Be Good. Be Orange.

Be Respectful. Be Orange.

By: Terrence Gleason

            Respect is something that everybody should be familiar with just from everyday life. We experience respect and disrespect everyday some of us more than others, but most people have not experienced the respect of what it means to be Orange. The typical definition of respect includes definitions such as these: to show regard or consideration, to relate or have reference to, or to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with. (dictionary.com) These are all valid definitions, but when you are a student at Oregon State respect takes a whole new meaning.

This respect is felt once you become a seasoned Oregon State University Student. When I say seasoned OSU student I define that as anyone who is pursuing a higher education at Oregon State and has been for here for more than one year. It is after the first year in higher education and then continuing their education at OSU that the individual then becomes Orange. Not only did they make it through their first year of college, but they also decided to continue, for transfer students, or resume their education at Oregon State.  The best way to think of this is like the life cycle of the caterpillar. The first year the freshman spend the year crawling around, sometime literally, living the tasteless life of terrible dorm food, quiet hours, dorm living, learning life lessons, and taking responsibility for themselves. After the year is over they go back home, the cocoon stage, to reflect on what the year meant to them and if they will be returning to OSU or if they will pursue their education somewhere else. The students that chose to return to Oregon State for their second year will be in the early butterfly stages. Their wings will be relatively plain and simple, but year after year they will continue to become more complex with the experiences and knowledge that they are continuously gaining from being an OSU Beaver. With that being said there are some exceptions to the rule such as transfer students. These students usually become “seasoned” faster than freshman because they already have been through a year of college and developed their own seasoning not found at Oregon State. So once they get to Oregon state they must take their previous experiences and combine them with the ones that they have at OSU to find the perfect blend of seasoning.

Now that the seasoned OSU student has been defined lets evaluate respect, but not as defined by society but rather as defined by Oregon State.

To be respectful and be Orange you must treat fellow students and the campus as you would like to be treated. This includes but is not limited to no destruction of property or harm to individuals, not judging an individual based solely upon looks, showing compassion for and accepting each other’s flaws, helping those in need even when nothing is directly gained in return, and finally it is the loyalty of the individual to our school, ourselves, and each other.

The respect that is seen and felt at Oregon State is truly one of a kind and once it has been experienced you will not forget the feeling or Orange respect.  It goes far above and beyond what respect is defined as. It really cannot be put into words so the best and really only way to know what Orange Respect means is to personally experience it firsthand so you fully grasp the true greatness of it. People can tell you what respect is or isn’t and give you endless examples using techniques such as ethics spotting or show and tell, but this will not be able to give an outsider the full Orange experience he/she is seeking.

As students leave Oregon State the Orangeness they gained from their time here does not merely fade away, but rather it goes with them. Once a student has gained their Orangeness it goes with them where they go and will be easily be recognizable by any other seasoned OSU student. For individuals who are not Orange it is a particularly hard quality to put your finger on specifically because it is such a unique group to be a part of. These Orange students are confident in all situations and will go through life always finding a way to complete any task they are given simply by the drive OSU has given them. Will on the diverse travels that Oregon State students will endure all of us will have a home here in Corvallis even if we no longer officially live here and on our travel we will never be alone because all of our fellow alumni will be in the world with us as we spread the word about becoming Orange.

With all that being said it is very difficult to put a definition on being Orange, especially to those who have not experienced it directly. The dedication, work ethic, compassion, and confidence can be seen in daily actions, but the biggest give away of an Oregon State student is the Orange Respect that they give to all those who are not Orange. So the best way to define being Orange and what it means is to not define it at all, but to live it. Live it so you can feel what it truly means and know how it feels to give and get this unique type of respect so you can define for yourself what it means and find your own Orangeness.