Be Good. Be Orange.

Oregon State University was a great choice for me to advance my studies after high school and begin my adult life. Along with the other privileged countries in the world, America shall be thanked for its easy access to education. Now whether or not this particular education is being used to its full potential is another topic. I would like to compare what this school has done for me as an active enrolled student to what it means to be a citizen in the United States of America. Oregon State is a miniature nation that bleeds orange and values the concept of a team.

Being a beaver has taught me what its like to be a young adult growing up in America. I first began in the dorms with plenty of time, money and excitement. Not knowing where and how to use these things was the only challenge I had to conquer. I make this comparison of being part of the student body to being part of the American constituency because we don’t become great students until the fourth or fifth year of college. In the same way we do not become good nationals until we are forty of fifty, when we’ve learned where to invest, when to save, when to work and when to celebrate.

In the simplest terms, to be a part of OSU all you have to do is pay a few dollars. To live in America all you have to do is pay a few taxes. In return the school will provide you with protection such as campus security just as America watches over us with the Navy, Army and Air Force. Now once we have paid our dues to become a citizen or student, it is up to us how we want to spend are time and enthusiasm. We are free to study what we want, when we want and we are free to work for whom we want, where we want. We are free to be involved in the schools council or support the school sports teams and we are free to be involved in America’s legislation or support America’s teams. With an antagonistic view to all this freedom, America and OSU both have their problems, restrictions and regulations that not everyone will agree with. These rules and guidelines set forth by both the Dean and President of the United States may be seen to hinder some groups of people but they are necessary in keeping a functioning academia and democracy.

From an ethical egoism perspective, “the right action is the theory that advances one’s own best interests” (78). As students and citizens we have a responsibility to ourselves and an obligation to promote positive good. “Pleasure, happiness, power, desire satisfaction, capital, self-actualization” are some of feelings we are accountable to pick on our own level of satisfaction. Everyone will and should have a different level of what a correct action should be and whether it expands their own comfort (78). I respect OSU just like I respect America. I understand now that being orange means being a team player. You have a mutual appreciation for your coach (Dean/President), the referees (Faculty/Governors) and your teammates (Students/Residents). If you do you role in the big play, your team will win. At OSU I can put in any amount of effort into my education as I choose. In return OSU will evaluate my effort and compensate me to level deemed fit. In this same way I can work a minimum wage job or I can exert myself to the extant I want my wealth to go. Many may argue that the cliché ‘you only get out what you put in’ does not apply to everyone but after my college experience I suggest this to be 100% true.

From my freshmen year to my senior year I was provided with the tools I needed to succeed. Whether it is in the form of a computer lab, a gymnasium or tutors, they were there at my expense and I was free to exhaust those resources to their maximum or minimum. It takes sacrifice to earn and prove citizenship in the United States yet we forget we obtain rights such as free speech, voting privileges and the right to start a business. The relationship between OSU and me is more important than my degree. The degree is a perk, just like the right to bear arms. Being orange means we are team players and we know what it takes to win. I know that I can be a bench player or a star and the choice is entirely up to me. From the person who washes the jerseys, to the team’s manager, to the people that build the court, it takes everyone playing their own role to reach victory.