Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted by Hayden Olson

Being “Orange” at Oregon State University can mean a number of things. As our primary school color is orange, there are primary characteristics people have associated with that color. For example, being Orange is being respectful and understanding of the diversity on campus; having differences allows our culture to be unique and widespread even outside of the campus. To my friends, being Orange is being school spirited and motivated to reach one’s goals; however, each person I spoke to had a slightly different meaning of “Being Orange.” Though definitions differ, the general concept people describe is of hardworking and open-minded individuals who share differences yet are able to collaborate and make positive changes on our community and world that we live in. That is what makes this university so great; the diverse cultures and interests found at OSU all come together to make up a unified body that wears orange apparel and functions with an “Orange” attitude.

When I am being “Orange” I am consciously making an effort to be welcoming of others and representing my school in the most positive way possible. This means I am showing up on time to events, school, and work, I am putting my full effort into my daily tasks, and I am being considerate of those around me. Oregon State is known for being a research school, but it is not the only thing that makes our school successful. Having a diverse culture that share the common belief of working hard and representing their school makes OSU shine in every department.

To “Be Orange” not only means to be ambitious; it also means making smaller, achievable steps in order to progress towards a lager and meaningful impact on the community.  As seen on campus, there is a number of different banners scattered throughout buildings and on light posts stating what it means to be part of Beaver Nation. An effective strategy in communicating these messages would be to incorporate these characteristics into all OSU events. Whether these be at sporting events or orchestral concerts, having a set of characteristics visible or explained to student, faculty, and visitors will allow everyone to understand the moral compass here at OSU.

My interpretation of “Being Orange” revolves around having respect for you and for other. Holding yourself accountable will keep your goals in perspective while understanding others’ differences will allow you to be more adaptable and flexible when collaborating together. Integrity fits the list of “Orange” characteristics because succeeding in college and further into the workforce takes a lot of motivation that can be and is learned through the struggles experienced when on your own (such as college).

Being a part of the “Orange” movement means working hard for yourself and for the common good of the community; however, to do this requires proper communication and portrayal of “Orange” characteristics on a daily basis. It is easy to feel the warmth of Beaver Nation during the civil war football game but it is equally important to express passion for being Orange outside of competitive settings such as when you work with peer on group projects. Being Orange is being on time, being prepared, and being driven to reach your goals.

Tags: beorange, Community, respect
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Submitted by Terra Setzler

Recently there was a racially hateful comment left on a bathroom stall in Milam. When I saw the post on things overheard at OSU I responded saying, “To me this person is not a Beaver. You cannot be powered by orange when you are fueled by hate. This is not acceptable.” Then in my ethics class we were asked to talk about a ‘be orange’ moment we had and to define what it means to ‘be orange.’ Let me take a moment to do that now.

Being Orange means being caring and inclusive to all. Through my almost three years of college I’ve learned a lot about how social, economic and political systems favor some people over others. OSU students take bacc core classes to gain a greater understanding of the world around them. Being Orange means as some signs in the library put it, “the nation is an inclusive community” or “the nation enhances well-being and social progress.” Being Orange and being part of Beaver Nation means being a part of the force that changes these inequalities.

So if being Orange means being accepting and understanding, what does that look like? First, be orange, be open. Be open to the experiences of others and the truths of their lives. Each person has had their own life experience and its important to be open to hearing it and even if it differs from yours, try to accept it without marginalizing or belittling. Second, be orange, be caring. I like many others cannot manage to be politically correct 100% of the time. Be emotionally correct. Try to respect other’s experiences and when you do offend someone, take the time to understand why and to adjust your mindset and actions moving forward.

There are so many obstacles for many people to overcome (gender, race and economic position having a lot to do with it), be a factor that helps fix these inequalities. If you haven’t yet learned how your actions can hurt those around you, check out the ‘I too am OSU’ page on Facebook or walk in to a cultural center. Ignorance of a problem does not make it go away.

