Be Good. Be Orange.

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.

Submitted By:  Austin Owings

Being An Orange…Wait, What?

What does being orange mean to you? What does being orange mean to me? How about President Ray? Asking these questions would surely provoke a wide array of answers, and the beauty of it is, they’re all correct. Being Orange takes on the character of whomever should answer the question, because all of us are representatives of Oregon State University. So, my first task is to find a few representatives of Oregon State, and find out what they associate with Being Orange.

Asking people what they believe it means to Be Orange brought out some answers that I expected, and some I did not. Almost all of the accounts shared a common theme, community. The first individual I asked claimed to not have an overwhelming sense of school pride, but he used the terms belonging, caring, respectful, and also being a part of a community. He claimed that, even though, “OSU is large it still feels welcoming”. The second and third persons used similar phrases, but emphasized the point of ‘embodying the college’ and being involved with Oregon State University.

These are all great ways to describe being Orange, and I am glad that the OSU community associates those terms with the people of this institution. The problem is, the values of the Oregon State community remain undefined with these descriptions. For this, I accessed the Oregon State University Core Values, via the strategic plan, and found that the listed values are accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility. To these, I would personally add professionalism and competency.

Professionalism is a major trait that I associate with Being Orange. We did come to this institution to become professionals, after all. As we make our way into the professional world and begin our careers, we will all have innumerable encounters with people who will only remember us by what we did for them. One example of this is our supererogatory act that we conducted during our fourth portfolio assignment. By performing an act in anonymity, the person that we acted upon knows who we are only by what we did for them. The impression that we leave on those we interact with, good or bad, is not only an impression on us, but everyone who has come before and will come after us at Oregon State University.

Something that I think is very important about Being Orange, and also is an Oregon State University Core Value, is being accountable. The truth of the matter is, you cannot just Be Orange when you feel like doing so, because people see what you do and/or the effects of your actions, even when you think no one is watching.

As I write this I am looking at a bag of oranges, and it just hit me! Being Orange is, in fact, Being An Orange. Before you write me off as crazy, hear me out. To explain myself, let me tell you the three things that I associate with Being An Orange and Being Orange.

The first aspect is the color, orange.  But this isn’t just wearing the color orange, or sporting the Beaver logo to show off your pride, this is more associated with your appearance in general. Being An Orange is looking like an Oregon State Beaver. Having a professional, positive image is something that projects itself onto those we interact with, and it is the thing that people will most readily associate with us. Also, the color orange is widely associated with being a bright, extroverted, and optimistic. To me, this continues to exemplify the feel of Oregon State, associating its members with being active in the OSU community and abroad.

The second important feature about Being An Orange is your shape. Being a well-rounded individual is an important aspect of life in general. In the professional sector, this is the exact reason why all students are required to complete a Bacc-Core course load, which is precisely the reason we are quickly becoming ethicists. This also brings me back to competency.

Lastly, and most importantly, Being An Orange is important because when you peel the skin back, we are, in fact, representative of all of the pieces that consist of Being Orange. Without one of those pieces, we would not be complete inside, and therefor would falter on the outside. So when it is said that Being Orange is being professional, artistic, innovative, competent, active, powerful, influential, etc., it’s true. We as representatives of Oregon State University are all of those things, all at the same time. We are the community of Oregon State, which explains why, even once the skin is peeled off of the orange, all of the pieces still hold their form. The pieces of the Oregon State community hold together strongly, and must be forced apart in order to break it down.

As a part of the Oregon State community it is your responsibility to do not only the right thing for you, but the right thing for everyone associated with our institution. So Be An Orange today. Be professional, be well rounded, and most of all, be all of the pieces that it takes to represent our beloved community. Be Orange.

“Submitted by Jeffrey Hendrix”

Being orange means being a reliable person no matter where I am. Most of the students who attend Oregon State University are enrolled solely for the purpose of getting an education and eventually graduating with a degree. When deciding where to attend college, I was not worried about where I would receive my education. I simply based it off of where I would be able to play on the best baseball team. This strategy may seem like a terrible way to choose a college and plan my education, but baseball has always been my ultimate goal.

As a senior in high school, I was never specifically worried about my education, but rather all my attention was toward the best baseball opportunities. My focus was to become a great baseball player and with time, make money in the big leagues.  The thought of sitting through school for at least four more years did not sound appealing to me at all. However, the thought of playing baseball, being a part of the team and eventually making good money doing what I loved sounded great. Baseball was and still is my greatest passion, and this is why I decided to come to Oregon State. Because of the elite baseball program and the quality men who coach the team, I knew playing for the Beavers would make my dreams a reality.

