Be Good. Be Orange.

“Be Orange” is the concept of an always-evolving definition for what it means to have been, currently are, or will be involved at Oregon State University. What is more, an instrumental part of “Being Orange” is the emphasis placed on improving not only one’s own health and wellness, but also those in the community. “Health”, in this case, is best described as complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely just living in the absence of disease. A phenomenal aspect of this definition is that anybody is capable of being healthy. In other words, no matter what one’s current health status, we have the potential to be healthy if we are working to achieve complete physical, mental, and social well-being. What is more, being healthy is made much easier because a healthy lifestyle is fully supported at numerous levels of Oregon State University, including the University as a whole, certain colleges, and at the individual level.

Oregon State University as a whole rigorously supports health. In fact, in Oregon State’s mission it declares, “As a land grant institution committed to teaching, research, and outreach and engagement, Oregon State University promotes economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for the people of Oregon, the nation and the world. This mission is achieved by producing graduates competitive in the global economy, supporting a continuous search for new knowledge and solutions, and maintaining a rigorous focus on academic excellence, particularly in the three Signature Areas: Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improving Human Health and Wellness; and Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress.”

With the goal of improving human health and wellness, Oregon State University offers specific colleges and areas of study that educate and provide the fundamental knowledge needed for future healthcare providers. The students who study healthcare at OSU are being trained to work in areas where they are capable of helping to provide methods to improve physical, social, and mental well-being. These colleges include, but are not limited to: the Dietetics graduate degree program, the college of Exercise and Sports Science, Psychology, and Public Health and Human Sciences. For example, the vision of the college of Public Health and Human Sciences is “to ensure lifelong health and well-being for every person, every family, every community.” What is more, this college is geared toward educating the “next generation of globally minded public health and human sciences professionals.” This college focuses more on the physical aspect of health and well-being and aims to “address the most challenging public health issues facing us today: chronic disease, health disparities, obesity, healthcare reform, youth development, health policy, physical activity and environmental health.”

Finally, regardless of the area of a study being perused by an individual, Oregon State University aims to help improve health and well-being on campus by targeting the individual through providing various resources. These resources include:

-Beaver stride: Program aimed to improve physical fitness, available to students, no matter what one’s current physical condition.

-Intramural athletics: Over 35 leagues and tournaments are offered during the academic year to play and compete with others on campus. Intramural Sports is a great outlet to socialize, de-stress, learn new sports and get physically fit.

-Anti-Smoking campaigns: Oregon State University’s prohibits smoking on campus.

-Required Academic Courses: HHS 231, Intro to health and wellness.

-Student Health Services: Health care facility and pharmacy available to students.

-Dixon Recreation Center: Workout facility including a weight room, an indoor track, basketball courts, racket ball courts, yoga/Pilates areas, volleyball courts, a swimming pool, and stationary exercise equipment.

-Counseling Services: provides psychological counseling, consultation, outreach and education to OSU students.

-The Mind Spa: The Mind Spa is a unique sanctuary targeted solely toward soothing one’s mind, body, and spirit.

-PAC classes: Hundreds of Physical Activity Courses designed to keep students active.

During my freshman year of college, spring of 2011, I took Biology 103. This class was an introduction to human physiology. After the very first class, I was hooked. In other words, I was completely captivated by the human body and my passion for learning how to keep the human body healthy continues to grow each day. The importance of health is by far the most irreplaceable value that I have formed while I have been a student at Oregon State. When I graduate with my Public Health and Human Sciences degree I want other employers to see my transcript and know that I come from an institution that is fundamentally based on the desire to improve “Human Health and Wellness”. With my Public Health background, I hope other institutions will know that I am wholeheartedly devoted to helping promote health, prevent disease, and prolong life.

Rather than students being expected to improve their health, Oregon State University is geared toward encouraging students to be healthy. Students are offered numerous resources to help them improve their physical, mental, and social well-being. Implementing healthy habits during one’s college years, when one is typically younger and healthier, will make these practices more routine. However, some students may not study in the health care fields or take advantage of the healthcare services offered here. These particular individuals are by no means excluded from the OSU community, but I believe that they will need to incorporate a healthier lifestyle at some point when their bodies becomes weaker, they gain unwanted weight, or if they experience various types of mental instability such as anxiety or depression.

The mission of Oregon State aims to produce graduates in order to advance the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improve Human Health and Wellness; and Promote Economic Growth and Social Progress. The task then, is to educate undergraduate and graduate students in the healthcare fields, who will then be able to devote their time and knowledge to improving human health and wellness. Therefore the scope of this mission is undergraduate and graduate students who are perusing a degree in healthcare or solely aiding students by providing healthcare resources.

The decision to be healthy is omnipresent. Decisions regarding what to eat, whether or not to exercise, how much sleep to get, and how to best care for oneself mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally are choices we face every day. The compilation of these choices can have an enormous effect on one’s health. It’s as if you are playing Jenga; poor choices here and there might not matter at first, but if you continue picking and choosing poor habits, one’s health will quickly come crashing down.

Occasionally there are hurdles students face that stands in the way of making choices to promote physical, mental, and social well-being. For instance, three of the main restaurants in the Memorial Union food court are Panda Express, ToGo’s, and Carl’s Jr. For the most part, these restaurants oppose the optimal diet of someone who is trying to improve their physical health. Another factor of opposition might be health care costs. Though many services are provided free to students, depending on the service desired there might be a fee. Finally, students often live such fast paced lives that all too often sleep is the first activity to go when time is short. Sleep is an enormous contributor to an individual’s mental, physical, and social well-being. In the scheme of things, these hurdles are combatable if one desires to live a healthy lifestyle. For instance, it takes the conscious effort to set aside enough time for sleep and choosing healthy eating habits.

Why does health matter? What is the significance of having complete physical, mental, and social well-being? I would argue that the state of one’s health has an enormous affect on happiness. An unhealthy body due to weakness or disease, unhealthy social interactions, and/or mental instability can tamper with the ability for someone to achieve happiness. Therefore, learning techniques of how to improve these aspects of one’s life has the ability to improve happiness. Aristotle believed that humans are always in search of “eudemonia” or “happiness and flourishing.” In fact, he believes that the Goal of Life is to find happiness. Thus, by improving human health and wellness one can potentially increase his/her happiness.

By Elisabeth Reed