Tags: be orange, caring, diversity
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Submitted by: Ashley Hittner

            In the future, when I tell someone I am a graduate from Oregon State University (OSU), I want their first impression of my alma mater to be positive. More importantly, I want my future employer to see me as a hard worker and potentially as an awesome employee. To me, “Being Orange” is more than a color or a saying, I want it to be a legacy that follows me and my fellow peers throughout our lives in the professional and personal world.

My journey as a Beaver Believer started as a little sprout. When it came time to apply to college, the only college I ended up applying to was OSU. In fact, we should have had a building named after my family since everyone on my dad’s side has attended OSU. However, while growing up I always watched my family work hard. After graduating college, my dad opened up his own car washing business while working at a painting company. Over the next twenty years and two kids later, he opened up two more car washes for a total of three washes. His car washes are open 365 days a year and he attends to them every day. I watched first hand growing up with a dedicated father whom worked hard so my brother and I could have a head start at life.

Being Orange is multigenerational; I have adopted my dad’s work ethic while my time at OSU. I am constantly busy but my GPA is flourishing, I have been associated with many academic societies and work two jobs. I have been very satisfied with my time here at OSU but have also been disappointed with one aspect; I wish myself and other OSU students were rewarded for their hard work in academics. When I started at OSU in Fall 2010, the cost of tuition was $6,727 for in state residents (from: http://www.collegecalc.org/colleges/oregon/oregon-state-university/#.UyR2vZPijw1). However, tuition has sky rocketed to a whopping $8,538 for in state residents (from http://oregonstate.edu/financialaid/cost-attendance). To put this in better perspective, this is a 21 percent increase in tuition since 2010. How is this drastic increase in tuition supposed to promote hard work? I have seen my fair share of firsthand accounts of hard working students who have dropped out of school because of these massive hikes in tuition.

My response to OSU is let the hard working student have a tuition break. I love this school and want to see our alumni flourish, not waste away in college debt. My solution to the problem is simple; I want to be recognized and rewarded for my hard work and dedication I put forth with my schoolwork. One solution to the increase tuition hikes is for OSU to give students who have good grades a discount on tuition. This will give us incentive to do well in classes and make our campus more competitive.

My other solution has been adopted by other colleges such as Western Oregon University and that is to do a tuition promise. For example, the tuition that you pay your first year of college will be the same for the next four years (follow this link for more details http://www.wou.edu/student/finaid/tuition_fees/tuition_fees.php). For many students, knowing the price of college for the next four years is crucial; they will know how much money to budget for as well as how much they will be in debt.

Positive rewards the best rewards. They encourage us to prosper and grow as individuals and as a community. During my 2014 Winter term at OSU, I took a Philosophy 205 class which is the Introduction to Ethics. The professor had an amazing way of rewarding the students for their hard work. At times, the rewards seemed elementary but as simple as they were, they were the most powerful rewards. Much of the time, graded college assignments come with a solid grade, maybe some comments, and then it’s on to the next paper. However, this professor took a different approach; she added stickers to places in our papers where we had exceptional work, she rewarded us with surprises, and whenever we contributed an unique idea to class, she had a bag with small pieces of paper with a written reward on it such as cookies or an A on an assignment. She genuinely always acknowledged our hard work and unique ideas in a positive way to entice us keep participating. I would like to challenge the university to acknowledge our hard work as an entity.

As of today, OSU’s current astronomical increases in tuition are not beneficial to the many hardworking students on its campus. By providing monetary incentives to the hardworking students on campus, OSU can foster a better environment for learning. I want OSU to thrive and be known for having students of determination, intelligence, professionalism, and great work ethic. By demanding students to pay more and more each year, these objectives are less likely for the common student.

