Be Good. Be Orange.

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.

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/

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.

Ake’la Ventura

Be Original, Be Orange

There are many other Universities out there that can “be” something, but it is difficult to just define a school by one word. Here at Oregon State University we are known for “Being Orange” and it describes our whole campus. To understand our campus and our community, we first must understand that to be orange has many meanings to the diverse population here at Oregon State University.

The colors of our school have a strong influence on what “Being Orange” means. Even though our school color choice represents what it means to “Be Orange”, it isn’t half as much of what “Being Orange” truly means. To most of us here on campus we think of collegiate sports and dressing up for the games when we imagine what “Being Orange” means. “Being Orange” can relate to much more than greatness. It represents each person’s individual values whether it be pride, dedication, or intelligence. “Being Orange” is a value that we students and faculty pride ourselves on. This value represents our greatness that Oregon State University has to offer us. The idea that the color orange embodies our community in a way that it encompasses everyone that has a relationship with the university whether it be a student, staff, or a sports fan.

To me “Being Orange” is being original. You are your own person and that makes Oregon State University diverse. Everyone brings something to the table whether it is being from a different state, being from out of the country, and a boy or a girl. For example, the piece of art that was built out of branches outside of the MU Quad, that is unique to our campus and brings some culture to campus. Being original means that you can be yourself and not care what other people think because you are just being you. You are unique and powerful in your own way. You are intelligent and should be proud of how far you have gotten in life. “Being Orange” doesn’t just mean to excel at sports and academics, but encompasses being philanthropic in your community and to be someone that anyone would be proud of. Alumni of Oregon State University represent “Being Orange” in what they do, no matter how big or how small. We want each generation in society who has graduated to have values that derive from what they have gained from Being Orange at Oregon State University.

To positively show what it means to “Be Orange”, we need to show the community how to come together so that we can all be united and complete a common mission of “Being Orange”. There are already many activities around the university that implements acts of “Being Orange”. What should happen is we ought to express “Being Orange” throughout other communities and not just our own. I feel that the student athletes would make more of an impact at doing just that. They are well known and the travel during their sports season. I think that the progress in academia and showing our student athletes to the community would be a positive.

Since there have been recent acts of racism and segregation. I would love to see our university as an accepting place where we can live together in peace and harmony. Since we are a diverse campus there are groups and cliques that need to be dissolved. “Being Orange” means being a part of something different and original. Not only that, but being a part of Oregon State University. This could encourage the community to be mindful about what is going on and the can connect to the different values of “Being Orange”. The better the community is at “Being Orange”, the better we can all get along in an optimistic, respectful and empathetic way the more better Oregon State University will become.

Michael Cecil
PHL 205
3/17/2014
Assignment 5

Be You Be Orange

Be Orange is a saying that gets tossed around quiet a lot among the faculty and administration of Oregon State University, while at the same time it can often confuse a fellow student when asked what it means to Be Orange. It’s a statement that Oregon State University, or OSU, uses to define a set of core values that each OSU associate is expected to uphold. This set of morals makes a point that these core values are traits that benefit not just the individual, but it reflects a positive outlook to the community both locally, as well as any outside parties that are unfamiliar with the standards that the OSU community holds its self too.

To each student the definition of Be Orange can greatly range. Many roles play a part in how a single individual would define what it means to Be Orange. But overall many would agree that it could be defined as being yourself. Oregon State prides itself on the diversity and freedom allowed in the University, and all of that comes to show that Be Orange really means be who you want to be. Whether that’s being an athlete, a mathlete, a philosopher, an artist, an engineer, or anything else, OSU welcomes all with open arms. OSUs website constantly shows time and time again how encouraging they are of people in the OSU community, pursuing their goals.

How I define Be Orange comes from a background of experiences and observations throughout my years. My definition has also evolved over the years as my awareness and experiences grew. To me, Be Orange is a statement that defines the OSU community, and that Be Orange means be part of our community. And what makes someone part of this community is valuing the freedom of diversity in yourself, as well as others. OSU is very welcoming to all walks of life with a large portion of its student population being outside the country, which shows one of the ways as to how OSU values a diverse community. OSU shows diversity of the minds by providing a broad range of classes and majors to choose from. But this statement can also be turned around on certain parties and define them as not Being Orange, and therefore are not welcome in this family that OSU has created.

