Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted by Devon Renard

“Be Successful. Be Orange”

            To be “Orange,” you must strive for success in the ventures you undertake on a daily basis which promote the well being of the Oregon State University community. One must engage in activities and follow through with decisions that ultimately uplift beaver nation. Being successful, in my eyes, is the basis of what it means to be “Orange.” In order to strive for greatness and achieve my life goals through the receiving of my OSU degree, I must prove to be a successful person. Whether that be advancing my physical activity from collegiate athlete to playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association such as Jared Cunningham, leading a group of my peers to rally for a tuition freeze like Dan Cushing, or simply following my own dream towards success of working for a well known contracting firm, building a firm network through my time at OSU, and gaining internship experience with local companies. My degree here at OSU symbolizes the long road of learning I have gone through and the credentials I have gained that are necessary to professionally present myself in the business world. This degree exemplifies the understanding I have gained of how a community can come together, supporting one another and give back where aid can be given, as well as my educational cap off of knowledge gained through sitting in a classroom receiving instruction from a single professor per course.

The value of success is expectant to be used by every single person in the world and it is our goal as Oregon State graduates to implement this knowledge into the minds of those who personally did not receive this degree or who did not take part in the construction of the student’s knowledge base to receive this degree. Each and every participant in the OSU community, students, faculty, and scholarship granters, all have a job to spread the word of striving for success across the world. This applies to the victims of the tsunami that hit Alaska in 1964, as natural disasters such as these are being studied by students and faculty at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at OSU. The success of the world may also apply to Oregon Health and Science Universities Doernbecher Children’s Hospital who provide pediatric healthcare for kids suffering from bone and joint damage, cancer and blood disorders, cardio and neurological problems, and the OSU community generates thousands of dollars to aid in their world wide supportive health providing care, which saves the lives of countless children each day. (Doernbecher Children’s Hospital) With the aim of success, as the slogan “Be Orange” expresses, the OSU community is able to help others grow in their successfulness and promote itself for future endeavors to come.

Being orange may not only entail the sole value of success, but rather a new angle of promotion. “During the reveal, Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis declared the rebrand as being about three things: ‘Recruiting, recruiting, and recruiting.’”(Berkes, Peter [De Carolis, Bob]) In an interview with SB Nation the Oregon State athletic director clearly labels the mantra of what it means to be orange and new school logo as a means for recruitment towards student-athletes. This creates an immense drive for better athletes to want to come to OSU, ultimately producing a greater fan base and bringing in more revenue for the school. Athletics on the OSU campus are one of the top revenue earners for the school, but is recruitment the only way being orange can be defined? In class, communicating with my group members, a value they all believed was the best for defining what it means to “Be Orange” was diversity. To them this was cultivating the beliefs and ideas of people with different temperaments, talents, and convictions and spreading diversity across campus, through the community, and to the world. This would generate an endless amount of knowledge and creative thinking, but will this value advance OSU in a direction to advance the world?  I believe the success of both recruitment and diversity among the OSU campus are a part of what it means to “Be Orange,” but lack in the opportunities in knowledge growth and the education that Oregon State has to provide for its students and community.

Success is an important value and holds the sole aim of accomplishment. Being orange is doing just that. To “Be Orange,” one must simply accomplish the task at hand and promote the community, nation, or world around them. This value requires you as an individual or together with others, to determine a common goal or idea, building off of the knowledge and ideals of others, without the actions of procrastination, with the notion that no idea is a bad one, diving into the moral values you hold and to come up with a solution that has in some way advanced you, the community, nation, or world around you in a fulfilling manner. This applies to everyday individual choices made such as being polite through conversation, picking up garbage off the street, brushing your teeth in the morning, or spending time at a retirement home. Success may also be applied towards larger actions and moral decisions such as driving on the correct side of the road, aiding other countries by donating food and money, or building skyscrapers downtown. Being successful excludes anyone aiming to deter from the advancing successfulness of what being orange has to offer. This may include terrorists, people who perform bomb threats towards communities, or sexual assaulters on the Oregon State Campus. These people who perform these acts suppress the advancing successes of OSU and the positive movements Oregon State makes for the community, the nation, and the world.

Being “Orange” is being successful in your everyday life and is necessary for the modernization, economic growth and well being of Oregon State University, the community which surrounds it, the nation and the world which we live in. Being successful when referring to being orange is not just a belief some students have that it might be defined as, but rather a way of life people take on and define themselves by when they come to Oregon State University and agree to take part in what this institution has to offer. Be successful. Be Orange.