#workhardplayhard #TuitionFreezePlease #beorange

Tags: #TuitionFreezePlease, #workhardplayhard, beorange
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Submitted by Galen Hoshovsky

There isn’t a specific word that describes being orange; it’s more of a combination of multiple attributes and actions that have positive effects in a community. One of the reasons that I chose to come to Oregon State University in the first place was because I felt it had a strong community that cared for everyone no matter who they were.  I toured many universities and felt that Oregon State had the best environment for my future success.

For many in the Oregon State community, being orange could mean supporting the athletic teams, doing well in classes in order to graduate, or being more sustainable in your daily life. Needless to say, there are countless ways in which someone can be orange or have a positive effect on their community. Corvallis is a community that is very diverse, as the research university attracts people from around the world that want to pursue a professional career. Having that diversity really allows people to explore themselves.

To me, being orange is like being a family, a group that looks out for one another, creating an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable and confident enough to pursue their dreams and goals. Not knowing a single person when I moved to Corvallis, I immediately felt accepted by other students and community members.

I played baseball all throughout high school and when I decided to go to Oregon State; I thought my competitive baseball career was over. Sure enough, the first two weeks at school, I was contacted via Facebook by a student that was interested in starting a club baseball team through the sports club office at Oregon State to further our competitive baseball career. It’s been three years since we started the club and we have seen it grow into something special. This club baseball team has become the most diverse group I’ve been apart of since we have people from all over the country including a French exchange student, yet we all share the love for the game of baseball. We have managed to become a family, helping each other get better on and off the field. This team has given many students at Oregon State the opportunity to play competitive baseball and at the same time, allow them to focus on their academic career. It has also taught all of us how to better manage our time, as most of us are full time students. Everything that goes along with our baseball team can be considered orange because it brings together a great group of diverse people and gives them an opportunity to play baseball and create friendships.

It takes a whole community working together to promote being orange and Corvallis is setting a great example for other cities and towns to follow. Be good to others and to yourself so that an atmosphere is created where everyone feels comfortable and confident.

Tags: Community, diversity, student life
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Submitted by Jyssica Yelas

When applying to colleges, students often apply to the schools that have the best programs in his or her chosen course of study. How desirable it is to be thoroughly knowledgeable on a subject or field –to have been involved in one’s studies so deeply that all subjects taught in school were learned and understood. This is a level of involvement that, I have discovered, must be far surpassed in order to be successful at Oregon State University, and beyond. It is not purely interest in one’s major that will create fulfillment –it is a deeper involvement, with other students, with subjects of alternative interest; it is involvement with community at large, and even with oneself that creates a truly informed, rounded scholar.

To be “involved” in this sense is to ponder and act deeper than is expected. This requires curiosity as well as mindfulness in learning. This term I have practiced exercising mindfulness through a series of yoga practices that, with the help of class discussions, have helped me be a more involved learner. This means I am listening with an opened and broadened mind that allows me to see where everything I am experiencing personally and learning about in school intermingles. By being involved in my own learning, I am not merely a ‘sponge’ in a classroom–a scenario that deters students from seeing value in attending class.

I am learning more about myself because of my involved learning. Through my ethics class this term, I have discovered that I am developing quite a utilitarian approach to ethics. Thus, being involved helps me know myself better, which allows me to treat others better. Maintaining and feeding curiosity throughout this journey is both healthy and promotes ethical behavior. When one is interested in matters outside their own usual interests, and genuinely thirsts to understand ulterior perspectives and experiences, room for appreciation of others expands. The ability to openly receive others’ ideas and find common ground comes from this very kind of involvement. It requires exposure to worlds outside one’s own, which allows for a more informed and compassionate decision-making.

