Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted By: Shayna Kim

Many people outside of the Oregon State University community believe that Be Orange is seen as mainly school pride because of Benny the Beaver, but that’s not all there is to it. After asking other OSU students, they see being orange as being eco-friendly, reliable, and unique. There is a large amount of words that could describe being orange. Everyone has a different perspective on being orange depending on their own personal values because one may be more important to one person but less important to another. That doesn’t mean we aren’t being orange, we are being orange in our own way.

When I first chose OSU as my college of choice we were told that we were going to be Powered by Orange. This has had a great effect on me because it gave me a sense of a community and unity. All of the OSU students, faculty, and staff are unified under the values of OSU. Be Orange is the same thing. We are all unified under the same moral values that we want as students to better ourselves by being a part of the OSU community.

I see Be Orange as a code of ethics in a way for the OSU community. OSU defines being orange by their core values of accountability, diversity, integrity, respect, and social responsibility. To me, the most important moral value held to Being Orange is social responsibility, basically making the right decisions. In Hawaii, this moral is called being pono. Be pono is to do the right thing. College in general is when we, the students, become adults and we are guided by the moral values of the school and choices we must make as adults. Every day we are faced with challenges that test our values and morality, that’s what makes ethics so important. Question all that we know to know that what we are doing is right for ourselves in our own situations. This is a part of life that I struggled with most and being orange has led me to becoming a better decision maker and making the right choices.

Being Orange means being the best person you can be in the world. Make a difference through what you have learned as being a part of OSU and keep a part of OSU with you for the rest of your lives. Everyone has a different opinion of Being Orange depending on how they want to make a difference in the world and their own personal values. I believe we all just need to do what we think is right for ourselves; not anyone else. Doing the right thing for you will always be wrong for someone else because our world is so diverse. Be Pono. Be Orange.

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway.”

–Eleanor Roosevelt

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.

Submitted by Sarah Howey

Within the Oregon State University community there are several values that are identified with the campus and beaver life. These include such values as: accountability, diversity, integrity, respect and social responsibility (“Strategic Plan”). These are indeed appropriate values to have when incorporating the entirety of the students within the university. By having these common goals and ideals to that the students can aspire to achieve, it makes the entirety of the university unified.

I personally believe in the values that have been previously listed. However, there is one value that I think is the primary value that represents the OSU community and that is compassion. Though, with this being said, the values that are identified in the OSU Strategic Plan are the backbone to this value of compassion. One cannot have compassion without having integrity or respect. I feel that Oregon State has those qualities. We embrace them during our time on campus and it is my hope that we continue to embody those values after graduation. OSU students practice compassion through our progressive studies in being energy efficient and creating new ways of being environmentally friendly. Examples include minimizing parking spaces to encourage students and faculty to bike, walk or take the bus. Another example is the system of renewable energy in Dixon; having the treadmills wired to produce energy that is reused for campus operations.

To be compassionate, based on my personal definition, is to practice thoughtfulness towards others. In terms of OSU, this means actively being conscious of the environment and being stewards of the earth. Being compassionate is being respectful to those around you, whether human or animal. “OSU’s agricultural programs have received national top-tier rankings from the Chronicle of Higher Education for research, with wildlife science and conservation biology ranking 1st, fisheries science 2nd, botany and plant pathology and forest resources at 5th, and agricultural and resource economics 7th” (“Oregon State ranks 8th best worldwide in agriculture and forestry”). Other scientific research towards our common goals of energy efficiency and compassion towards all life includes the Oregon Sea Grant, which enabled the community to harness power from the ocean waves and wind (“Power from Ocean Waves and Wind”).

Pride is an Aristotelian virtue and I believe that being compassionate encompasses pride. Aristotle states that pride is a man who is and thinks of himself doing great things; in addition, being a Beaver is something worthy of having pride. Pride is having honor and love and loyalty for something that is of importance and within this community, sustainability is considered to be of great importance. We have to embody compassion first, before we can begin to understand and make progressive movements towards sustainability and energy efficiency. I understand why the values of accountability, diversity, integrity, respect and social responsibility are incorporated into the ideals of the university. We have to accept our impact in this world and accept that we all have a role to play in improving the lives of all. In order to do this, we have to accept diversity, practice integrity and respect. We all have a social responsibility to the earth and to each other. But most of all we have to be compassionate to all: we are Beaver Nation!