Sources Cited

1. Berkes, Peter [De Carolis, Bob]. “SB Nation.” March 4, 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/3/4/4063318/new-oregon-state-logo-uniforms>
2. “Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.” Oregon Health and Student University. 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/doernbecher/>
3. “O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory.” Oregon State University. 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://wave.oregonstate.edu/>
4. “Tsunami Research Center.” University of Southern California. 2005. March 17, 2013. <http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/alaska/1964/webpages/index.html>
5. “Wear The Square.” 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://www.wearthesquare.com>

Tags: be orange, phl 205, success
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Submitted by Chad Wheeler

Is “Be Orange” anything more than a slogan?  In a consumer based world our daily interaction is bombarded with statements just like this one.  Mantra type motivational catchphrases make an attempt to promote certain types of human behavior or emotion.  Does it matter then if the motto is profound or original?  Should it matter?  The answers to these questions become an exercise in ethics.  This essay will examine whether or not “Be Orange” is profound or original and determine whether or not it is significant if these criteria aren’t met.

“Just Do It”, a Nike slogan that conceivably lives in the hearts of many adrenaline junkies, athletes, and motivational speakers worldwide.  It can be interpreted as symbol of ethical egoism at work because its main objective is self-serving in the capitalistic environment which it exists.  This is not an attempt to diminish positive things done by the Nike Corporation but the slogan doesn’t define what not to do.  From a corporate point-of-view the phrase could simply indicate a motivation to purchase a particular product; to cast off inhibition for self-interest.  Others have magically altered this to mean something more.  The slogan is viewed through creative marketing as an empowerment of human achievement.  There are hundreds of other corporate slogans that would also meet these same descriptors.

The motivation for being “Orange” has similar traits though.  When analyzing the strategic plan put forth by OSU these similarities become evident.  The “culture of collaboration” clearly spells out who benefits.  It is paraphrased so that the student receives a ‘better product’ but it also defines who the corporation is.  Another point was “growth in student enrollment”.  However, they go on to preface this by indicating particular demographics that they wish to appeal too.  This concept of diversity equality is problematic.  It operates under the guidelines that some people are more valuable than others based on a certain criteria.  So being “Orange” is precluded then from any connection to equality and then must be more akin to being chosen or privileged.  Privilege is certainly a trait in common with anyone who has purchased Nike attire.

Two other factors indicated in the strategic plan were the concepts of a “comprehensive capital campaign” and “regional positioning”.  These are important to empire building.  For OSU they address the competitiveness that occurs with other colleges locally and globally.  These notions also tend to use people as means in order to achieve their goals.  One way to accomplish this task is through social cohesion.  So it seems logical that a slogan built on pride would provide cover for this type of achievement to occur.  It could be perceived when deconstructed as nothing more than a promotional gimmick designed to first and foremost benefit the corporation.  The university grows its influence and the student body receives a false notion of pride based on the concept of privilege.  Otherwise there would be a clear distinction between what it meant to “Be Orange” at OSU versus: Syracuse, University of Tennessee, Auburn University, University of Texas, or Clemson just to name a few.  It is likely though that if one were to visit these campuses the student body and staff would not look or behave much differently than the student body at OSU.  Just watch a televised sporting event for proof.

Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa also has a “Be Orange” campaign developed and implemented in 2000 – 2001 by a marketing company called ME&V.  The college describes “Be Orange” this way on their website:

            “Be Orange” isn’t just a slogan.  It’s an attitude, a mantra – a way of life.  It’s the energy that comes from being independent and making your own unique choices.  It’s the warmth in the genuine smiles you see around campus.  It’s the inner glow you feel when you get involved in service to others.  It’s the spark of intellectual curiosity that ignites when you find your true calling.  It’s the fire that drives you to pursue your own passions.  Wartburg students want to stand out and put their gifts to good use, and they want to support others doing the same.  They are involved, busy and multi-talented.  Wartburg students know how to balance school, activities and social life.  They work hard, have fun, manage their time and graduate in four years.  It’s about being different.  It’s about being real.  It’s about being you.”  (www.beorange.net )

OSU measures graduation success on a six year scale.  Other than that everything used to describe being orange would apply to the community at OSU.  This example is merely reinforcing the notion that “Be Orange” is possibly just another insufferably irritating mantra type motivational catchphrase.

