Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted by Aaron Dosono

What does it mean to be orange? Those of us at Oregon State University understand that being orange can mean much more than just the intermediate hue of red and yellow. Being orange means being a part of the Oregon State University community. The OSU community includes everyone that is or has been a part of OSU. This includes the employees(ers), students, alumni, the extended branches and those that contribute to Oregon State. But how does one become a part this community?

From the Office of the Dean of student life, the OSU student shared values highlight that being a part of the community start with the individual and each individual has many values to follow and uphold. These include and are not limited to being responsible, respectful, open, aware and honest. Following and integrating these values greatly reflect the integrity of the individual. In the community the sum of all individuals reflect the integrity of the community.

It is my opinion that to be orange is to be yourself as best as only you can be. Orange is more than in the words you say but in actions you do; it is the follow through of your words through your actions. Orange is being more than just an individual but as being a part of a community. Typically in a community you are inherently being accountable for yourself and for others. Orange is about being aware of yourself, your surroundings, your actions and their consequences. To me being orange is like going to the gym. When you go to the gym for what ever your reasons whether it be improving physical fitness, relaxation, chillin with friends, or something else, you have a set plan and set responsibilities. You have responsibilities toward yourself to make sure you are performing with proper technique and are aware of your health by proper hydration and managing fatigue. This is an example of self care. In terms of being orange, being orange is also being able to recognize and know yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself in the gym, you are in danger of injury.

In the gym you also have the responsibilities to be aware of those around you, this includes those you spot as well as those whom you share the gym. It is in everyone’s best interest that you keep common courtesies such as patiently waiting for benches and machines rather than being a total a-hole and selfishly taking things without regard for others. It is also in your own interest as well as the gyms(community) best interest that you utilize the equipment correctly and safely. The OSU community offer plenty of resources for each and every individual. Being orange is being able to recognize diversity as strength and by making the most of our resources. Being orange also means having and showing respect by treating others, as you would have them treat you. By being respectful is to treat others with civility, dignity, and by being compassionate towards them. No individual is the same but each should be treated with the same respect. Being orange can be described as being accountable through being loyal stewards of good will toward others. We are able to exercise this by being connected and by taking care of those whether they be out in the community or even those closest to us.

Being orange is a lot more than virtue and traits of character that you achieve by practice;  Knowing yourself through self-evaluation and by recognizing the accumulation of your past and your goals toward the future is also a very important part of the orange-esque. In the gym, if you avidly evaluate yourself and keep track of your progress, it is easy to find areas that need improvement, make gains, and better yourself as a whole. Knowing yourself and knowing your truth is a step in the direction to be orange. Knowing yourself and how to care for yourself reflects your ability to care for others. In the gym before you can spot others, you must first understand the proper lift to understand the proper spot procedure otherwise you may injure yourself or the person you are spotting.

Like in the community, the body needs to be trained with a variety of exercises rather than sticking to ones that you are comfortable with. There are many different exercises for each individual muscle group and each need to be trained equally and properly. In the community you must be open-minded to seek other ways of improving your self and the community. Keeping an open mind allows one to learn and grow. You must be diverse and accepting of new exercises while also understanding the impact of each. Being orange is about learning and growing in virtues and spreading it to others by example. Being orange means being rational, looking at the whole situation rather than in one-sided parts. It is to consider the consequences of each action before doing and by choosing to act in a way that will benefit the greatest number.

Being orange is being a change; it is being an original and having the authenticity and audacity to “shape the mold.” Being orange is being part of the community by having an understanding of your surroundings and your situation. It is to be humble, to listen, and to react appropriately and to be useful. It is to be mindful and to be strong in your beliefs of what is right. Being orange is being an stimulus for positivity. To strive for excellence and inspire others to do the same. It is to challenge yourself to be better, to grow, and to be strong.

 By: James Van Domelen

Be Kind. Be Orange.

            To some people, the word ‘Orange’ may simply refer to a favorite color or a citric fruit that provides vitamin C, but to me it means something much more profound. When I think about what it means to be Orange, my thoughts automatically turn to Oregon State University. More importantly, I think about the community of individuals that make up OSU as a whole. These individuals are more commonly known as the ‘Beaver Nation’. This nation of people is the backbone of the University and enables it to successfully function as a unit. Through their actions of kindness, generosity, and dedication, the true meaning of Orange emerges. As I work towards completing my education, I want these actions to be appropriately reflected in my degree. I want Orange to represent the values that the Beaver Nation displays on a daily basis, which are kindness and acquired knowledge.

