CWU Students Earn Top Honors At Delta Epsilon Chi State Competition

March 17, 2005

Contact: Bill Chandler (509-963-1644/fax 509-963-1721/e-mail: chandleb@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Students are normally asked to regurgitate the material they've learned on an exam. The real test comes when they're asked to use this knowledge to solve real-world business problems. Students in the Central Washington University chapter of Delta Epsilon Chi recently did just that, earning four first place titles at the organization's state competition.

In mid-February, the CWU chapter traveled to Everett to compete at the DEC State Career Development Conference. Working in teams and individually, they analyzed case studies on subjects like business-to-business marketing, E-commerce decision-making and business ethics. Britt Huston, a junior public relations major from Graham, Wash., placed first in the international business event, along with Rhean Perkins, a freshman secondary English education major from Ellensburg.

Senior business administration majors Alex Sckorohod, Redmond, and Eric Smith, Woodinville, took top honors in the business ethics event.

The students were given about an hour to prepare their strategies for the case studies. They then presented their work to a panel of experts in that particular area of business.

"Our chapter's success displays the hard work and dedication of not only the students that competed, but the faculty who got us to there," Heather Banken, senior business administration major and CWU chapter president, says.

With the state victory under its belt, the club will travel to Anaheim, Calif. in May to compete at the DEC International Career Development Conference.

"Central has a winning record at these events," Bill Chandler, CWU information technology and administrative management professor, says. "We brought home an international first place four out of the last five years."

Delta Epsilon Chi is an international organization for university students preparing for a variety of career areas. Its local chapters and state/provincial associations are a division of DECA Inc.