This essay has provided some stark comparisons indicating that the slogan “Be Orange” is neither profound nor original.  The question still remains, should it?  It is the opinion of this author that anything less than profound and original sacrifices the sanctity of the degree that myself and other students seek to acquire.  The prestige connected with a degree from OSU should be of the utmost importance because it affects our very livelihood.  Otherwise the time and money spent obtaining that dream is nothing more than a sham.  Academic integrity is a standard which the student body is held to and the university should be held to account when it does not operate under the same moral guidelines that it seeks to employ.  BEAVERS are better than this!  The pride that we share should be based on what we can accomplish together not our collective privilege.  We do this best through our profundity and originality.  Let us continue to showcase THIS as our shining contribution to the world not through a slogan but how we represent a sustainable solution to education and the viability for the world!

Tags: original, profound, slogan
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Submitted by Haley Chapman

Being Orange: A Reciprocal Exchange

            When I close my eyes and envision the values I want to see demonstrated in the Oregon State University culture, I struggle to match my envisioned values with reality. I want Oregon State to help me grow beyond just academics, I want them to help me grow into my character as well . Sadly, I believe the structure we have here at OSU is solely focused on academic development, which means I am not living out to my character’s full potential. I believe that the university should place just as high as a priority on character development as academic achievement. When students come to college they are on their own for the first time. They lack parental guidance and have no limits on freedom. We are dropped into a new culture and expected to know how to responsibly behave, and yet we have no idea how we will respond to such unlimited freedom. I see college as a preparation tool for life, but it is used as a stepping stone for intelligence. We are here to learn about our fields of study and gain intellect, but I want OSU to push us to experience  and engage, so we can gain knowledge. In general, I want OSU to encourage its students to be better people, not just better students. As students, we support OSU through engaging in its culture and by being orange, but I want OSU to reciprocate this idea. I want being orange to be an interdependent exchange between both the students and the college. I want Oregon State to reflect the values we have towards it, which are compassion, engagement and knowledge.

By this time in our lives, we are expected to know who we are and accept who we are. But at 21 years of age, the majority of us still feel baffled. So many of us students feel trapped in confusion as to who we are, what we stand for, and why anyone would love us. The majority of students here at Oregon State desperately need to be forced to reflect on who they are and appreciate themselves. We study so we earn good grades. We are nice so we have friends. But, when do we ever take time to sit and appreciate our existence? Never, and that is because there is no intrinsic value placed on self love. I want us to be able to develop our characters over the four years here at Oregon State, so that when we graduate we will have more than just a diploma, we will have knowledge. Knowledge about who we are and what we want. Our diploma says we have the intelligence to succeed but it lacks the assurance of knowledge. This shows that if we support OSU, it should support us back by loving us like we love it. Oregon State should institutionalize a class that helps develop our character and help us flourish into compassionate individuals.

The first step to helping us grow is to encourage us to love who we are. I want Oregon State to facilitate us to open our eyes to love ourselves. To simply tell us that we are unique and special, and mean it. However, I have yet to see those values incorporated into a syllabus. I want students to feel proud of who they are and be optimistic towards their futures. We have baccalaureate requirements that force us to learn about diversity, cognitive skills, and perspectives, but yet we lack a requirement to learn about who we are as individuals. By taking self assessments, questionnaires, and experimental self discovery assignments, we could begin to unravel a greater understanding of ourselves. How can we grow if we don’t know what to work on? How can we have self efficacy if we do not know what we are capable of? Our baccalaureate courses structure us to learn about other cultures, other fields, in general, other people. My question is, why do we not have a requirement to learn more about ourselves? Why not have a baccalaureate prerequisite about appreciating who we are as individuals? A class that pushes students to in turn love who they are. I feel that it is the universities obligation to prepare us for life, not a career. Elementary school prepares us for middle school, middle school prepares us for high school, high school prepares us for college, and college prepares us for life. There is sadly such a lack of understanding on this principle. So many people believe that college is all about preparing us for a career, but it is so much more than that. We are basically learning how to parent ourselves and I think it is the universities role to help us with that experience. It is such a simple idea, but it could have an incredible impact on the wellbeing of us students. Imagine the self empowerment one would feel after attending lectures designed for them to learn about themselves so they can eventually love themselves. When someone loves their self,  I am referring to them accepting who they are and having a proud sense of self efficacy. I believe that by loving oneself, one would be able to love others and grow compassion, which I feel is what being orange is all about. And if the university wants us to exemplify being orange, then I feel they should, as an institution, exemplify it as well.