Ultimately, the individuals within the Beaver Nation are responsible for the reputation of what it means to be orange. Being apart of this community simply means having an association with Oregon State University. This is the only prerequisite that is required to join the Beaver Nation. Therefore, we welcome people from all backgrounds in an inclusive manner. However, the actions of these individuals are not equally representative in what it means to be Orange. I see there being two distinct subgroups within the Beaver Nation: the primary group and the secondary group. The primary group consists of students, staff, and faculty that have a direct relationship with Oregon State University. On the other hand, I view the secondary group as being an extended family of the primary group. This group could consist of friends, family members, sports fans, future students, and other people that have an indirect relationship with Oregon State University. Therefore, the actions of the primary group have more influence on what it means to be orange due to their interconnectedness with Oregon State University.

As a student, I am constantly being exposed to these actions from both the primary and secondary groups within the Beaver Nation. Therefore, I’m in an optimal position to witness and reflect upon what it means to be orange. I most clearly associate these actions with the values I stated earlier, which are kindness and acquired intellect. To me these two values are important because they provide a foundation to succeed in the future. This applies not only to occupational excellence, but also in developing a sense of character. Having this type of community, one that cares for each other and works to achieve intellect, is something I highly respect. I want to stimulate my character growth and these values will help me reach my goal.

When defining kindness, I’m simply referring to an act that contains warm-heartedness, consideration, or sympathy towards someone or something. I have observed acts of kindness on the student level in the form of holding a door open for another colleague or simply just giving a smile. I’ve seen OSU football fans stay the entire game to show support and sympathy for their team even when they’re losing in a blowout. On an organizational level, Fraternities and Sororities are routinely holding fundraisers to benefit people suffering from debilitating diseases or other important issues. Lastly at the university level, I’ve witnessed them incorporate a no smoking policy on campus. This shows a respect for the environment and displays consideration toward people who don’t smoke. However the act of kindness by the Orange community doesn’t stop at the University level, it extends to the far reaches of the globe. For OSU Public Health graduate Lindsey Kato, she found her calling as a community-based suicide prevention services coordinator in Juneau, Alaska. She says, “To be able to create a safe, healthy environment for future generations and to give back to the community that literally helped me up when I was down, is just amazing,” (Turner). This is exactly what being Orange is all about; actively engaging in kindness, not only in your local community but also around the world. Through these actions, the Beaver Nation has provided evidence to support why kindness is a value that defines what it means to be Orange.

The value of kindness only contributes to half of what it means to be Orange, the other half comes in the form of acquired intellect. When defining acquired intellect, I’m referring to new information that contributes to your overall character development while at OSU. This includes newfound wisdom, skills, facts, experiences, friendships, and identity of self. In fact, the University supports this value through the Baccalaureate Core classes. They’re designed to give students the ability to explore and learn new information in multiple fields of study. This is one of the top goals that Oregon State University has supported and is actively influencing. However, acquired intellect can also be observed in the library as students study to prepare for exams. Through the guidance of professors at OSU, students are able to acquire new skills that will benefit them in the future. Acquired intellect can also be something as simple as taking a few minutes to relax. In this process of relaxation you’re able to care for your mind and body. This type of self-engagement is important and the University supports it through the Mind Spa. Located in Snell Hall, the Mind Spa offers student services that range from Full-Spectrum Light Therapy to self-meditation. The culmination of these actions help contribute to why acquired intellect is such a big component of character development and helping to define what it means to be orange.

Overall I think the Beaver Nation has been fairly successful in conveying the values of kindness and acquired intellect when it comes to defining what it means to be Orange. However, I would like to see OSU make some changes to strengthen these keystone values. First, I want to suggest a new way in which the University could improve obtaining acquired intellect. Professors should be required to incorporate ‘effort’ into their grading rubric when deciding a final grade. Effort should be accountable for at least 10% of each student’s overall performance. Effort can be graded on overall completion of assignments, attendance to lecture, participation, progress made over the term, or completing extra assignments. In adding effort into the grading scheme it will promote students to become more engaged in academics and stimulate a taste for knowledge. This means that failing a midterm will not completely destroy your chances at getting a desirable grade in the class. I believe incorporating this method of grading will enhance the motivation students have to learn, which will trickle down to improve the value of acquired intellect while at OSU.

