OSU Ethics Club sweeps 2025 state ethics bowl
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu
The Oklahoma State University Ethics Club, founded in 2014 and housed in the Department of Philosophy, has secured the first, second and third place awards in this year's Oklahoma Ethics Bowl.
“This achievement marks the first time OSU has ever won the State Ethics Bowl,” said Caleb Dorsten, the club’s president. “Our three teams — two of which were first-time competitors — securing the first, second and third place spots show that you don’t need years of experience to do well at these kinds of tournaments.”
The OSU Ethics Club was created to provide a forum for students to discuss and debate complex ethical, social and political issues.
“The Ethics Bowl Team is so amazing because of our team members’ passion and dedication,” Dorsten said. “The topics we discuss are real issues in society, and the points we bring forward are our own — no assigned stances, no forced disagreement.”
The club, which meets weekly to discuss challenging real-world moral dilemmas, is designed to help participants develop critical thinking and leadership skills.
“I try to challenge the students by asking difficult questions from multiple ethical perspectives, which helps them think on their feet,” said Daniel Trippett, OSU philosophy professor and the team’s advisor. “We’re committed to maintaining the inclusive, collaborative and intellectually curious culture that defines this club. That’s what sustains long-term success and what makes the club such a meaningful community for the students involved.”
While it was having these thoughtful discussions, the team was also preparing for the Oklahoma statewide ethics bowl.
“We prepared this year by really honing in on speaking practice,” Dorsten said. “Our members are skilled debaters with a knack for critical thinking, but given the uniqueness of the ethics bowl as a debate format, some things about it can only be learned by simulating it. We conducted multiple scrimmages, where our teams faced off. We debated a slew of modern issues, from the ethics of governmental assistance programs to the ethics of offering prisoners a reduced sentence in return for organ donation.”
Since the team won the Oklahoma Ethics Bowl, it is now preparing for the next stage in the competition: the Central States Regional Ethics Bowl.
“This month, our teams will compete in the Central States Regional Ethics Bowl and compete for a bid to the national competition,” Dorsten said. “This is the ultimate goal of our fall semester, as only three schools at this competition will earn the bid. We will continue to work hard and prepare our cases.”
The OSU Ethics Club is open to all undergraduates regardless of major. To learn more, visit the team’s Instagram page or PhilanthroPete site.
Story By: Kierstin Pigg, graduate assistant | kierstin.pigg@okstate.edu