Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted by Leandro B. Monar

To be “Orange” as a value can be difficult to explain, mostly because to be “Orange” is not a value, but a group of values. This group of values can be compare to subjective relativism, due to the fact that they are different for every single member of the Oregon State University community (Vaughn, 2013). The “Orange” values are establish by the way people inside OSU community behave in every moment of their live. This behavior should not be confused with the behavior the OSU community has in school, which is establish by the Student Conduct Code (Oregon State University, 2014). Every person in the OSU community is different from one another, but among all the values the OSU community has, the one that most of them share and has great importance, is the value of respect.

People form the OSU community respect one another in every moment of their live and not only when they are at school and they have to follow a conduct code. In a university town, such as Corvallis, people from the OSU community can be found in very corner of the town. For this reason, the way people respect each other is noticeable in every corner of the town in every day of the year. The “Orange” value is seen in the way people from different cultures respect each other without any type of discrimination. For example, there are many Asian celebrations, such as Chinese New Year, that are enjoy by many members of the OSU community inside the facilities of Oregon State University. The “Orange” value can also be seen in the respect to elderly people and the respect to people with disabilities. This is seen a lot in the public transportation at Corvallis, where members from the OSU community give their sits to elder people and people with disabilities, and there is no need for the bus driver to interfere and ask people to give their places to someone else.

One of my favorite’s ways of showing respect is the respect to ideas and believes. In almost every part of the OSU community, people can respectfully express their ideas without the fear of being criticizes or segregated for that. Respect is an easy way to describe the “Orange” value, but “Orange” should be something more than that. “Orange” should be a permanent life style and not something that will just last while a person is part of OSU. To be “Orange” should mean that a person learn the importance of treating others with respect and will continue to do it after graduation or his entire life. It will not matter to what place that person move, what type of environment he encounters or at what age that person is, the “Orange” value of respect should continue inside that person and it should never disappear, but it should get stronger.

References

Oregon State University. (2014). Oregon State   University. Retrieved from Student Conduct and Community Standards :   http://oregonstate.edu/studentconduct/home/

Vaughn, L. (2013). Doing Ethics. New York: W. W.   Norton & Company, Inc.

Tags: be orange, phl 205, respectful
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Submitted by Andrew Jacobo

One of the values that I associate with Being Orange is to provide a welcoming place with equal opportunity for all students. However, I am not sure that I see that as much as I would like to. I believe that OSU is lacking in the attention it puts into transfer students. I myself am a transfer student who spent his first two years of college attending a community college to save money. In my first two terms here at OSU I have met many other transfer students, and there have been several of us with similar complaints about our experiences.

I realize that there are transfer students who may just want to earn a degree, graduate, and move on with their life. They probably want to be allowed to do their own thing and be treated similar to other junior or senior level students.

On the other hand, there are students like myself who want to get more involved in OSU and learn what they have to offer, but need some help doing so. Us transfer students can be a little clueless in this new environment. For example, a freshman that I know told me about some kind of party that was being held at Dixon at the beginning of the year. I would have loved to go and have fun before the term started, but I wasn’t informed of the event in time.

I haven’t had any special attention as a transfer student since attending START. And unlike the two day experience that START was for incoming freshman, START for transfer students is a very basic orientation. My freshman friend described the two day START program as “fun,” and told me that they played games and met new people. Nothing about the transfer student START could be described as fun. We registered for classes, got our ID’s, attended a few informational presentations, and then went home. I understand that some transfer students want to get straight to business, but I have put off having the “college life” for 2 years, and want to have just as much of an exciting orientation as freshman.

I don’t just have a problem with the lack of fun that transfer students have in comparison to freshman though. I think we also need more help getting adjusted to school at OSU. In my first term, I went straight into junior level Computer Science classes. Since I had gone to a community college for the previous two years and not a university, I expected that I would need to do some catching up to be at the same level of abilities and knowledge as the other juniors. However, not only did I have to adjust to the higher difficulty of the classes, I also had to learn things like how to use my free printing as an engineering student, the fact that I needed a PIN number to register for new classes, how to get that PIN number, how to reserve study rooms in the library, how to find clubs that would expand my knowledge, how to look for internships and jobs that would help me get ahead, and the list goes on and on.