“Oregon State ranks 8th best worldwide in agriculture and forestry.” College of Agriculture Sciences. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 10 Mar 2014.

<http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/feature-story/cas-rank-8>.

“Power from Ocean Waves and Wind.” Oregon Sea Grant. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 10 Mar 2014.

<http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/marine-renewable-energy>.

“Strategic Plan.” Leadership. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. March 10 2014.

<http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan/>.

Submitted by Brian O’Neal

It must first be said that there are two distinct methods in determining the values of Oregon State University; the method of looking for the information that the University claims to itself, and the method of observation and experience.  These two can appear to be quite contrary at times.  I will first address what the University claims as values for itself, and then state what the values actually appear to be.  This is not to say that the University is going about its obligation poorly, it is merely to say that it is very difficult to implement core values throughout an entire University system.

The OSU strategic plan claims that the values of Oregon State University are to be a diverse, honest, accountable, respectful, and socially responsible environment.  Accountability seems to be referring to the University’s stewardship with the resources that they are being trusted with. This is in reference to the fiscal and physical resources that are given to the school for its use. Cultural diversity is seen by OSU as a means to greater excellence.  The goal of having diversity as a priority is intended to increase the quality of the school’s teaching, the scholarship of the students, and the services that the University is capable of providing.  The claimed value of Integrity is slightly more inclusive than merely integrity, extending also to freedom.  Respect is valued in terms of the way that we treat each other.  The final value set forth by the University as a whole is that of Social Responsibility.  This is to say that we, as a University, contribute to society’s intellectual, cultural, spiritual, and economic progress and well-being to the maximum possible extent.

The mission statement is a great place to look and see where an organization is attempting to go.  That of OSU indicates that, by means of teaching, research, and outreach and engagement, they promote economic, social, cultural and environmental progress throughout the world.  There are three signature areas that OSU focuses on in terms of economy competitiveness: Advancing the science of Earth’s ecosystems, improving human health and wellness, and promoting economic growth and social progress. It is also expressed within the goals that OSU desires to increase funding while strengthening their ability to utilize these resources.

These are a few of the claimed values and initiatives from the top, where the University is when addressed at its core. In order to compare ideals to reality, we must make observations on a more applied level. First to address is where the University stands physically.  In order to see how it is acting out its values toward world progress (intellectual, cultural, etc.) it might be enlightening to see how the University’s money seems to be spent, although this cannot be a complete reflection of the school, as benefactors have the final say as far as where they want there money spent (for example, just because Phil Knight has a strong emphasis on sports, does not necessarily mean that the top core of the University of Oregon has that as a primary value, although they may).  In the time that I have been a student at OSU I have seen various buildings going up as well as the intermural field.  The other buildings are mostly residential, with a couple educational buildings as (research, classrooms etc.). This would suggest a value on health, teaching, technology (Linus Pauling Building), diversity (the INTO building and cultural centers), and, generally, a desire to have a higher student capacity.  These seem to be in good alignment with the core values and mission.

Another source we can look at for clues of the University’s values, are how it portrays itself via the course website.  Throughout my years here, the suggested focus on the website, by observing the headlines posted, has been the accomplishments of OSU students and faculty.  Quite a few of the highlighted achievements are technology based, indicating this as a value.   Publicizing circumstances for underrepresented or minority groups (ethnic minorities, student parents, military, etc.) suggest the value of diversity.  I have also noticed headlines emphasizing social and cultural values, such as students studying abroad and outreach events for young children.

The final method for determining the values of Oregon State University is just the overall feeling after being a student here for four years.  The values of OSU are almost impossible to actually implement.  At the end of every syllabus you see the teachers warning against academic dishonesty.  The teachers rarely even cover this and whether they cover it or not, some students will cheat and some will not.  Respect cannot be regulated by a University to any significant extent.  Some people are respectful some are not, this is a reflection of one’s personal morals, not a particular school.  The other three can be better monitored and improved upon.  Diversity is difficult because even if there are students of different backgrounds, there is no regulating how they intermingle.  Accountability and Social Responsibility seem to be in good control based on the physical direction the University is headed.

