Be Good. Be Orange.

By Kyle West

Being an orange student at Oregon State University is preparing me to be successful in my future career within the construction industry.  Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose or the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.  Success is the value I chose because we all are aiming to be successful in life and our degree from OSU is our ticket to get there.  There is a reason why I attend this school because I know that success will follow after my time spent here at OSU.  As a student, I have gained knowledge, respect, and responsibility within the past two quarters that I’ve been attending our “be orange” institution.  Being orange not only defines us as students at OSU but also shows our strong values we have towards the university.  I believe that the education that I deserve and acquire here on campus is the stepping-stone in my lifetime that will set my future up for success.

Oregon State University is one of the top leading schools in the nation.  When we talk about success related to our school it could mean success in a few different ways.  Our university is successful because they have created an institution that thousands of young adults want to attend so they can leave here with a degree that means something to them and to the work force.  OSU also has some of the most successful and knowledgeable professors in the nation and as students we are lucky to be taught by such successful people.  OSU’s core values consist of accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility.  Our institution believes that apart of being orange relates to these five core values and I do agree with them, but success should be added to their list.  If I were an incoming student at OSU, success would be a core value that would catch my eye because every student wants to be successful within his or her time here at this university.  I want my degree to show that I am a hardworking individual and have accomplished something that many people don’t have the opportunity to do in their lives.  Without OSU I would not be orange and I believe that it would be much harder to become successful without graduating with a college degree.

Success not only means having a bright future but it also means being successful within my courses I take here at OSU.  From attending construction speaker meetings here at OSU, I’ve learned that top construction employers are looking for graduates from our school for promising careers and internships.  They believe that Oregon State University teaches the required courses that help develop our critical thinking skills in order to become successful within a certain company.  Many of the guest speakers at these meetings are OSU alumni and they have experienced within their company that OSU graduates are some of the top students they choose to become apart of their company.  Oregon State alumni also represent our university and their success reflects on our institution showing current students that your degree will set you up for a bright future.  Our degree shows that as students we have gained an amount of knowledge for us to be successful within a certain field.  Students take on a lot of responsibility towards earning their degrees and it shows that we are capable of difficult tasks and that we are efficient and dedicated learners.  With the knowledge that we have gained through courses here at OSU, employers know that we have put in hard work and dedication so that we will have a successful future.

Before this assignment I never considered what the “Be Orange” signs were about or the values that were behind being orange because I had never thought much about being orange.  I do see myself as a student here at Oregon State but I believe that our “be orange” campaign is to attract new students so that they feel like they will belong within our institution if they choose Oregon State.  I have set values that I do cherish here at OSU like success, responsibility, and knowledge, but I don’t believe that the institution is trying to attract current students to question these signs.  I do believe that I am orange because I belong to this university as a student but I don’t believe that the slogan “be orange” will ever have an effect on students after they graduate.  OSU Alumni would rather take pride in the color orange and remembering the memories they shared while here at OSU.  I don’t believe that graduating students are voicing their opinions to their friends and family letting them know about how to be orange and certain values they have towards being orange.  We are already orange in our own ways.  When we submitted our Advanced Tuition Deposit to confirm OSU as our school we became orange at that moment in time.  After that it doesn’t make sense for the institution to tell students to “be orange” since I believe we already are.  Once I graduate and become an Oregon State University Alumni, I will always see my self as orange, but I don’t understand why we have signs that say, “be orange” when every student attending and alumni have their own orange moments.   Each student has their own values that they share at Oregon State and I believe that success should be apart of each student.

Ultimately, being orange shows a sense of pride that each student should have whether you are a current student or alumni.  Being orange shows that you are successful, will be successful, or already are successful.  Our great university gives each student the tools and critical thinking skills that we will use after we graduate from OSU.  We are being taught to be successful within our majors and to always work hard towards are goals so that we can have bright futures.  Being orange is not only wearing your colors on game day, it’s taking pride in your school and in your education here at OSU.  To Oregon State students, orange isn’t just a color, it’s our life.  As an OSU student I am certain that the education that I am receiving here will give me the successful future that I have always dreamed for.