Be Good. Be Orange.

Be Respectful. Be Orange

Submitted by Megan Hall

What does it mean to be Orange? Being Orange can have many different definitions depending on who you ask. “Being Orange” in its simplest terms can be described as upholding to Oregon state Universities core values which are: Accountability, Diversity, Integrity, Respect, and Social Responsibility (listed in OSU’s strategic plan). These words can have many different meanings to the students, faculty and the Corvallis community, therefore I believe it is important to define these words as I see them.

Accountability: taking responsibility for our actions and the results of your actions.

Diversity: having variety in all aspects of life including race, religion, age, sex, opinions, and ideas.

Integrity: honesty, upholding true to one’s self.

Respect: showing appreciation for the worth of someone or something.

Social Responsibility: acting in a way that benefits the society as a whole.

I see demonstrations of these core values every day on campus through advertisements, school programs, sports, community outreach programs, and actions of students and faculty. The value I see the least and truly believe needs the most improvement is respect. I don’t necessarily believe people are disrespectful to others, thought I have seen that as well, but I see a lot of people being disrespectful to themselves. I often hear other students talk badly about themselves or listen to the bad choices they have made involving their person life and or their school career and it demonstrates how little respect they actually have for themselves. It makes me wonder, if they do not respect themselves, how can they possibility be living up to the core values of the very school they go to? How can they be Orange?

Being Orange to me means being respectful to all of you come intact within our school, the community, and to yourself. I believe that learning how to be respectful to yourself and others will enhance the educational experience and atmosphere that will increase the success Oregon State University students achieve while attending. Respect is integrated into the other four values listed in the OSU’s strategic plan and believe it is important for us as a school and a community to start respecting ourselves.

Respecting yourself takes a great deal of patience and involves self-compassion. You have to understand that you will make mistakes in life and be able to learn from the outcomes of those mistakes, instead of allowing those mistakes to control you and lead to more mistakes. We need to understand that

To me being orange is all about showing your passion for doing things well and being enthusiastic about the things you put effort into. I think being passionate is an important virtue of many Oregon State students. Students like to show up to sporting events, especially football, to support their school because they are passionate about being a part of OSU and want to see the teams do well in their endeavors. Students also put a lot of effort into clubs and organizations on campus. There are many groups of all kinds that meet regularly and do things that they love. From chess club to the pre-med or even gaming club there is a way for everybody to show what they care and are passionate about. Students at Oregon State are also passionate about Oregon in general and how its such a cool state to live in. We celebrate all the trees and are OK with it when the weather decides to give us a straight week of rain, we embrace the northwest and do our best to take care of the environment. On campus there are many places where you can recycle things like bottles or paper or whatever and I like to think that everyone remembers to recycle all the time. I know that this probably is not the case but most people remember most of the time and that is what counts. As a group of students we are passionate about the environment and care about how our campus looks and want the best for the future students and that is a wonderful thing.

Personally I feel like I put a lot of passion into the things I do and the projects that I start. I try to be the best person I can be and to put 100% into everything that I do. Whether it is homework, or volunteering, or just making friendships I put effort in to make sure that I am successful. I am passionate about many things in my life and this is part of what makes me Orange and a positive part of the OSU community.

I want being orange to mean being passionate about the things that you do because when you care a lot about something, you put in a lot of effort and usually are more likely to meet your goals. If everyone is passionate about making Oregon State an awesome place to be then it will be a cool place to be. People just need to believe in themselves and know that they can make things better if they put in the time and effort. If people are passionate and caring then there is so much potential for wonderful things to happen. Being orange is a good thing and I know that the students here are awesome and can make wonderful things happen when they put their minds to it. People are capable of more than they give themselves credit for and hopefully being in a community of passionate people will help inspire new students to be passionate about the things they do as well. That way this web of passion and positivity can spread and affect peoples lives for the better.

To be Orange is to practice being wise, respectful, all around good person, as well as to uphold Oregon State Universities’ core values.

Such subjective terms as Orange and good must be defined if we are expected and encouraged to act accordingly:

What does it really mean to be good? Good can be defined as any wise and conscious act or thought that is made with intentions to benefit or cause no harm to any person, place, or thing. A good person is one who practices this mentality is his or herself day in and day out. A good person is one who applauds righteous behavior, and challenges all other sorts.

Accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility are the core values that all within the OSU community are challenged to learn and uphold in order to be Orange. In the community, socially being Orange would mean to be uphold these values in their lives; to be respectful, proud, and accepting of all people, as well as the environment, and the university itself.