Making the world anything is a difficult task in itself because there will always be someone who disagrees with what you value or believe in. But that is the whole part of Being Orange is that freedom of choice and believing what you want. That diversity in beliefs ultimately creates the diversity in creativity that has shaped this great world we live in today. So in a way I’m arguing that the world is already Orange, they just don’t know it yet.

Be Determined Be Orange

Peter Reisdorf

Philosophy 205

Dr. Jenkins

5 December 2013

Be Determined Be Orange

Universities can be known for a lot of things; however it is hard to define a school simply by a two word phrase. At Oregon State University “Being Orange” is a way of describing the whole mentality of the students and faculty. In order to understand the community that makes up Oregon State, we must understand that being orange has a wide variety of meaning to the eclectic group of people who make the university what it is today.

Being Orange clearly originates from the school colors of orange and black. However this simple choice based upon the school color is hardly a representation of what it means to be orange. To a large majority of sports fans being orange most likely translate to the Oregon State football, among all the other sports offered at OSU. Commercials surely reflect an image of dressing up in orange and black to support the universities’ sports programs. For those not greatly fixated on sports, “Being Orange” is a value. This value represents the academic greatness that Oregon State University has to offer. Although “Being Orange” can relate to each individual on a different level, it is also widely accepted within the community as general pride in OSU. This idea is the fact that the color orange represents a community that extends to anyone that shares a relationship, or part in Oregon State University. I think that in order to establish Being Orange I must explain my personal goals and views in the context of the OSU community. Many forget that as students, faculty member, parent, sports fan and anyone else tied to the university, we are one giant community. “Being Orange” to me involves being prideful and well rounded as a University. I believe the OSU community should be respectful, polite, hard working, courageous, determined and dedicated. These values can be universally used throughout the many categories this university represents. Being orange means excelling in not only sports and academics, but also being a community that any person would be proud to be a part of. When a student graduates we want them to be able to represent the Orange community wherever their work may take them. We want the future society to have real world values that stem from what they learn from being Orange at OSU.

In order to successfully show what it means to be orange we must help the community come together so that we can get to know everyone and spread the common mission of being Orange. The university does already have many activities and events that help members of the orange community interact with each other. However my vision would be to get groups that already exist within the Orange community to interact with one another. For example some sports fans know nothing about the great academics occurring at the university. In order for people to be orange they must interact with all the people in their own community. I feel that we need to find a hybrid event that would encourage the sports side of the community to interact with the academic side of the university. An event involving a display of current research could also be tied into an event such as a pep rally for sporting events. I think that showcasing current research and academic progress along with promoting our athletic department would help insure that people from both aspects of the university would get to see the success of the university from different perspectives. This is just an example of two groups that I feel do not interact with each other. There are many other people that fall into other groups and sub categories.

The goal would be to help decrease segregation of groups and reduce the number of cliques and sub groups that form naturally based upon the activities and interests that each student has. The idea being that in addition to people having their own more specific idea of what being orange is that they would now have a base foundation knowing that being orange is being part of the Oregon State Community. This community would then be able to share a common set of values. This would promote the idea that the Orange community is accepting of anyone willing to uphold the values that represent being Orange. The better the Orange community can get along in a positive, respectful and understanding manner the more pleasant of a place Oregon State will become. In addition to the respect that will come from being a graduate of such a fine university.

Submitted by Emily Fisher

When someone is told to “Be Orange”, that person may be a little confused. What does it mean to “Be Orange”? Even as students here at Oregon State University, many of us still don’t have an idea of what “Being Orange” actually means. What current students, as well as former and future students of this university will learn is that “Being Orange” is unique to all of us. Hearing the phrase has different meaning to every member of the OSU community.

There are some values within this motto that have been unchanging, as they’ve been around for a few generations. When I asked my parents who are OSU alumni what “Being Orange” meant or does mean to them, my father answered, “It means to be proud. Wearing orange shows you’re proud of your school and that you want to represent it as best you can”. My mother’s response was similar. She said, “To me, it means being supportive. As a student of the university, one must show support for the school as well as fellow students and peers”. The values of support and pride are emphasized in their definitions of what it means to “Be Orange” and are still present today, as they are also apparent in current student’s definitions, such as my sister’s and friend’s. My sister responded saying, “Being orange means being spirited and showing support for Oregon State in all dimensions of the university”. One of my close friends said it means, “Having pride in our school which brings us all together. Being orange brings people from different backgrounds together”. Another said, “Being orange means being unified. It unifies the school, because together we are proud to be Beavers”. To the students of OSU, unity and togetherness are values that can also be represented through “Being Orange”.