From my own observations as a student, I would say that the values of Oregon State University are technology, physical and mental well-being, international diversity, having fun/getting a full “college experience”, and most of all, being economically competitive.

For the most part, I think that the values OSU already have are good.  My values as an individual would not necessarily be the best for a University.  My opinion on the values of OSU is the same for this country as a whole.  The emphasis is on being as busy as possible to maximize the time that you have, all the time.  This even extends to the time when you are not working.  If we are not working we should be actively socializing, or actively attending our personal needs (spiritual, physical, emotional), and then getting back on track towards our goals.  Even the valuable self-realization times have turned into a thing of efficiency.  When we are working, we must be working, when we are sleeping, we must be sleeping, when we are socializing, exercising, or just relaxing, we must be doing these things.  To my observation, the majority of people are going through this path of life to “success” having absolutely no idea why they are doing it.  Some excuses you receive at times can be “so I can better my life”, “so I can have a better paying job”, “I do not have anything else to do”, “stability” or things of the like.  There is this emphasis on being as efficient and hardworking as possible, “bettering the quality of life” and “bettering the world”, with the inevitable end.

Partially, I think this is because we live in a culture that is so seldom faced with death. We see our lives as things that we deserve, or that we work for. We say that the end justifies the means, not remembering the ultimate end.  We see our life out before us and we make plans for it (some people just go with the flow), taking for granted that they will all eventually happen if we work hard enough.

I am by no means indicating that going to college does not help with all of these priorities, nor that these priorities are inherently bad.  If we go to college we are better equipped to solve the big problems of the world.  It leads to a more satisfying life because we have the opportunity to have a career that we choose and enjoy.  There is liberation about it.  The wisdom comes, however, when you approach the grave of the most successful person, or that of the most influential, or the happiest.  Should the goal of life be any of these? I think most people of this society, at some age, at some point in their life, realize what really matters to them.  The devastation fact is that it is often the people who were top in college, and in their career, that find it out last, or never.

This should raise many questions about where our priorities are.  It begs the question as to whether or not the five values of the college are actually in conflict with each other.  It is possible that the value of accountable stewardship and social responsibility, are in conflict with integrity, respect, and diversity.  It could be the case that to strive on toward our goals of world betterment that we destroy the world internally as we are reaching out.

There are many solutions to this problem but none are easy, and indeed, fairly impossible.  It is so difficult because it is the practically successful that control the world, not the wise.  Personally, I think time off before going to college should be the norm.  When you finish high school, you have the basic requirements needed to perform a task.  The emphasis should not be for students to continue on and directly enter into more education, but rather to self-assessment.  This is a term I need to be careful with.  I am not talking about self-assessment in terms of finding out what you want to do with your life, but rather the assessing of what is a life.  The emphasis should be on what it means to be respectful, honest, and loving, and then stop. Not these, and then go and be successful with your life. These can easily be in conflict.  The values should give rise to doing something with your life, rather than doing something with your life giving rise to the values.

I will note a second time, however, that I am not suggesting that education is inherently a bad direction, I am merely stating that the emphasis is in the wrong order.  To teach a student Physics, Math, and Electricity, and then say, “go be an ethical engineer”, will create a person who is capable of performing tasks and the ability to act ethically as an engineer.  The trade came first, and then the values.  Tell as student “behave morally, and do something” will more likely create a person who is mindful of their values as a person, having this be what defines them, the “what” they do is less important than the “who”.

Like I said, the practical implementation of this is difficult if not impossible.  The difference would have to be a societal turnaround.  Teachers in high school and college will need teach differently than how they were taught.  High schools will need to somehow teach students NOT to emphasis education, as their education.  Essentially what I am suggesting is a theocracy, but I do not necessarily believe that theocracies will ever work.  There has been a separation of church and state and we live in the result. The emphasis comes not only from the educational system, but from families, which get their values from the educational systems and then give it back.