These values create a safe, healthy, and accepting environment for students to feed off of and grow as individuals. What I want Orange to mean socially is for the students attending to become gentlemen and ladies; respectful, wise, present, and happy. Educationally, I want Orange to represent a thirst for knowledge and truth, which will translate to a large benefit for mankind.

The most effective method to communicate my value message of being Orange is to act accordingly and be myself. This is because the most effective way to influence others is to be charming. If I can portray being Orange in a natural and charming way, I can influence others to strive for becoming Orange themselves. The goal is to make being Orange infectious; more people will have a mentality in line with these values, and those who don’t will be influenced by those around them in positive ways, which will help them become Orange themselves, which will only make the Orange fabric of the OSU community stronger.

A uniformity of Orange behavior within the OSU community will create of snowball effect of wisdom and righteousness. This will create happiness and connectedness that will benefit all people. As scholars, we are the small group of people who have a strong voice that can influence many more than just those who are part of this University. We can spread these values for the rest of our lives and serve as a hub of wisdom and respect that radiates outward to the rest of those connected to us.

The goal of being Orange starts with me. Being the change I want to see in the world is how I will do my part to spread these values discussed. I challenge all those who read this to consider what I have said with an open mind, and realize that every person counts and can have an impact on those around them.

#BeGood #BeRespectful #BeOrange #GoBeavs

Evan Lange

Submitted by Sam White

People from outside our university may associate Oregon State by our loud, conservative, obnoxious fans that wear orange and black, but from the inside we know we are much more than that. The Oregon State University Strategic Plan has the perfect “landscape” of how our university should be defined and demonstrated. Accountability, diversity, integrity, respect and social responsibility are all values that we should strive for while attending OSU. This is a bench mark for our values at OSU but being “orange” is most certainly subjective. Being “orange” is something to be earned and shared which is why the value of loyalty is so strong within our university. I have focused on this value because it is something that we all share and is often demonstrated. It is what brings us together intellectually, athletically and socially.

What it means to be “orange,” is to join together and to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself and to strive to make people around you better. We are a community filled with intelligent, good spirited, dedicated people, all of which who are willing to make a difference. Loyalty is often associated with the sports teams and how we will always root for them not matter what. But, it also extends to the classroom where we feel that our education is each others responsibilities. We can not learn on our own, which is why being “orange” is having the back of your counterparts no matter where you are on campus. This value seems to be underrated because it is something that is constantly happening around you. Discussion boards, study tables, cheering at sports events, tutoring session are all examples of how we know we are loyal to one another. It shows that we care about the well being of one another and that is something to be proud of.

When asking peers from our OSU community what it meant to be “orange,” the words that came up most often were hardworking and passionate. These are two values that I believe everyone can relate and agree with because they are both aspects of daily life that bring us together. Passion does not only bring us together during social and sports events but love for getting better in our community and our academics. With this, I believe hard work comes hand-in-hand. These are two simple, yet essential parts of being a part of the Oregon State University community. You can also associate this to achieving eudemonia, because these are very natural and distinctive parts of human life. It helps us be reasonable, functioning human beings. The other answers I received had to do with our sports programs, which correlates to what people outside the Oregon State community believe us to be. These seemed to be shallow and unethical answers because of the lack of depth and thought they had behind them. I believe this because we are much more than our sports teams make us out to be, a lot more.

With strong loyalty we have achieved so much in all aspects of our university. Being “orange” means that you are part of something special and larger than yourself. With that, means that you must care and protect people and things within the group. It is a value that is sacred and not something to be looked passed. Go Beavs.

Submitted by Lauren Spathas

On a college campus like Oregon State University you experience camaraderie that you may have never been a part of before.  Depending on who you are and how much you are willing to put into the experience and the notion of being “Orange” determines how much you will gain because like most things in life, you get back what you put in.  Passion for what you are doing, a proactive mindset and the support of the Orange community allows for endless possibilities if you open your mind to them.

. . . Yeah wouldn’t that be nice . . .

As students of a standardized system we are all along for the same ride on the factory conveyor belt that is the education system.  We are all being molded into the same type of learner – learning how to memorize answers rather than how to find them on our own.   When you choose a college to attend you are somewhat aware of the environment that you are coming into, that it is a unique community that you are becoming a part of and while it can be an exciting thing to feel like you are a part of something so much bigger than just you, it is important not to get lost in the crowd.