To me, being orange means associating oneself with Oregon State and engaging in its culture. You can exemplify being orange by being a cheering fan at a football game, teaching a class to a room full of students, or simply studying in the Valley Library. All faculty is a part of the orange culture, along with janitors, students, and fans. You don’t have to be an enrolled student to feel the power of orange, you just have to engage yourself. You can engage yourself by compassionately listening to those around you, by being ethically aware of your actions, or simply by supporting those in the orange culture. Engaging in the orange culture means being an active participant in the community. It can be as simple as proudly wearing that OSU logo or as complex as organizing a club on campus. Being orange means showing compassion for Oregon State and anyone who associates with it. If you want to be orange, then love your professors as much as your fellow classmates, go to sports events, join a club, and appreciate the culture surrounding you.

Being orange means you do not hesitate to hold open the door for the person behind you or lend a pencil to a helpless colleague. It means you understand the limits of your knowledge and are open and courteous to the opinions of others. Being orange means communicating with those around you with respect, compassion, and fairness. It is the combination of both respecting your morals and the morals of those around you. Above all, being orange means engagement. Engagement with yourself, with others, and with Oregon State University’s culture.

I want Oregon State to befriend us, push us, and encourage us to live lives full of compassion. In order to do that, Oregon State needs to consider incorporating the idea of self compassion and compassion for others, as one of the core goals for students. They need to realize that we are in need of guidance for self discovery and that they should uphold their responsibility to facilitate such growth. By incorporating a self compassion baccalaureate requirement, we would be pushed to learn about ourselves and how to love and take care of our hearts, minds, and souls.

We need a college that values knowledge more than intelligence, for knowledge is based off intelligence and experience. I also want the concept of being orange to be a reciprocal exchange. I feel that a strong relationship needs to go both ways and in this case, OSU needs to appreciate its students as much as its students appreciate it. We show our support by proudly wearing orange and black and attending OSU sporting events, but how does Oregon State display its affection towards us students? Oregon State needs to exemplify being orange by displaying the same compassion and support we give them. They can engage in our lives by simply incorporating a character development plan into the curriculum. This would prove to us students that they value us and want to help prepare us for life’s challenges by strengthening our characters. In summary, I want Oregon State University to actively participate in the “being orange” philosophy by honoring the values of compassion, engagement and knowledge.

Tags: compassion, engagement, reciprocal
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Here are some hypotheses from our community:

Greater Expectations

Oregon State Strategic Plan

Oregon State Mission

OSU Branding Requirements

OSU Shared Student Values

OSU Bacc Core Goals and Values

OSU School of History, Philosophy, & Religion

Your major department’s website, value statement, and requirements

PHL 205 syllabus (and all course materials)

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Values are not reducible to economic gains and career paths.  Ethics skill empower you to make better, engaged, and informed decisions.

From OSU President Ray:

“Being able to read things critically and then being able to articulate how you can change things going forward and assess things, the ability to work in teams—those skills are important everywhere,” says Oregon State’s Ray. “If you talk to people who run companies that hire engineers, they will tell you, ‘I need an engineer who can write.’”

Read more: http://nation.time.com/2013/03/07/who-needs-philosophy-colleges-defend-the-humanities-despite-high-costs-dim-job-prospects/#ixzz2NY3SXZq8

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Must one “be good” to be happy?  Go ask!

Tags: happiness
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-Thanks Anna! 🙂

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Demonstrate your ability to use relevant ethics skills (as defined in syllabus and class) to answer the question: “What does it mean for you to Be Orange?”

This will require:

•  Identifying how others define “Orange” as a value
• Clarifying your own values and educational goals within the context of the OSU community (What do you want orange to mean?)
• Determining the most “effective” format/method for communicating your value message
• Thinking of your assignment as an “engagement” exercise and recalling other ethics “actions” or “interventions” discussed in class

Guidelines

Audience: your professor (remember course goals!) and blog readers

Objective: Provide student accounts of the value of “Being Orange” for the purpose of refashioning higher education (e.g. PHL 205 as back core requirement)

Format: Reflective blog entry on Be Orange website (*approximately* 3 pages).  Other formats welcomed but must be cleared with professor.

Assessment: see in-class checklist provided 3/12/13

Deadline: 3/20/13 by 5pm

Option #2 assessment due via email 3/22/13 by 5pm.

Posting Instructions

1. Login with ONID information: Be Orange.  Start a new post (using dashboard on left side of page).

2. Title post as: “Be [your value]. Be Orange.”

3. First line of post should be: “Submitted by [your name]”

4. Include text in box provided.  You may save and edit prior to submission.

5. Check “begood” category (in right side box)

6. Add three “tags” to identify your post, using the box on the right side of the submission page.  One of your tags must be the value identified in your post title.

Tags: assignments
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Welcome to the blog for Be Good!  Be Orange!    This is the latest ethics education and outreach website sponsored by the Phronesis group in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion.

Tags: phronesis
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