Sometimes I wonder how people do not ask bigger questions about themselves.  Not merely what they are, but who they are, and why they are.  The faster the pace of a society, the less likely these questions will ever be addressed.  To exacerbate this problem further, not only are people increasingly less comfortable talking about bigger issues at the fear of offending or persecution, but it is frowned upon.  “Do not impose your beliefs onto others”.  Where does this leave us? In a society where the beliefs are so diminished that most people have none at all.  This leaves a people that are practically fantastic, but spiritually lost.

In an excerpt from Kant’s “Foundations of the Metaphysics of the Morals”, Kant explains that there is only one categorical imperative, and that is that we should only act if we wish that action to become a universal law.  This is the only way in which this implementation of morals could occur.  If it were not a universal implementation that morality was taught above all practical knowledge, the ones being primarily taught the practical knowledge would dominate over those that emphasize morality.   John Stuart Mill in his essay on Utilitarianism, explains that the most correct path is the one that leads to optimum “happiness” for the most amount of people.  Although I do not believe this to be important, I completely believe that if the value of morality was to be emphasized above practical knowledge, the level of “happiness” would increase universally.  This would be a result of the way people treated each other, the sense of satisfaction that people would get from the care of others, as well as the satisfaction that comes from knowing why you are doing what you are doing, and that it is a result of who you are.

This would be difficult to label as a “virtue” in the way Aristotle describes in his second book in “Nicomachean Ethics”.  The good in his mind is the mean between two extremes.  In these terms it may be said that the extremes would be someone who is entirely moral but not at all practical, or the one who is all practical but completely immoral.  This is a stretch, but it could be said that this would then be considered a virtue, even though the extreme is also the label for the mean.  I agree that everyone should be practical to some degree, but not above their morality to any extent.

In our society today, we define ourselves primarily by our practical character and less by our moral character.  This is evident in our educational system, including Oregon State University.  I suggest the change of direction to emphasize the morality of our character by means of our home lives and our educational system.  This will be a very difficult change and will require a massive turnaround, but this does not mean that each individual should not make this decision for themselves to attempt this radical change, leading to an exponential proliferation.

References:

http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/strategicplan

http://oregonstate.edu/main/mission

http://oregonstate.edu/

http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.2.ii.html

https://www.uta.edu/philosophy/faculty/burgess-jackson/Kant’s%20Four%20Examples.pdf

http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/161mill_util.html

Oregon State is a great academic school and because of that has developed a strong reputation for itself. Reputation, I believe, is built on by your moral compass and by the actions influenced my your moral compass. Oregon States reputation all starts with the students and staff blazing new trails and have the ambition and focus to achieve their goals. When I asked my friends what “being Orange” meant to them, each friend shot back with their own interpretation of the understanding of what it means.  Most of the answers received is that “being Orange” means to be committed and/or driven, hardworking, and to have school spirit. They based most of their reasoning on message they got from the Oregon State commercials. “Being Orange” seems to have a different or a somewhat different variation of what it means to each student and professor on campus.

I have a different understanding of what “Be Orange” means to me. Walking around campus, library, MU, and many other places, I see people are always hard at work doing something. There is a strong feeling of ambition and determination here on campus, and to me, this is what “be Orange” means to me, to have ambition. Without strong ambition and determination on campus, I believe Oregon State would not have the reputation that it has now. Ambition is a very important moral value to have because that is what will help you to reach your goals. Oregon States “Be Orange” campaign is there to help us build our moral compass and to keep each student and teacher with the ambition and determination to finish their goals.

Walking around campus, especially during finals and midterms week, is when I see the motto “be Orange” really stood out. This is when the value of ambition is prevalent. But I see ambition on campus all year round. I see “Orange” in the barometer and when I hear about research and positive things that are happening at Oregon State.

The way I try to “Be Orange” is by trying my hardest in all that I do. I try to bring ambition and motivation in to all aspects of my life in order to achieve my long and short-term goals.  To me, “Be Orange” is a great motto because there is so many definitions of what it can be, but it can also help to motivate people and guide them in their schoolwork and overall day-to day life. Because the motto of “Be Orange” can have multiple definitions, it means that it can influence a person life based on what their definition of “be Orange” means to them.

