had a chance to polish their presentations for the next round.
Our team went strongly into the first round, receiving praise from the judges for their extensive research and their presentation style, and only received minor criticisms. The second round went seemingly better, as the judges only had good things to say about their presentation. However by the end of the second round, our team was not able to make it to the third. The judges chose CSU Fullerton, UCLA and USC to go on to the final round. CSU Fullerton ended up taking first place, USC at Second, and UCLA at third.
Even though our team wasn't able to place, they still did a great job. Their hard work and all the hours they spent practicing was apparent in their presentation.We would like to give a special thanks to TJ, for coaching the team throughout their preparation, and to Edith, Sammy, Mark, and Kevin, you guys did a excellent job. We are proud of you!