Secondly, I think the value of kindness is being misrepresented through our University’s new logo. The new beaver sends signals of being fierce, tough, and focused. These traits are great when speaking about the athletic programs, but not when they’re applied to the university as a whole. The logo is an important accessory because it’s usually the first thing that people associate OSU with. Therefore, our new logo is not appropriately displaying what it means to be Orange. I want a new logo that dulls down the aggressiveness and focuses on being welcoming. As a result this will give people outside the Beaver Nation a better understanding of what it really means to be Orange.

Throughout this essay I have identified two key values that contribute to what it means to be Orange, which are kindness and acquiring intellect. These values are the direct result of what I’ve witnessed occur through the actions of the Beaver Nation. I believe that individual actions determine what being Orange is all about. No matter the size of the action, big or small, each one is important in describing Oregon State University. Kindness and acquired intellect are two values that I want to be associated with my degree when I graduate. In efforts to amplify these values, I have suggested a few ideas that the University could integrate into the Orange community. Whether or not they get accepted, I know the Beaver Nation will continue to reflect the values of what it means to be Orange through their actions.

Works Cited

Turner, Heather. “Public Health Grad’s Lifelong Struggles Inspire Need To Help

Others.” Synergies 20 Feb. 2013: 1. Print.

Submitted by Reed Oxsen

To be orange to me means that you complete a degree at Oregon State University and any level. This shows responsibility because there is a lot of time and sacrifices that have to be made to complete a degree at Oregon State. This is also a value that I want people to associate with when I get my degree.

Responsibility is to be accountable for something within ones power. This value reflects being orange because if you conduct yourself and act in a responsible manner people are going to be positively affected. Does just the pure fact that you act in a responsible way make you orange? Not for my definition. Responsibility is a characteristic that goes along with being orange, but being responsible does not make you orange. This is important to discuss because then everyone who does a responsible act would be considered orange and that is not the case. In completing a degree from OSU, responsibility looks like this. Good time management, completing assignments on time, going to class, interacting and communicating with others respectfully and putting in the effort to complete the degree. I would not include professors at OSU in my definition of being orange unless they graduated from OSU because even though you work for the university the experience that was gained by the professor is from another institution, so they are not truly orange because they did not go through the OSU system.

Oregon State has expressed the importance of community as a part of being orange, but I don’t think they do a good job at bringing the sense of community to OSU. A recent example of this would be with the unveiling of the new logo. Majority of the students were not so thrilled with the look of the beaver. If Oregon State wanted to show community they could have offered several different designs that students could have voted for, that way OSU as a community would feel like we have more of a say in what we identify ourselves with. Oregon State stated that the reason why the university chose the logo was to further the athletic program in recruiting. Athletes make up a small portion of the OSU student body, so to make a logo with the intention to cater to them does not promote the value of community that the university markets to us. By OSU saying they promote community and then endorse something that does the exact opposite is unethical and shows a lack of responsibility, which is a value that I identify with being orange.

Another motto that OSU has is that we are Beaver Nation. What does this mean? I looked up what the university defined this as and all I could find was information about the success of the athletic program and the athletes that are excelling in the classroom as well. When I think of Beaver Nation I think of the past and present students of OSU. The definition of nation according to Merriam-Webster is as follows, “A large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.” Only having information about the athletic program does not fit this definition because the athletic program is not something that everyone at OSU is united in common. Many students don’t even go to athletic events, so to have that as the focus does not fit the definition of Beaver Nation. It should be of the education OSU provides because athlete or not everyone has to take classes.

When I graduate I want my degree to show that I am a responsible person who knows how to complete something that they start. I don’t want my degree to looked upon as something that was given to me, but something that I worked hard for and earned because then people are more likely to take what I say as something that is important and credible. If my degree means something that is viewed in a positive way by others then not only do I benefit, but the University does as well.