Be Good. Be Orange.

Jillian Hartze
PHL 205
Portfolio #5

What Does It Mean To Be Orange?
The campus of Oregon State University is a close-knit community. The city of Corvallis supports the endeavors of the University by lovingly embracing the title of “college-town” and “beaver believers” while still maintaining a community feel. Many have described this attitude as well as the spirit among the students and faculty as being “Orange.” But what does this mean? What sort of values and morals are imperative to be able to glorifying be “Orange”? It sounds a daunting task fit for only the most consummate at Oregon State, but in my time here on campus, I’ve found it to be natural endeavor.
When I first got to college I was overwhelmed with the feeling that if you didn’t know what you were taking or studying you were doing something wrong. Being a political science major in a sea of engineers and business majors was a belittling moment for me. It took some time to believe that I really did belong on campus, but it was those communities among students at OSU that dissipated all my fears. I was supported by my fellow liberal arts peers and lifted up to a place where I could see that I too am a beaver who has a place here. It has been those little moments of motivation and words of encouragement that has truly taught me what it means to “Be Orange”.
Being orange isn’t simply about having good grades or volunteering on campus once in a while, as some may believe, but it’s about finding yourself using the best possible means. Being orange is to be sincere in what you do. It’s about listening to our moral judgment and making the best choices for ourselves and others on campus. Our University has set values they wish to uphold for all on campus such as integrity, diversity, accountability and respect. These are just some of the values that play a large role in what it means to “Be Orange”. I’ve had professors who teach a subject… but that’s all they do. They have no compassion for their students or true stock in us, and sadly they lose out on what it really means to be part of this community.
There are signs all over campus calling for us to “Be Orange”, but does anyone really know how to do this? The best example I can give of someone who knows truly how to “Be Orange” is of my second year French professor, Armelle Dennis. This woman born and raised in France came to study abroad at OSU in her college years and found her way back to Oregon to become a professor. She found her home in the community of Corvallis and it is evident in the way she spends her days. Armelle will go out of her way to make sure a student understands what she is teaching. On days she is gone from class, she video-tapes herself to make sure no lesson goes without some clarification. She takes the time to sit down with each of her students at the end of each term and talk to them about how they felt the class went and their plans for the future. I’ve already discussed with her my interests in studying abroad and she’s gone as far as to recommend places and tell me I’ve got a recommendation in her if I need. She goes beyond the call of duty when it comes to her job, and I believe that’s because she’s found her true self at Oregon State.
Being Orange is not simply about doing community service or being a spirited Beaver; it’s about doing what you love and enhancing the community around you as you do it. It’s about promoting the greatest endeavor of happiness which is to enhance the happiness of everyone, including yourself.