To be Orange is to well represent Oregon State University –a responsibility possibly unasked for, possibly underestimated, but one that presents itself the moment one accepts to become a part of the OSU community, whether a student, professor, or anyone in between. The Orange community is made of millions of individual acts of involvement of all sorts. As I further my friend and interest circles at OSU, I start to see links between different friends or acquaintances of mine. He knows her through the Anactist Club; he knows him from anchoring at KBVR TV; she met him at the basketball game in the student section. These networks and relationships that tend to be so fulfilling and productive build between conversations between all kinds of students who are involved and interested –and everyone does it differently. As afore mentioned, a member of the Orange community can practice involvement anywhere from the classroom, to a conversation in the bathroom, to a friendly exchange of smiles whilst on a run down Monroe street. That’s the beauty of it. To be Orange is to be involved –to be engaged, however one chooses to be. I once saw a bumper sticker that read, “The world is run by those who show up.” This has been my inspiration this year, and it explains exactly why there exist so many successful and continuously involved Beaver alumni and students.

Tags: becurious, beengaged, beinterested, beinvolved, beorange
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When you hear the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”, what does it mean to you? After a short time thinking about it, you discern that it means a child is not raised just by those that cater most to them, but all of the people around them play a large role in the process. I have a similar definition in my mind, however when I think deeper about it, I realize that this phrase does not just accommodate to children, and it is not just the people that surround us by which we are molded. It is everything around us that shapes us into who we are in our daily lives. Every thought we have, words we speak or read, every interaction, and everything we see and process in our minds is what molds us.

So what does it mean to Be Orange? As college students at Oregon State University, we are the “child” in the village. A village that gives you the opportunity of knowledge and skills required to be who you strive to be in the future. Being Orange isn’t about pride, diversity or integrity. It is about a community that teaches you to be prideful, instills strong moral principles and gives you the confidence to rise in the face of diversity.

Being Orange is also about open mindedness, innocence and trust. These three traits go hand-in-hand in our OSU community. One of my favorite parts about Beaver Nation is that it is not uncommon for random people to just walk into your house, realize it was not the house they were looking for, apologize and be on their merry way. Just last night I was sitting on my couch watching television and three guys I didn’t know walked through my door. We had a small conversation before they realized that they were in the wrong house, and they left a couple beers on their way out. This may seem weird everywhere else in the world, but it is what makes me proud to call Corvallis home.

Compassion also plays a large role in the Orange community. It seems that a large majority of Oregon State students are very thoughtful and kind to one another. Oregon State does not just offer an education, it offers a home. A home that is full of people that will build you up when you are down. One that is full of people trying to reach out to one another. The individuality on this campus is not something that divides us, but instead it brings us closer together. It is shown that through the compassion shown to one another unifies our community as a whole. It is not uncommon to see a posting on our “Things Overheard at Oregon State” Facebook page about a lost I.D. or credit card, and people trying to contact whoever the card belongs to. People combine their efforts in order to help one another, that is what being orange is all about.

Being Orange is not just about the five core values that are listed on the Oregon State website. To Be Orange is to appreciate everything this town and university has to offer. Each individual at OSU is the “child raised in the village” and I am proud to see what people grow into at this university.

Tags: #beachild, #begood, beorange
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Submitted by Lauren Buster

The phrase, “Be Orange,” encompasses many values held by the OSU community.  To me,  the values of development and being orange are almost synonymous.  I see being orange defined by the Oregon State University Strategic Plan as implementing the values of diversity, respect, accountability, integrity, social responsibility.  I will explain why I believe that all of these values promote development in the community of Oregon State University.

Diversity is defined as the ability to welcome, respect, and interact with people who are different than us.  This is seen through OSU’s many diversity clubs and cultural centers, as well as study-abroad programs and cultural classes.  I believe that each of these things helps with development for OSU students.  Diversity clubs and cultural centers develop both a greater knowledge of other cultures. and personal pride in one’s own culture.  Study abroad programs promote the development of greater cultural understanding and grow independence.  Cultural classes also develop cultural knowledge and understanding.