I, too, believe “Being Orange” signifies these values, but more importantly, I define “Being Orange” as being driven. By trying my hardest in everything I’m a part of here at OSU, from academics to intramural sports teams, I am living “orange”. Drive and determination go hand-in-hand with one of the current core values of the university, integrity. When other students and I are honest and hardworking in our actions and in the work we complete, it shows our integrity. It is also evident that we are driven to be the best students we can be. We can easily recognize when students are “Being Orange”. As they head to the library, or stay there studying for hours on end, when they apply for internships, go to extra sessions and office hours, or even when they volunteer, students show their drive and desire to be among the top students who will then be faced with better opportunities. Being driven to be a good student results in having drive for other things in our lives, such as gaining acceptance to a prestigious school or landing a desirable job in a competitive field.

Another existing core value of Oregon State’s is accountability. As students, staff, faculty, or anyone else who is apart of the OSU community, we are accountable for all that we do, good or bad. This aids in “Being Orange” because driven individuals take accountability for their work. Both students and professors are held accountable for the final grades the student receives. The professors must be driven to teach students the material in the most effective way, and the students must be driven to study and learn the material. They both are then held accountable for whatever grade the student ends the term with. Either they were “orange” and were driven to do the best they could, or they had no drive and didn’t try to succeed.

I believe if “Being Orange” means what I think it does, which is being driven and determined, anyone affiliated with Oregon State University will be seen as educated and superior individuals. People all over the United States admire those who are hardworking and who show integrity in their work. These are skills and values that employers look for in people they hope to hire. For example, let’s say there was a job opening at a high-end business firm and both an Oregon State University graduate and a University of Oregon graduate applied and attended interviews for the job. If the employer knew of the university’s motto, “Be Orange”, he/she would understand that the OSU graduate came from a good school and obtained a high level of education because of their drive to succeed and to stand among the top students at the university. This would then give the OSU graduate the upper hand in being hired for the job because they demonstrate these desired skills and values. This example can be applied to many other facets in life because being driven can take you down any road as long as you’re willing to get there.

“Orange” is a representation of the values that represent Oregon State University, these values are that the administration here at Oregon State want all of its students to embody. These values range from accountability and diversity to integrity. Many of these values are lined out in the OSU Strategic Plan that was put in place by the President in 2004. This plan lays out what accomplishments that OSU wants to do along with the values that the administration wants to instill in its students. These values that are laid out in the Strategic Plan are accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility. Every student is a part of the Oregon State’s community and is a citizen of Oregon State, however the values that are stated in the Strategic Plan are values that state what the required values that one needs to be an exemplary citizen of Oregon State.

While Oregon State as a whole have a definition of “Orange” values students have other values that they also identify with. Many students talked about defining “Orange” as a value of pride. Pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct. Pride can be expressed by confidence in oneself or by overconfidence in oneself and his or her abilities. The reason that they give Oregon State this value is for the fact that we stick behind our sports teams even if they are losing. In other words they stated that as students they have pride in our school and what it stands for these values are the ones stated above in the strategic plan. Many people that I asked that gave me values when I asked them why they picked this value they refer to our athletics teams. This is what some believe “Orange” stands for however I want “Orange” to stand for something besides this.

The two main values that I want “Orange” to mean are honor and integrity. One of these values is already in the Strategic Plan and I wanted to emphasize this values importance and the other I wanted to show the importance of this in personal and work relationships between people. The reason that I want this is that if students have honor and integrity they will be desired because out in the work place for the fact that they will have the honor to be trustworthy to others and have the integrity to ask help with problems along with having the integrity to finish their work. Integrity is adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character. Integrity can be demonstrated by one’s ability to adhere to their own principles even when others around him or her are trying to convince them to do otherwise. One example could be not giving into peer pressure.  The reason I believe it is a good value because it requires work and thought to be a person of integrity. This work and thought require a person to take time and be mindful so that they can assess their values so that they can put their values to use when the time arises. Honor is honesty, fairness, or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions. Honor can be shown by simple acts such as not cheating on a test and telling the truth. As a value honor is very simple to do in many cases on a basic level but when a person exemplifies honor they go beyond what is asked of them. Honor requires a person to asses themself and to be true to their beliefs. The reason that I find these values to be extremely valuable to ethics is that they require one to think and asses themselves to see who they are and what values they stand for.

