Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted by: Christopher Hathaway

Be Orange. What does it mean to Be Orange? This is not a simple question with one sole answer because, as a value, everyone will define Orange differently and in their own way. OSU as a community is made up of many different people from all different backgrounds of religion, race, ethnicity, moral upbringing, and personal values that are individual to each person. To some Orange may mean freedom in the way of being out on their own and experiencing life through this community in a way they have never experienced life before. To another the value of being Orange may mean bettering themself by being the first generation of their family to attend college. As a whole, Orange can really encompass any value to any person.

If I were to define Orange as it relates to my values I would say that being Orange means doing everything I can to succeed in this community. I define this as my value because I am one of the lucky ones; my parents have worked their entire lives and saved up the money to pay for me to go to college without me having to know the burden of debt. Because of this I want to repay them through my success and well-being. So while being Orange means that I am creating a better future for myself, it is also a way of saying thank you to my parents. Aside from each individuals Orange value, I would say that being Orange as a citizen of this community cannot be boiled down to one certain value, but instead I think it is more of a set of virtues that allow all of our fellow citizens to realize their values and their individual definitions of being Orange. The virtues that I believe are involved in being Orange are compassion, respect, integrity, and honesty. Being compassionate to the members of this community I feel reaffirms every individual’s choices and creates a sense of acceptance which facilitates everyone’s different values. Respect in the community and understanding that we are all different is vital if the community is to be successful because if members of the community feel that they are not respected it may discourage them from achieving their full potential for fear of unacceptance. By integrity I mean doing what is right and for the better of the community while understanding the outcomes and consequences that may come with doing the right thing. Finally, honesty includes being honest to your fellow citizens and not being dishonest for the pleasure of self-promotion, it also means being honest with ourselves and knowing our values and not expecting too much from the community. I believe that when we become members of this community, we assume the responsibility of these virtues and being Orange to help our fellow human beings be Orange according to their own value.

Some things that could help promote being Orange would be community activities or gatherings that promote the Orange community. All inclusive activities such as pep-rallies in the quad create a sense of community and promote compassion and respect. Banners around campus that define these virtues could act as a daily reminder of what being Orange is and might even prompt self-honesty when students see the banners and ask themselves if they have been being Orange lately. There is no single intervention that could cause everyone in the community to act according to these virtues but continually practicing them as individuals helps us move from acting Orange to truly being Orange. Other ways to practice being Orange requires ethics spotting in the community and in our daily lives and reaffirming actions that coincide with being Orange and recognizing and discontinuing actions that do not. Brochures for incoming students that define being Orange and define each of the values involved would supply members of the community with a knowledge of what Orange is so that they can make informed decisions when faced with community based moral dilemmas.

If this definition of being Orange were promoted I believe it would create a better sense of community and create an environment in that each member of the community is supported making it easier for everyone to be Orange! So when you go out today think about your fellow citizens values and help them be Orange by being Orange yourself.