2025 J.T. Barton, Jr. Memorial Ethics Award Recipients

Albash Khan1st Place: Albash Khan

As a member of CHANGE, Clemson’s student ethics committee, Albash will use this award money to fund the Ina B. Durham High School Ethics Case Competition. The Ina B. Durham Ethics Case Competition provides high school students with opportunities to engage in ethical thinking and problem-solving using the Clemson STAR decision-making model. The primary purpose of the competition is to engage high school students in ethical dilemmas, to promote their critical thinking and leadership, and to challenge them to take a strategic approach to nuanced ethical situations. Through this competition, students work in teams to address an ethical dilemma, selected by CHANGE, and utilize Clemson University’s STAR Decision-Making Model to craft thoughtful, ethical solutions.

 

Emily Shewchuk2nd Place: Emily Shewchuk

Emily is a member of the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences team of CHANGE, Clemson’s student ethics committee. She will use this award money to host a Lego building competition that engages with the ethics of resource allocation. Teams of 2–3 students will be assigned to one of two resource categories: a group with more Lego pieces or a group with fewer Lego pieces to parallel real-life inequities in resource distribution. The competition consists of three 20-minute rounds, each with a specific theme that teams must incorporate into their builds. The program will conclude with a reflective discussion led by the judges, who will share observations about the competition. This discussion will explore why teams chose to make (or not to make) ethical decisions, whether their choices were influenced by incentives in the rubric or a sense of moral responsibility.

 

Justin Wolfe3rd Place: Justin Wolfe

Justin currently serves as the President of CHANGE, Clemson’s student ethics committee, and will use this prize money to support the execution of the university-wide capstone to EmpowerHER Week, known as GatHER. This event will serve as a culminating celebration and reflection on discussions from EmpowerHER Week, fostering cross-disciplinary conversations about ethical issues affecting women in the workforce. The event will showcase insights gathered throughout EmpowerHER Week via a thought-board that displays ethical dilemmas and perspectives shared by participants. GatHER will also facilitate deeper engagement through guided group discussions led by CHANGE members using the Rutland Institute’s STAR Decision-Making Model. This interactive format will not only spotlight ethical challenges but also empower attendees with tools to approach ethical decision-making in real-world scenarios.

  

Honorable mentions also receiving awards: 

 

Bailee TaylesBailee Tayles

As a member of CHANGE, Bailee plans to use the funding from this award to bring another event of EmpowerHER Week to fruition for the College of Arts and Humanities: Conversations with Greek Life. This event will create a safe space where women from any Greek organization at Clemson can have an open and honest discussion about ethical dilemmas that they have faced, both in their academic and personal lives. Further, both students and advisors and alumni well come together at this event to help facilitate questions and offer insight from their own experiences.

 

Jasmine SampsonJasmine Sampson

Jasmine has represented the College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences on CHANGE, Clemson’s student ethics committee. since 2022. With funding from this award, she will host another event of EmpowerHER Week: One Game at a Time. The event will include guest speakers from Clemson faculty and athletics who will elucidate the challenges they encounter in their field, allowing attendees to reflect and prepare for similar challenges they may encounter in the future. A question-and-answer session will follow to encourage deeper engagement with ethics and decision-making for women in sports, sports management, and collegiate leadership.

 

Morgan StoneMorgan Stone

Morgan serves on CHANGE, Clemson’s student ethics committee, as a member of the College of Business programming team. Funding from this award will help her to organize Breaking Barriers: A Case Analysis on Women in Venture Capital. Through group discussions and solution development, this event aims to foster ethical decision-making, promote critical thinking, and raise awareness about the specific obstacles women encounter in this field. The ultimate goal is to inspire participants to apply ethical frameworks and develop strategies to assess the ethical implications of gender bias, leadership barriers, and workplace culture within the context of venture capital.

 

Skyler HollandSkyler Holland

Skyler represents the College of Science on CHANGE, Clemson’s student ethics committee. With this funding, she aims to host a do-it-yourself ice cream bar as a means of introducing students to discussions about bacterial ethics and food safety. These conversations will be framed using the STAR Decision-Making Model and ethical dilemmas common in these areas.