An effective way to introduce and communicate my message of integrity and honesty is to introduce it early by incorporating these values into the first year experience. The reason for this is that people are very impressionable with their first impressions and if students are started with these values they will carry them on for their entire time at Oregon State. This method can be compared to the anti-tobacco message that is given to kids in elementary school. If you introduce a concept early enough people will pick it up and incorporate it into a part of themselves and that is my idea of incorporating it into a part of the new first year experience which is part of the introduction of freshmen to Oregon State then it will be more effective in incorporating it if this were to happen. This method is like the old proverb of striking while the iron is hot.

The implementation of this plan would be most effective by putting a part of Orientation week that all new and incoming freshmen are a part of. This way a majority of freshmen will participate in the event. However this alone will not be enough to have it stick in their minds. Only covering this once will be ineffective in the long term because freshmen like most people will forget about it. And that is why to make this program the most effective there will need to be reinforcement sessions during the school year. Now these reinforcement sessions will not be possible in large groups because of classes and commitments that freshmen will have during the term. My solution for this is to train the Residents Assistance to then teach the freshmen. There are two Resident Assistance per floor in most halls with around 40 for each Resident Assistant. This way there will be smaller groups which will facilitate learning. It is feasible to do this once per term any more would put too much pressure and commitment upon both the Resident Assistance and the freshmen in the terms of time. This is the basic outline for implementation for me it can be tweaked and reworked so that it will be more effective.

Submitted by Barret Neumayr

If you take a look around the Oregon State University campus, you can see how often the phrase “be well. be orange” is used. There is no specific definition to what being orange actually means. It could be used in a variety of ways, I believe the school’s definition is that of the strategic plan. The strategic plan has a set of core values, they believe these values are fundamental to our success. There are five core values on the strategic plan; accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility. Each of these values could mean a variety of things, although they all have one thing in common and that is being orange.

I think being orange means following the Oregon State strategic plan. I would say I don’t really have a true definition of being orange. It is not something you do, but something you are. I do believe that as students of this University we should treat everyone with respect and integrity. Being orange is much more than that. It is the ability to do what is right, no matter what the scenario. Being orange is having the courage to do what you believe is right. Being orange is being yourself and not following a crowd just to fit it. Being orange is going after your goals, but not pushing people out of your way to do so. Being orange is not being number one to everyone else, but being number one to yourself.

From a day to day basis a key example of being orange is going out of your way to help someone. If you see a person struggling to carry their groceries out to their car, we should help them. It doesn’t need to be some big event to help someone, but just little things. This would follow the social responsibility of the action plan. I think we all have a responsibility to help others that are obviously struggling with something. Sometimes it may be harder to really see if someone is having a hard time with something or someone who is being bullied. This is why Oregon State needs to have students take courses that help students spot this situations. If we are able to seek out those in need of help we will be able to engage with those people and really try to help them. Some people don’t always need help with physical issues like carrying out their groceries to the car, some people just need to talk to someone. That’s where being orange comes in, if we can show compassion to others just by taking a minute and listen to their problems we can help them find a solution. This can improve their life and of course improve yours. Those little acts of kindness add up, they make yourself feel better as well as the people around us.

We can take being orange into our careers as well as everything else. I will use my field of study construction engineering management for example. There are many ethical decisions that we must make in this field. A major problem in the industry is bid shopping. Bid shopping is when an owner allows a contractor to see another contractors bid in hope for that contractor to bid lower than that so they can get a lower price for their project. This is against all the laws and codes about the bidding competition for jobs. Now, when I am in a situation like that I need to be orange. I need to make the decision to do the right thing. If I work for the company that is doing the bid shopping then I should tell them that I do not agree with what they are doing and will not continue to work for them if they continue this unethical practice. If I was working for the contractor then I should not give them a lower bid, but in fact inform other contractors what they are doing. Allowing the other contractors to make a decision if they want to continue working with them. I make the right decision, even though it could cost me my job. It is my responsibility just like how Mill said that we should seek pleasure, but not at the cost of others pain.

