Lehigh holds first ethics symposium for undergrads

Fourteen students gave presentations at the first annual Lehigh University Undergraduate Ethics Symposium, which was held Saturday, April 18, in the STEPS building.

Jasmine Ameerally ‘15, an economics major in the College of Arts and Sciences, won the prize for best overall presentation for “Achieving a Just Society under Shari’ah Law.”

Charles Baldwin ‘15, an environmental studies major, won the prize for best presentation by a student in the College of Arts and Sciences for “Zoos and Animals in Captivity.”

Conor Press ‘15, a finance major, won the prize for best presentation by a student in the College of Business and Economics for “Ethics in Society: Image and Perception.”

Deanna Kocher ‘17, an IDEAS (Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts and Sciences) major, won the prize for best presentation by a student in the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science for “Playing God in the Nursery.”

The best presentation winners in each college received $200 each, while Ameerally won $350 for best overall presentation.

The symposium was organized by Robin Dillon, the William Wilson Selfridge Professor and Chair of Philosophy, and by Candice Travis ‘14 and Brandyn Bok ‘15. Travis holds a B.A. in philosophy and is now pursuing an M.A. in political science at Lehigh. Bok, a philosophy major, is also pursuing bachelor’s degrees in economics and mechanical engineering through the Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) honors program.

Travis and Bok, who wrote the proposal for the symposium, are both officers in the Lehigh chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the international philosophy honor society. Assisting them with publicity and site arrangements were Hyowon Park ’16, Daniel Leal ’16, Olivia Adams ’18 and Kevin Augustyn ’17.

The aim of the symposium, said Dillon, was to raise awareness about the ethical issues that arise in academic disciplines, in everyday life, on campus and in the larger world, and to inspire students to discuss these issues outside of class.

The symposium was made possible by the Endowed Fund for the Teaching of Ethical Decision-Making and was sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the College of Business and Economics (CBE), the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science (RCEAS), and by numerous academic departments and programs.

Travis said, “Ethics is so important, because it really is relevant to everything that we do in school, in work and in our lives in general.”

The wide variety of issues addressed by the students in their presentations made that abundantly clear. Presentation topics included Bioethics, Ethics and the Community, Ethics and Education, Ethics and Justice, The Ethics of Captivity and Punishment, and Ethics and Perception.

The following students participated in the symposium:

Jasmine Ameerally ‘15 (CAS)—“Achieving a Just Society under Shari’ah Law”
Will Ash ‘15 (CAS)—“Greek Life and Diversity Awareness Groups at Lehigh”
Kevin Augustyn ‘17 (RCEAS)—“The Contradiction of Utilitarian Punishment and Emiya’s Equation”
Charles Baldwin ‘15 (CAS)—“Zoos and Animals in Captivity”
James Bennett ‘15 (CBE)—“Athletics before Academics”
Zachary Hall ‘17 (RCEAS)—“The Ethics of Space Exploration and Colonization”
Julia Hayden ‘18 (CAS)—“The Politics of Self-Respect”
Sunny Huang ‘16 (CAS)—“Ethics in Race, Neoliberalism and Hegemonic Power in New Media: Humans of New York”
Deanna Kocher ‘17 (RCEAS)—“Playing God in the Nursery”
Kelsey Leck ‘16 (CAS)—“Is the Sands Casino a Positive or Negative Influence on Bethlehem?”
Jake Nemeth ‘18 (RCEAS)—“Hard Work is Not Enough”
Timothy Parsons ‘15 (RCEAS)—“Humanity of Treatment of Individuals Suffering from Psychotic Mental Disorders”
Conor Press ‘15 (CBE)—“Ethics in Society: Image and Perception”
Katerina Traut ‘17 (CAS)—“Education as a Community versus Education as an Individual”

Photos by Christa Neu