A classroom setting like all of us experienced with this Philosophy 205 class was one of the most engaging, collaborative and informational experiences I have had on campus.  I looked forward to going to this class and I know I wasn’t the only one.  It is refreshing to walk into a classroom knowing that the professor can’t wait to hear what we, the students, have to say rather than sitting us down making their words and opinions our only option for information.  It is much easier for students to thrive in this type of environment as it allows for us to be who we are and not get punished with a bad grade for having a “wrong” answer.  Life is not as black and white as we are sometimes led to believe in most of our experiences on campus and it is important to keep our imagination and creativity alive the best way we can.

It is a daunting experience trying to make your way through the crowd of thousands of people that you are essentially competing with in life.  Morals, values and decision-making skills are sometimes all we have to set us apart from those around us.   The happier you are with your own decisions, the less approval you need from others.  Being mindful of the notion of being “Orange” is still important as we work to achieve our own personal goals here on campus, but it should only define a small part of us.  It is important as a student here at Oregon State to lift your head up while you walk around campus and realize how many people are here to achieve something greater than themselves the best way that they can, and the best way that the system allows for and root for them while you shape yourself into the best person you can be.

Alex Roth
3/17/14
PHL 205
Be Orange Be Diverse

Being Orange to me is to be diverse, this campus is full of people from different countries, different religions, and overall different experiences that they bring into this giant mixing pot we call the Oregon State campus. Diversity is the core value that I can represent being Orange with because it represents everyone’s distinct paths and experiences at Oregon State. There is everything from being an apparel design major and being a part of some of the spring and summer plays put on to being an engineer and traveling to Las Vegas to compete in a competition. It seems that there is a million different ways to walk through this campus before you graduate and every way seems to point to a different experience this is why I choose Diversity as the core value of being Orange.
Diversity also is shown through actions that clubs and organizations participate in to make both a difference for our campus and for those outside of our campus. The actions that happen on campus cause for a changing and progressing life for the students of Oregon State. Our mixing pot of diversity brings people from all walks that believe in different causes and when their ideas are implemented it causes all aspects of campus from student government, athletics, to recycling to see change. This sparks imagination and excitement about learning if our campus was static, non-progressing, would anything get done?
Outside of our own campus people make change and we like to call this being orange. This is also a sign of diversity best way to explain it is the diffusion of liberal culture. Some do this by helping out our local community outreach and some by going on service trips through clubs on the Oregon state campus. To diffuse liberal culture is to accept, engage in, and see other cultures this can be done on a local scale by participating with the marching band to going overseas and immersing yourself in a different culture all together. This helps tailor our campus to come together and accept that diversity is the building block on which we build this campus.
In the end I believe that diversity is what has brought us so far and how we define being orange is to be diverse and live a well-rounded life going our part in being orange through what your passionate about. Be Orange Be Diverse is how I see our campus because it explains the constant changes in social norms and the progressing of our campus and the people that are a part of our campus. It really is one big mixing pot and I’m excited to see what other changes, achievements, and innovation it can create for future generations.

What does it mean to Be Orange? Every student at Oregon State probably has a different definition of what it means to “Be Orange”. There is no straight-line answer or even just a few simple values that can sum it up. To Be Orange is to be a part of Oregon State University and to grow and learn as a student and person, along with everyone else that is a part of this university. Being Orange to me means you hold true the values of professionalism, ambition and most importantly respect and compassion for others and yourself.

As college students, of course we are attending Oregon State to learn and prepare ourselves for our upcoming career or next chapter in our life. A big part of being a component of the professional world is professionalism. As a beaver, when I leave this university and take my resume to my future employers, I want them to know that by being an Oregon State graduate, I am a professional and reliable candidate.

Ambition is another trait of importance, not only in the professional world, but also in everyday life. An ambitious person is someone who goes out and gets what they want. To me this is an important trait to learn in life. Everything worth doing takes hard work and dedication.

To me, Being Orange really comes down to having respect and compassion for others. Oregon State is a pretty diverse community and you are often put in situations where you are around cultures and people you aren’t familiar with. Learning to respect other people, no matter who they are or what their beliefs are, is a very important trait to posses not only as a person but also as a part of a community.

Being part of the OSU community is something that isn’t short lived. Whether you are currently a student, staff members, alumni or simply a graduate you are still a beaver. The values that you learn and withhold from your time here are instilled in you and will go with you for the rest of your life. To Be Orange isn’t just a phase, it’s a way of life. What does Being Orange mean to you?