Besides the social responsibilities and accountabilities, being orange also brings together a community. We all have a particular characteristic that brings us all together, no matter what are major or passion is. Of course, that characteristic is being a student at Oregon State and being orange. Along with any community there is citizenship to that community. We all have rights and duties to ourselves, our school, and our community. As we go through our education, we are constantly getting moral values and ethics drilled into our head. At some points I tend to find it repetitive, but it is better to drill it into our heads now, then to have to learn it the hard way in the future. If we can’t show the core values of the strategic plan on ourselves, there is no way we can use them in our community. Everything starts with yourself, you can’t be respectful to someone else if you can’t even respect yourself. That is what being orange means, being able to have personal integrity, self-respect, and self-accountability and then being able to take those values and use them out in the community.

If we take accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility and mix them with courage, compassion and ethic spotting, we get the true definition of being orange. We could go through hundreds of examples of what being orange is, but at the end of the day being orange is all about just making the right decision. If you know you can help someone, no matter what the problem or situation is, help them. It is being respectful to everyone, no matter who they are. It is having the courage to step up and do what you believe is right, even if everyone else disagrees with you. Every person that graduates from Oregon State will have their own passions, their own career path, and their own life, but at the end of the day, no matter what they do, we will always “be orange”.

Be Proud. Be Orange. By: Matthew Guzman

“What does it mean for you to be Orange?” That is the question most people ask students and alumni from Oregon State University. Many people respond with different answers such as: “We’re known for our sports programs”, “Our engineering program is one of the best on the West coast”, or even “The community is so large, yet close with one another”. Whatever people think about the Orange community, we think about it in a positive way that is mostly true because whatever one thinks, most people of the same community think the same way. Being in a community means that people grow with one another and when the opportunity arises, they will not hesitate to help those that are in need. The academics aspect are true, we do have one of the best university engineering courses in the PAC 12. Including the many academic clubs that continue to excel, there are many social and athletic clubs that bring people closer together through sister and brother hood that form bonds into the working environment. But being Orange, first and foremost, to other students that attend Oregon State would be that we’re a school that takes school pride seriously; an example is that we wear and represent our school colors proudly. Being proud about our school is one of the reasons why people like our school. A lot of peers from different schools wear our shirts even though they go to schools like UW, USC, or UCLA. Something else about school pride is that when people ask “what college do you go to?”, tell them “Oregon State”, and if they respond ‘the ducks’, we will always proudly say, “No we’re beavers, get it right”. When coming from a small island community such as Hawaii, it’s safe to say that people bond when you know someone else is from the same place. You mostly have the same values and interest, therefore you feel comfortable with them. Oregon State is the same way, when someone says that they are from Oregon State, most people will always feel comfortable in a stressful environment.

Currently, being Orange as I have explained it is the best example of how I want it to be. Being proud about where a person comes from is great for confidence in making other choices that translate to the real world. Making key choices that affect your life positively can make one more ambitious, which is what employers look for when interviewing potential candidates for positions. I want Orange to mean that everyone part of our community is accepting of others that aren’t apart it, to also instill the positive values that we have learned to them so that we can let them feel what we feel. If students of Oregon State don’t feel the close bonds of being classmates, lab partners, roommates, athletes etc., after graduating, then I don’t think that the institution hasn’t done its job. It hasn’t made one come in contact of others that can potentially help guide people through college and make it a more enjoyable experience. What I want Orange to be is that to get the best education that I can possibly get, in order to fulfill on of my goals of getting a job for a successful career in a field that I want to go into. When people fulfill their duties when graduating, I want them to continue acting how they would if they were still at Oregon State.

The phrase “Be Orange” can be spread how anybody sees fit in a positive way that it should be. Even if it’s just helping someone with a small task, that person is representing Oregon State University, because if that person happens to be in the work environment and asks where you’re from, you’ll impact the school’s reputation in a positive way. Being proud is setting the tone for any activities that you undertake, whether it is a personal project or an altering decision that affects other individuals. It creates a positive mental attitude that other people can feed off of and therefore create a team that can accomplish difficult feats. When creating this team, one inadvertently creates an environment of a community, which comes back to the first and foremost value of my definition of “Be Orange”. There is a purpose about how people act in a community, they provide for it and reap the benefits of those actions when presented.