During my time at Oregon State thus far, I have started to define what being orange means to me. Being orange means being a reliable friend and teammate both on and off the field. If any of my teammates ever need help with anything, my desire is to be there in any way that I can. I have heard several stories of people looking back on their lives and realizing that something they will never regret are the times they were a true friend to someone. What they do regret though, is worrying too much about class and not focusing enough on family and relationships. I am not saying that we should not put our best effort into our school work. In fact, I am firm believer that a college education is very important and can be very beneficial. What I am saying, is that life is too short to become completely consumed and overwhelmed by school and forget about the other areas of our lives. In my opinion, the most important things in life are family, friends, and then school. Something that I have learned while being at OSU is the importance of keeping my priorities straight, and it is not easy to do. This does not mean that going to a party with a friend is more important than studying for school. Rather, being there for your family and friends when they need you the most should always come before anything else. Maintaining relationships and supporting one another is a priority.

Being on the baseball team, here at Oregon State, I have a very unique outlook on what it means to be orange. Being reliable does not only apply to my friends and family, it also applies to the entire school and campus. Many times the athletic programs are where schools get a lot of their identity and reputation. Because of this, it is our responsibility as athletes to be reliable and to represent OSU in a positive light. In addition to this, our baseball team often receives a lot of media attention for performing well, both on and off the field. Because of this, we have an amazing opportunity to promote our school and its values to people across the country.

I am beyond blessed to attend such an amazing, diverse school. Being orange means accepting others for who they are, and not just for where they come from or what they have achieved. It means supporting my friends and fellow students in whatever activities they are involved in. Being orange means having a passion for my school. It means representing with respect and integrity. It means making others look better than myself. As an athlete, it means holding myself to a higher academic, athletic and moral standard because I know that I am a direct representation of Oregon State University, and regardless of how it may seem, people are watching.

Submitted by Jonathan Hyun

Be You. Be Orange

I asked some students as to what they thought “Being Orange” meant and was provided with these responses. I wanted to find a unique and creative way to visually represent some of the main words that the students came up.

Be Orange, what does that even mean? I asked some OSU students and found that being orange means being faithful, being outdoors, being a beaver, etc.  There wasn’t one specific answer but rather a bunch of opinions to what being Orange really means.

One of the responses was that being Orange meant to be faithful. This can be viewed as being faithful in your academic work, your social life, and even your community. It can be having a strong belief that the time you put into your school work will reward you with a certain grade or that your belief/attitude toward work will allow you to achieve greater success.  Everyone has some kind of belief towards something whether it is academics or sports. However, we all share the same belief in the OSU community that our actions in the community are for the good. We all support the Beavers and OSU while at the same time supporting our individual goals. Your goal could be to lose 10lbs this year or to get all A’s, the size of your goal doesn’t matter. We’re all connected by our faith and belief in our community and we should continue to support our community and support our individual goals and beliefs.

Another one of the responses was that being Orange was to be responsible. Being responsible doesn’t just mean that you’re responsible for just yourself but also for your community. Being responsible could be doing your homework on time or showing up to work on time because you’re responsible for your own actions and the outcomes of those actions. Everyone is responsible for their actions whether they’re a student, teacher, faculty, or even an employee. As members of the Oregon State community, we also have a responsibility to our community and to represent it the best we can. We have a responsibility to the other members in our community to treat them with respect. Similar to the TED talk video we watched in class, it all starts with “15 volts”, one small action can have a domino effect which can drastically improve our community. If we all took the time to commit one small positive act then we can make the Corvallis community an even better place to live.

However, I believe there is no definite answer of what being orange means and there will never be. There is no right or wrong answer to what being orange is, it can mean being active to one person and mean being responsible to another. Being orange is to be yourself and how you represent yourself within the OSU community.

From our ethics spotting experiment, something simple as picking up trash or holding open the door for a stranger exemplifies your character and addition to the OSU community whether those actions are small or large.  Those actions define your character and how you represent yourself to other members in the community. Being Orange shouldn’t be based on gpa, gender, or anything else but rather be based on the uniqueness of an individual.

Everybody within the OSU community has already contributed to “Being Orange” just by being part of the OSU community. Everybody comes from different backgrounds and provides different experience which is what being orange is all about. With respect to diversity, being orange glorifies the uniqueness that everybody brings to the OSU community. Each individual brings something different to the table and OSU gladly accepts what everyone has to offer. The uniqueness of the individual doesn’t have to be a giant gesture or action but can start with “15 volts” or something small and still contribute.

I don’t believe that in order to be considered “Orange”, one has to have the best gpa and graduate in the top of their field but rather be focused on what they can offer. Some people may not have realized what they have to offer but something small as saying thank you can be considered as being orange. Their actions within the OSU community are what makes them “Orange” and what makes them unique. There can be many different interpretations as to what “Being Orange” means but my belief is that “Being Orange” is to be you.