Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted By:  Austin Owings

Being An Orange…Wait, What?

What does being orange mean to you? What does being orange mean to me? How about President Ray? Asking these questions would surely provoke a wide array of answers, and the beauty of it is, they’re all correct. Being Orange takes on the character of whomever should answer the question, because all of us are representatives of Oregon State University. So, my first task is to find a few representatives of Oregon State, and find out what they associate with Being Orange.

Asking people what they believe it means to Be Orange brought out some answers that I expected, and some I did not. Almost all of the accounts shared a common theme, community. The first individual I asked claimed to not have an overwhelming sense of school pride, but he used the terms belonging, caring, respectful, and also being a part of a community. He claimed that, even though, “OSU is large it still feels welcoming”. The second and third persons used similar phrases, but emphasized the point of ‘embodying the college’ and being involved with Oregon State University.

These are all great ways to describe being Orange, and I am glad that the OSU community associates those terms with the people of this institution. The problem is, the values of the Oregon State community remain undefined with these descriptions. For this, I accessed the Oregon State University Core Values, via the strategic plan, and found that the listed values are accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility. To these, I would personally add professionalism and competency.

Professionalism is a major trait that I associate with Being Orange. We did come to this institution to become professionals, after all. As we make our way into the professional world and begin our careers, we will all have innumerable encounters with people who will only remember us by what we did for them. One example of this is our supererogatory act that we conducted during our fourth portfolio assignment. By performing an act in anonymity, the person that we acted upon knows who we are only by what we did for them. The impression that we leave on those we interact with, good or bad, is not only an impression on us, but everyone who has come before and will come after us at Oregon State University.

Something that I think is very important about Being Orange, and also is an Oregon State University Core Value, is being accountable. The truth of the matter is, you cannot just Be Orange when you feel like doing so, because people see what you do and/or the effects of your actions, even when you think no one is watching.

As I write this I am looking at a bag of oranges, and it just hit me! Being Orange is, in fact, Being An Orange. Before you write me off as crazy, hear me out. To explain myself, let me tell you the three things that I associate with Being An Orange and Being Orange.

The first aspect is the color, orange.  But this isn’t just wearing the color orange, or sporting the Beaver logo to show off your pride, this is more associated with your appearance in general. Being An Orange is looking like an Oregon State Beaver. Having a professional, positive image is something that projects itself onto those we interact with, and it is the thing that people will most readily associate with us. Also, the color orange is widely associated with being a bright, extroverted, and optimistic. To me, this continues to exemplify the feel of Oregon State, associating its members with being active in the OSU community and abroad.

The second important feature about Being An Orange is your shape. Being a well-rounded individual is an important aspect of life in general. In the professional sector, this is the exact reason why all students are required to complete a Bacc-Core course load, which is precisely the reason we are quickly becoming ethicists. This also brings me back to competency.

Lastly, and most importantly, Being An Orange is important because when you peel the skin back, we are, in fact, representative of all of the pieces that consist of Being Orange. Without one of those pieces, we would not be complete inside, and therefor would falter on the outside. So when it is said that Being Orange is being professional, artistic, innovative, competent, active, powerful, influential, etc., it’s true. We as representatives of Oregon State University are all of those things, all at the same time. We are the community of Oregon State, which explains why, even once the skin is peeled off of the orange, all of the pieces still hold their form. The pieces of the Oregon State community hold together strongly, and must be forced apart in order to break it down.

As a part of the Oregon State community it is your responsibility to do not only the right thing for you, but the right thing for everyone associated with our institution. So Be An Orange today. Be professional, be well rounded, and most of all, be all of the pieces that it takes to represent our beloved community. Be Orange.