Respect is defined as recognizing the worth and excellence of someone/something.  This is seen throughout campus in the way that classes are conducted, and diverse viewpoints and backgrounds are supported.  Every teacher I have had a class with has always had a great amount of respect for students’ questions and opinions, and the students have held that same amount of respect for teachers and classmates.  The respect in classrooms doesn’t simply stop at being understanding of differing views.  Teachers also demonstrate their respect towards students by seeing their potential and pushing them to be the best they can be.  I think that is a sign of respect that often goes unnoticed.  Without this, though, students would not see any development in the areas of hard-work, discipline, and learning.

Accountability is defined at OSU as being cooperatively loyal to and responsible for the community and all of the resources entrusted to us.  This is a multi-faceted value.  It deals with overall wellness of the people of OSU, and sustainability of natural and financial resources.  I believe that this closely relates to the value of social responsibility, too.  The overall wellness of OSU’s community is ensured in programs like Student Health Services, Counseling & Psychological Services, Orange Rewards, and Dixon Recreation Center.  These all promote development of physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, and financial well-being.  This university is known for being sustainable in a large variety of ways.  Being bike friendly, earning sustainability awards, and having many sustainability programs and events are among some of the ways OSU promotes sustainability.  The commitment to holding everyone responsible for our natural resources develops our concern for sustainability.

Integrity is defined by OSU as practicing honesty, freedom, and truth.  In academics, we have policies that ensure each of those things.  Whether that be policies of academic dishonesty or policies for students with disabilities.  Both of these things ensure that integrity is maintained in the classroom.  The fact that OSU has no tolerance for cheating makes it so that students must truthfully develop further knowledge in the field of the class they are taking.  Also, the policy for students with disabilities ensures that everyone has a fair chance at obtaining this development.

I see so much proof of Oregon State’s commitment to being Orange and developing not only in my life, but in the lives of students around me.  I look back at the person I was before coming to OSU compared to the person I am today, and I see so much maturity, advancement, and development in my life.  I see it academically, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.  I am proud to be orange and to be developing.

OSU Strategic Plan: http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan/

Tags: #begood, developing, Development of Self, improvement
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By Will Schlechter

From the first day you step on Oregon State’s campus you see the marketing slogan “Powered by Orange.” At first notice this phrase is taken lightly, but after my fourth year here this “Orange” thing is definitely taking form. So what does it mean to be orange? Ed Ray, the President of the University has a list of core values which include integrity, respect, accountability, diversity and social responsibility (http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan/).Even though these key values are a big part of being orange, they do not fully define what it means to be orange.

When walking away from Oregon State, what values will be taken away? How will others view the community from a third person perspective? Every student, teacher and alum has an impact on our community. We are all forever associated with Oregon State as a team but we all have different values which allow us to bring different things to the table. This is why one of my key values for being orange is being an individual. This value is comparable to President Ray’s value of diversity. He defines his core value of diversity as “We are committed stewards of the loyalty and good will of our alumni and friends and of the human, fiscal, and physical resources entrusted to us.” Diversity is a key value because we need understanding from different resources in order to see the big picture. Individuality is a key value because staying true to you and striving to be different is what brings out the maximum potential in all of us. In my opinion reaching potential is the goal of education. The main difference between these two values is that we are born diverse, we all come from different backgrounds and upbringings. Individuality is learned, it is natural for us to conform and not ask questions. Some people are naturally individual but for the majority it is easiest to follow the path of least resistance.

I see the Oregon State community as a team of Individuals striving for knowledge. The team is always evolving and ever changing which is why you can never fully define what it means to be Orange. Being Orange changes case by case, person to person. Being Orange is all about learning your role on the team and evolving as the team evolves. Whether the team is the Oregon State community, the populace of the whole world, or your fellow employees, that striving for individualism is what gives the unit its most potential.

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Submitted by Jorge Lopez-Contreras

Coming to Oregon State, there is one thing that becomes apparent during START is that coming to Oregon State means being orange. At the time I didn’t really understand what it meant, but throughout my time here at OSU I have developed a better understanding of what it means to be orange. It’s a philosophy, a set of morals and values that each student should live by.

