Jul 07 2011
THE OSU CREEDS, PART II
Earlier today, Tonga, Ravi and I were up on the 6th floor of Kerr Administration. All business aside, the three of us decided to pay a visit to our Provost, Sabah Randhawa, when we stumbled upon a framed poster of the OSU Creeds.
To have this up on the 6th floor of Kerr Administration amazed us and created a delightful conversation amongst the group. I took a picture for safekeeping in hopes that one day we can have our own framed poster of the Creeds.
Although the story of the Creeds up on the 6th floor of Kerr is a great story, the Creeds themselves inspired not only us, but someone else this very same day. I consider this fateful coincidence as sign that our passions and our missions carry the same weight across all of campus.
On a day like any other for all of OSU (a Friday to say the least!) our friends and compatriots across campus in the Memorial Union blogged about the OSU Creeds.
Here is an excerpt:
In a recent post about ASOSU Cabinet blog, there was a mention of the OSU Creed. I got a few comments asking about the Creed. The OSU Creed was written by Edwin T. Reed in 1927-1928 (at that time it would have been the OAC Creed, for Oregon Agricultural College). He stated that he was drawing “heavily on ideas that had been submitted as the result of a contest sponsored by theOAC Alumnus.” Reed served as Publications editor for the college from 1912-1943. Above is an image of a calligraphy version of the Creed that hung in the Memorial Union for several years. Below is a photograph of the Memorial Union Commons food court from about 1960. You can see at the top of the photo are some carved wooden panels. There was a series of panels along the west side that depicted the OSU Creed. They were removed in 1994 when the Commons was renovated. They are currently in storage (see photo of ASOSU President Tonga and panels of the OSU Creed below). The Creed has not been used much in the last 15-20 years because the language used seems outdated.
Here is the OSU Creed:
I believe in Oregon State,
Builder of men and women,
Seeker after truth,
Organized for the service of a great commonwealth.
I believe in her traditions,
A heritage from the deeds and dreams of yesterday;
In her sportsmanship and honor,
A reality with the students of today;
In her aspirations and ideals,
The assurance of a magnificent tomorrow.
I believe in her democracy
And her far-reaching bond of Beaver brotherhood;
And I realize that since she has accepted me as a Beaver,
If I degrade myself, I degrade her,
As I honor myself, I honor her.
I therefore pledge to her, my Alma Mater,
My loyalty, my love and my devotion.
The power of words can be a very strong tool and for both of us to have this coincidence is symbolic of our work. We all believe in Oregon State, as workers, as builders and as students striving for the far-reaching bonds fostered by our strength and our will succeed as Beavers.
Alma mater calls, Together we can make a difference.
Sokho Eath
ASOSU Vice President 2011-2012
Oregon State University
