Be Good. Be Orange.

Chelsea Albertson

PHL 205

Being orange is about being apart of something that is bigger then yourself. It is about being apart of an evolving community built upon a historic foundation. A historic foundation meaning that this establishment was built upon a set of principles that has since changed over time. Students are the muse of Oregon State University; they are the ones who embody the meaning of being orange. This is a very important thing to know before you commit to attending this university. You have to be willing and in somewhat of an agreement with what the school stands for. Of course I say somewhat of an agreement because there are always going to be people who disagree in some regard and they might want to come here to change that.There are different layers to the meaning of Orange but I don’t necessarily think you need to be apart of every aspect. I guess you could say that attending OSU and receiving your degree would be the representation of you being apart of the orange community, however, it runs a lot deeper than that.

Who you are as a person within the community as you go about your education is going to say a lot about what you can do in the future. Being an engaged student is one aspect of being orange. An engaged student at Oregon State University means that one actively participates in class, demonstrates a sense of open mindedness and the ability to challenge ideas with new ones that can be applied. Demonstrating these qualities in the classroom will definitely be a way for you to achieve a high grade, to get that degree you desire, but also to show that you are apart of something that is transforming. By being diverse in a classroom setting, you are showing that you are capable of formulating these new ideas and hopefully will be able to act upon them. I think that being apart of the Orange community means that you are one to take initiative and lead by example. This also means that you are willing to take on projects that aren’t just about the University but that are apart of helping transform the world.

At Oregon State we are very into creating a more healthy environment for everyone and creating a green campus (meaning sustainable).  We have implemented new policies on campus more recently which call for a more sustainable way of running the University and addressing the effects of smoking that can be harmful to everyone, even nonsmokers. These actions that have taken place have not always been apart of Oregon State, this is a perfect example of how we have transformed over the years. The issue with second hand smoke might not have been as much of a problem when the institution originally started up, however, at this point in time it is a big issue. By implementing a new policy, enforcing it and respecting it, the orange community has come together to create a welcoming and smoke free environment for anyone who wishes to be on campus. Oregon State has also stepped up their role in creating a more sustainable campus. More efforts to get people more actively involved in recycling and even having solar panels to help keep this university running in a more environmentally friendly way. This is another issue that has grown into a more serious problem that effects everyone and that the orange community wanted to be apart of changing.

Now these layers of being orange are just simply some examples of more basic ways of being apart of such an amazing community. However, being orange and being transforming is a much more personal experience that people have on an individual level. People who are orange have a certain amount of integrity and they hold themselves to a certain standard which is how they evolve over the years. You have to remember that not everybody is going to be orange when they first arrive at OSU. They might have an idea of what it means, they might have read policies and maybe have even have taken steps to be apart of some type of club or Greek life community within the university. However, they will not truly grasp what it is to be orange until they have those individual experiences and are able to reflect and form their own opinions as they go through college. As a person who is transforming themselves it is so common that everywhere that they turn, they are seeking opportunity. The opportunity they may seek will vary from person to person but nonetheless, if the are orange, they will attach themselves to that idea and stop at nothing to obtain it. That’s what being orange is all about, it’s about transforming into the person you most desire to be and building a community around you that will help you get there.

An orange community is one that is transforming and molding into what it needs to be for every single student who attends this institution. It’s an advantage to be apart of the campus experience and really engage in all that is offered and get involved in making changes as they see fits. Those who are enrolled online or are at the smaller Cascade campus don’t get the full affect of what it really means to be orange. In that case it would be solely up to them to read policies and know what the school stands for and maybe would have to be more defined by professors. However, I don’t believe an administration or faculty makes Oregon State University what it is today. The student body, the ones who ooze beaver pride, get involved, are successful in the classroom and are apart of making changes are the ones who have created OSU as it is now. As each year goes by, I think that more of the University policies and standards are in the hands of the students and why shouldn’t it be? The ones who are truly going to care the most are the ones who are paying the tuition, the ones who see the good and evil within. They are the ones who are going to help guide their children, friends, friends’ children about where to go. I believe that if past and present students didn’t see this University transforming then they probably wouldn’t have gone here in the first place.

Being orange is going to mean something for everyone who attends in some way or another. I want it to mean that I was apart of a transforming community that is active in all areas of things that will make this entire world a better place. I want it to mean that on an individual level, that I came from a place and got a degree somewhere that challenged my thoughts and ideas. A place where almost everyone would know that I had to somehow be apart of the University positively because those are the ones who were most successful there. Employers and people who you engage with on a daily basis want to have people who are constantly looking to the future representing their companies or just apart of their lives. People who have already been apart of something that has changed so positively in just the past couple of years are going to be the ones who don’t have a problem with accepting new ideas. People who are open minded and want things to evolve appropriately are the ones who are going to reverse the bad that has been done to our environment, economics, and social society. The ones who will stand up for what needs to be done and won’t stop at anything to get there. Oregon State University is where it started for me and there is no other way to go other than to: Be Transforming, Be Orange.