“Being Orange” is being ambitious; it is having the drive and motivation to reach personal short and long term.  It is having the courage and strength to stick to your goals and see them through. The best way to promote “Be Orange” is by exposing it and its multiple definitions to incoming freshman. This would help them to develop a moral compass and to welcome aspects of growing, instead of fearing it. But exposing it to freshman only is not enough, it is important to promote “Be Orange” in all activites/research labs, sporting events, etc. in order to reiterate the meaning. I walk around campus and I see “Be Orange” occasionally, but it would be a good idea to have “Be Ambitious, Be Orange” and “Be You, Be Orange” and any other moral values that you could put into the phrase in order to reiterate that “Be Orange” can have multiple meanings. It is important to develop a strong moral compass to help guide you through life, and “Be Orange” is a great motto to help develop those moral values.

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.

There all kinds of different people that make up the OSU community. All these different cultures and backgrounds give us different points of view. Most of these views we cannot understand because we have only seen life through our own eyes.  When someone here’s Be Orange I want them to associate it with open-mindedness and respect.

To be open-minded you have to be compassionate, understanding, and engaging. You also have to be willing to put yourself out there among other strangers of your community. We have an obligation to our community to get to know those around us. Get to know those around us so that we can listen to new ideas and ways of looking at life. These experiences will open up our eyes and help us notice all the ethical skills we may or may not have.

An open-minded person will listen to whomever they are talking to and engage in a conversation. They care about what the other person has to say. They ask questions when they have them, they never hold back. They apply emotions to their conversations so that the other person feels engaged with you. Being open-minded takes a while to develop in this community I would say you’re orange after returning from your 1^st year. If you come back you’re orange. And know you represent something that is not just your top priority but others as well. When someone says they attended Oregon State University it should automatically turn the light bulb on in someone else’s head. They should associate all these great things I’ve been talking about with your degree.

Someone who is not Orange or not open-minded is an individual who is selfish in all his decisions and thinking. This type of person believes that there way of thinking is the best way and any other way means nothing to him/her. For example at the beginning of this class some of us in the class were frustrated due to the fact that we weren’t open-minded to this way of teaching. I don’t know how my peers felt but I thought that this way of learning and teaching allows students to think on their own. Being told to due an assignment without any step-step instructions helps your brain think more. It’s not necessarily thinking outside the box but just play with your box.

We are all here for the reason, to get a degree. Whether its your bachelors, masters, or PhD your degree from OSU will be the first thing people have to judge you by. We all judge a book by its cover but we don’t notice that we do it. I want them to judge me as a person with character, open-mindedness and caring for those around me.

When I hear the phrase Be Orange it means to have an open-mind to new ideas, people, events, cultures, and values. If these people want to be a part of the Beaver Nation they have to commit to these values throughout their lives. Once your Orange you can’t go back. You have made a lifelong commitment to not just representing yourself but a community that has established itself. We have to strive for education and to promote higher education to the younger generation.

From class lectures, the book, and having conversations with my colleagues I learned that we shouldn’t be part of the system. We are in the situation that we are in because we follow the system. People shouldn’t have fear; we should use the fear of not knowing what’s going to happen to drive is to put a stop to it. We have to put a end the government and corporations reign of taking advantage of its citizens. It’s a shame that the cost of education drives people away. If you have commitment in what you do, you can accomplish anything. And with this knowledge it means nothing if you don’t share it with others. We all have to know how our system works and how we can change it to improve ourselves and those around us.

I have learned a lot from this class, I have learned a lot about myself and how I can be a better person. If you approach your life goals with ethics in mind you will notice how much we take for granted. We put a value on objects that really have no value. It’s sad to see so many people that are oblivious to these ideas. For that reason we have to take use all the skills that ethics gives us to spread the word and get people the information that they need. It’s time that we take back our pride and put a stop to it.

Be open-minded, Be Orange. When I hear someone say Be Orange I want open-minded to automatically pop up in their thoughts. When people read the signs around campus and look at the pictures of the students and staff. The way we show it by our knowledge and how we choose to use it. For me the correct way of using is by sharing that knowledge with others and helping them understand these new ideas. As long as they have an open-mind I believe our knowledge can lead us in the direction that we want to go. All we have to do is pass on the knowledge to those in our community so that as a whole we can be something more then just Be Orange.

-Francisco Flores