I think transfer students need more assistance in finding clubs, learning about how to use the resources OSU offers, and should be provided information about fun events on campus to help make new friends. We are in some ways as clueless as freshmen, yet expected to be at the same level as upper level students. Give us an optional fun 2 day START, show us how to do things other juniors know, make us feel more welcomed and comfortable in this new place.

Tags: transfer students, welcoming
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In a university as large as Oregon State, it sometimes feels as though any one student is just a drop of water in an Oregon rainstorm. Everyone rushing from class to class, just trying to get through their own day; but what if everyone was to notice the struggles of their classmates, their community, or of their students? I believe that when anyone in our community pauses their own busy life to feel sympathy for another, or tries to help a stranger, they are acting on compassion. This sympathy and act can be as simple as picking up books after someone drops them, or can be as significant as donating countless hours to an organization that helps community members that are less fortunate.

As a psychology student I see the need for compassion in my studies and life every day. While other OSU students in a different major or community members may see being orange as a way to show school pride during sports or possibly meaning working hard on a degree to get a good future job. To me showing compassion for others is what it truly means to be orange.

The Oregon State strategic plan identifies the core value of respect, which can be simply defined as showing appreciation for someone. However, I think that just respecting the value of someone is not sufficient to create a caring atmosphere. I believe that creating a compassionate environment at OSU, where the struggles of life are met with sympathy and the desire to better the lives of others is a legacy that our current generation of community members should strive to fulfill. If the OSU community were to create a compassionate environment for everyone, I believe that everyone would benefit from it; there would be more acceptance for individuals who do not have the same life experiences as each other, there would be more of an open dialogue between students and community leaders, as well as less of a struggle for any one community member as it would be distributed among several other individuals who simply want to help another.

In closing, as a community we may not know everyone who currently is needing compassion, but we can always be compassionate to one another day in and day out, to create a caring atmosphere that will be our legacy for OSU generations to come.

Tags: #begood, assignments, compassion, phl 205
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Be Sustainable, Be Orange

Submitted By Marco Olivera

If you walk around the campus you will notice the many values and phrases of what it mean to “be orange.” To be orange is to represent your school (Oregon State University), your program, and your self in a way other will admire. Some of the values that students and staff associate with being orange and that are currently seen around campus are accountability, diversity integrity, respect, and social responsibility. You can ask 100 people who are part of Oregon State or OSU Alumni and you may get 100 distinct answers, but one thing does hold true to all of these answers, and that is that being orange is associated with being an ethical person.
To me being orange means being sustainable. But I do not just define sustainable as a way to help save the planet. Sustainable to me encompasses more things, it means sustaining life by only taking your share, being sustainable by helping others so they can later help themselves, and in turn help others. It also means to respect others, their things, their beliefs, and themselves. To be sustainable you will graduate from OSU and contribute to make this world better for everyone not just those who are close to you or also graduated from Oregon State, but you do your part no matter how large or small to make this a better world.
Our “do ethics” assignment was a great jumping off point for many in our class, who like myself knew little about what ethics actually was. It doesn’t take a solution to world hunger to be ethical. It takes doing what you can to create a little good in the world. Something as small as donating 1 hour of your time to help your neighbor shovel snow off there sidewalk is an ethical act, it is a sustainable act, and it is an act that demonstrates what it mean to be orange.
I am towards the tail end of time here at Oregon State as an undergrad, and I did not come into the university the man I will be leaving as. Being Orange has truly become part of who I am. I will continue to “be orange” by being sustainable, I find it to be my responsibility to give back to the future generations for they hold the potential to solve problems that are still to exist, and to help the older generations for they hold the knowledge they have obtained through their experiences.

Tags: be orange, BE SUSTAINABLE, phl205
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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

Tags: compassion, respect, values
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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.

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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

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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.

Tags: #gobeavs, Beloyal, Responsibility
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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.

Tags: #BeYou, bemindful, bestrong
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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.

Tags: beorange
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