To me one of the most important components of being orange would have to be being prideful. Not just in your work but also in the way one conducts them when they are affiliated with Oregon State University as one of their students. I think the whole point of having school spirit is to have motivation to do well. To have something that everyone can rally towards because in a way we are all here for a specific reason, to get degrees in our chosen fields. Saying that, one is able to comprehend and better understand what it means to do well. For some, a good school means that they have really good athletic programs for others it’s the academics. Regardless of how one categorizes how well their school performs. I believe a combination of the two is the best indicator the school performance. By doing well in these areas it motivates us to do well in our work so that we may say that we are a part of OSU’s. That students like me are the reason why this is a great school.

I think there are a lot of values that make up being prideful person. For one is doing our part and taking responsibility to do our part in the community. Whether that means doing something simple as picking up a piece of litter or moving over a seat when you are at the end of aisle and there is an open spot next to you. It means acting responsibly in the community, which Oregon State resides, by that I mostly mean not making a fool of ones selves or do anything that might jeopardize the reputation of the university. It means whenever you are attending an event on campus and or outside, and you are representing the school in some form to act accordingly, to again insure that you don’t do anything that would negatively reflect on the school. At the same time I think it means to take initiative to do your part in the community, like mentioned earlier it can be anything as small as picking up a piece of trash or respecting the cross walk and stoplights if you’re a biker. That if one believes in something that they should participate in that movement and make their voice heard.

Another big part of being prideful is, as Aristotle would put it, knowing ones worth and acting upon it. That by knowing ones worth one can respect themselves and with that treat others the way they’d like to be treated. As a student, this means doing your best not to be on your cellphone during class. It means if your going to show up late or leave early you will be considerate and sit in the back and come in quietly. Most importantly it means having the common sense that a lot of the people sitting next to you are dealing with very similar things. Whether that is finances, relationship issues, family issues, and of course school. There is at least one area where we can sympathize with someone else and that alone should be enough reason to always give someone the benefit of the doubt.

Tags: #beproud, #knowtheworthofothers, #knowyourworth
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Submitted By: Shayna Kim

Many people outside of the Oregon State University community believe that Be Orange is seen as mainly school pride because of Benny the Beaver, but that’s not all there is to it. After asking other OSU students, they see being orange as being eco-friendly, reliable, and unique. There is a large amount of words that could describe being orange. Everyone has a different perspective on being orange depending on their own personal values because one may be more important to one person but less important to another. That doesn’t mean we aren’t being orange, we are being orange in our own way.

When I first chose OSU as my college of choice we were told that we were going to be Powered by Orange. This has had a great effect on me because it gave me a sense of a community and unity. All of the OSU students, faculty, and staff are unified under the values of OSU. Be Orange is the same thing. We are all unified under the same moral values that we want as students to better ourselves by being a part of the OSU community.

I see Be Orange as a code of ethics in a way for the OSU community. OSU defines being orange by their core values of accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility. To me, the most important moral value held to Being Orange is social responsibility, basically making the right decisions. In Hawaii, this moral is called being pono. Be pono is to do the right thing. College in general is when we, the students, become adults and we are guided by the moral values of the school and choices we must make as adults. Every day we are faced with challenges that test our values and morality, that’s what makes ethics so important. Question all that we know to know that what we are doing is right for ourselves in our own situations. This is a part of life that I struggled with most and being orange has led me to becoming a better decision maker and making the right choices.

Being Orange means being the best person you can be in the world. Make a difference through what you have learned as being a part of OSU and keep a part of OSU with you for the rest of your lives. Everyone has a different opinion of Being Orange depending on how they want to make a difference in the world and their own personal values. I believe we all just need to do what we think is right for ourselves; not anyone else. Doing the right thing for you will always be wrong for someone else because our world is so diverse. Be Pono. Be Orange.

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway.”

–Eleanor Roosevelt

Tags: #BePono, beorange, phl205, Pono
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