In the world of Oregon State University, those in charge convey a certain message of what being a member of Oregon State University (OSU) means. Plastered around the campus, brochures, and the webpage are the values that are advertised to be those of the entire OSU population. The people in charge of our education tell us what to learn by setting certain requirements for a degree and how we should be by the advertised values that encourage us to “Be Orange.” But, what does being orange really mean? If you were looking at OSU from the outside you would think that it takes the form of the university’s core values of accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility along with other values advertised of discovery, innovation, problem solving, and sustainability (Oregon State University). This all sounds great and I’m sure that many people in the OSU community have some of these values, but the problem comes when it is expected that all members of the OSU community have all these values at all times.
First, they are values that have been handed down from previous members and can therefore run the risk of not feeling like our own. Second, it can feel like just another thing you’re being told to be which can make some members rebel even if they agree with the values. In other words, issues arise when others define a value for another. One must wonder if it is even ethical for OSU to tell you and others what your values are. Imagine if instead of defining what our values are OSU taught and encouraged us to be ethical, independent, and compassionate. If OSU did this then I’m sure that many of us would choose the values that they advertise on our own and would therefore be more likely to act on them.
While I share these values advertised by OSU, I do not think that they are all equally important which is how it seems from the advertising of these values by OSU. There is the same emphasis of each value. There is the same visibility of each value. You can see the paths at OSU covered in banners saying, “We care for all,” and “You define innovation.” The seemingly most common banner states the, “We are the nation. Beaver nation,” and these banners tell us what to be and what we are while simultaneously not giving us much of a choice. I feel like some of the values that have been separated from another can actually be encompassed by another value, such as integrity encompassing accountability. This is because I would say that to be accountable you must have integrity because a crucial part of integrity is honesty and to be accountable you must be honest with yourself about a situation to determine if you are or are not accountable for the situation.
I would want “Orange” to mean what is advertised, but that is a vision and not an attainable goal. The reality is that people are fallible and no one is perfect, but it is always a good thing to strive to be something better than you are. It speaks to the reality that if no one thought they could change anything, then no one would try and the world would go downhill fast. An example of this is sustainability. If people only thought about the fact that even if they recycled everything recyclable in their life time it would not even make a dent in pollution, then no one would recycle and the world would be destroyed much sooner than if people still recycled anyway.
A person must decide their own values. The previous statement might seem intuitive, but as you look around OSU and what it means to “Be Orange” you can see that somewhere in the midst of the system this statement has not been addressed. So, the question that should be asked instead of what does it mean to “Be Orange” is why is it defined for us? Why can’t we as students, the greatest population of the OSU community, decide for ourselves what it means to be orange? Why are we constantly told what to be and how to be it? It is time for things to change and students must be encouraged to be ethical, independent, and compassionate or the values that OSU expects of us will never really represent OSU.

“Oregon State University.” About. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

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.

Submitted by: Marian Tannehill

Being a part of OSU  means being part of a diverse community. Beaver nation is held together through a set of virtues which reflect the character and morals of everyone affiliated with the University. There are many virtues that are identifiable in being orange.

Individuality is exemplified through the phrase, “Be Orange” as it is subjective and holds a different meaning to each person. OSU strives for innovation which is shown through the high expectations set for students as well as our advances in research through many departments in the University. Individuality being used as a tool by harnessing the capability of different perspectives is the most efficient way to accomplish tasks. OSU recognizes that through individuality, we can achieve greatness.

Open mindedness is closely associated with characteristics of individuality as well. Each individual perceives reality differently. As Fisher’s narrative paradigm suggests, we experience life as a protagonist of unique anecdotes that make up our reality. Being part of a tightly knit community that praises individuality requires having an open mind. Accepting other’s differences and realizing that each person distinguishes reality in a distinct way. This is  key to becoming a community and proudly being a part of Beaver Nation. Recently there have been several hate crimes on campus regarding race. The student body was able to stand up and represent a community that glorifies open mindedness as a virtue. Great efforts were made by raising the student body’s voice through social media and an organized march with a simple message: Everyone belongs to OSU, racism does not.

To me, orange means all of these things and more. Being orange requires many virtues in order to succeed as a student. Ambition characterizes the slogan, “be orange” most accurately to me because it encompasses the attributes of a successful student, and a responsible individual. Ambition is exemplified through  the caliber of students that are admitted into the University. The average GPA of entering freshmen is a 3.56, with all states represented. Far flung freshmen from across the nation show determination and ambition to become a part of beaver nation.

Being orange embodies the aspects of being part of OSU. No matter what “Be Orange” means to you, the underlying virtues it holds implement skills and moral values needed for the independent journey preceding our college years.