Sophomores Abby Loxton and Brett Wierenga’s papers were judged good enough for presentation at a national conference.
Too bad they’re not old enough to go.
Economists from all over the country and world attend the three day Association of Private Enterprise Education conference from April 1-3 to present papers on a variety of topics.
Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele selected the best essays from students in his class, History of Economic Thought I.
The papers were then read by an independent panel of judges who selected Loxton and Wierenga’s papers.
Unfortunately, however, the department found out that, according to APEE rules, students have to 21 years old to attend.
“All hotels in Las Vegas are casinos and require all minors to be accompanied. APEE decided to say no to undergraduates under 21,” Pongracic said.
Since Loxton and Wierenga are both underage, the runner-ups were chosen to go instead.
Seniors Rebecca Schoon and Nathan Lichtman will attend in their stead.
Students attending will compete for the best research paper. Winners will receive a cash prize.
Hillsdale College has sent students to the conference every year for the past several years.
“We’ve done well in the past and heard comments that we were quite impressive,” said Professor of Economics Ivan Pongracic. “I expect it again this time.”
