Be Good. Be Orange.

Being Orange, Joe Jaeger Style

Being orange can have many different meanings. At the beginning of the term I may have had a different answer for what being orange meant. But after learning more about philosophy and myself I have learned what being orange means to me. Being orange to me has several different meanings. Respect, accountability, and responsibility are what being orange means to me.

When I first enrolled for this class I was immature towards opening up and thinking about my own personal values and morals. Over this course I was taught how to be able and distinguish between what I thought was truly right and wrong. In our groups we would argue and discuss between values and why things were moral or immoral. This helped mold my interpretation of what being orange meant.

Responsibility is being orange because in order to be part of the orange community one has to be a past, present, or future Oregon State University student or professor or faculty staff. Students are orange because they make up most of the orange population. Professors are orange because they’re part of OSU and teach the students. The Faculty is orange because they’re part of the orange experience and are in charge of making the University the best place it can be. To me responsibility is orange because all of the orange community is responsible for the image of this university and everything it embodies. As being orange we’re responsible for ourselves but for the other orange community members. Just like our last names are important to us and has real value and meaning, so should being part of the orange community; Reputation. Our reputation is important and is one of the main issues of responsibility. When anyone orange succeeds we all succeed. When anyone orange makes bad choices and creates a bad image, it affects all of us orange Responsibility to me is being orange because being orange is bigger than one person.

Throughout my time here at OSU, this is my third year, I have matured a lot. I used to think that being orange was just an individual thing or maybe a thing between a group of a few. After taking this class and writing in my self-care journal I learned that being orange is a community not a person. Being orange is a past, present, and future community and not a present one. I learned through myself that being orange is always evolving and growing. Being orange continues to grow every year. My being orange value is centered around people and not just a person. The values being orange means to me are those that affect others and oneself. Values to me are impactful choices one makes that influence others. An example of this value definition is someone choosing to drive drunk through campus and kills several students on the way with their car. This affects the students who were killed, their friends, their family, the other students on campus, the professors and really anyone who is orange. We would all hurt. That is what being orange is all about. Being a community and choosing to be good in order to be responsible for those who are also orange.

Respect is also what being orange is. I want being orange to be respected. I want those who are not orange to respect those who are orange so much that they learn from us and give respect to everyone. Being orange can be a role model and an example to others. It can teach others what respect is, which is a goal of mine. I would love to have others, who are not orange, see how being orange is such a positive thing and follow my being orange examples of respect, accountability, and responsibility.

The last part of my being orange belief is accountability. In ethics we learn how to more or less choose between good and bad morals. We learn that ethics are a big part of life and something we use every day even when we’re not aware of it. In class we did an activity called ethic spotting. Ethics spotting is when you sit back and watch people and see what choices they make on everyday tasks. Tasks like saying thank you to someone or throwing away your trash when done eating or even just holding the door open for someone. After taking ethics class we were taught certain things, now how do we apply them after class is over and how accountable will we be. We now are more aware of our actions and need to respond to what we learned. Accountability is being orange because it shows we learned something and were able to incorporate it into everyday life. Accountability is tough because usually no one is watching and it is up to the individual to be accountable. Morally are we going to make the correct choice? Are we going to hold ourselves and others accountable for choices and decisions made that affect the whole orange community? This also involves respect and responsibility. These three ideas I have about being orange go hand in hand with each other and mesh pretty well. One can’t really be used without the other ones. I believe being orange is not an individual thing, rather it is an ethical relationship we all share.

Everyone has different ideas of what they believe in ethically and morally, but that’s what’s great about being orange. Being orange isn’t just one person’s ideas or beliefs or even choice sometimes, but it is a life style. Our university is very diverse and has many types of people and personalities and styles. That is what makes being orange so special. We’re not a one size fits all, we’re a complex, constantly evolving community who are called orange. I believe radical and insane ideas are what make being orange unique. Being orange is limitless, it is infinite. We’re a school full of dreams and ideas, so why not succeed and accomplish those dreams and ideas as an orange community. We’re a school full of dreams and ideas, so why not succeed and accomplish those dreams and ideas as an orange community?

What makes ethics different than a lot of classes is the fact that there is never a correct answer. There is choices made by individuals that can are believed to be correct or incorrect, but since there is no true answer for everyone we will never be perfect. Not being perfect is one of the best things because it allows us to grow and become what we want to become. Philosophy is an opportunity more than anything because it holds us to standards, but those standards are judged by the ones who are doing the thinking or decision making. We make the standards. We don’t have a book to check and say ok I am wrong. We have ideas and beliefs that we feel are valid, and that is how we live our moral lives. We set our moral boundaries and vulnerability. We go as deep into our minds as we want, not someone else, but ourselves. Philosophy allows us to be in charge and to feel the control. That is what being orange is. Everyone has a different answer or idea about what being orange means. Sweet! Creativity and uniqueness are the best part of an individual. Being orange to me is a community, but within that community there are individuals and within those individuals there are ideas. Ideas are the source of all existence. Existence is what we perceive in our own image and thought. Being orange is everyone’s own personal existence and what it means to them. Being orange to me is responsibility, respect, and accountability, but that’s just the beginning. Being orange is never ending.

What skills do you want associated with your degree?  Here is a recent article addressing the problems of test-oriented education:

“Teaching to the test overshadows (if not supplants) teaching critical thinking, higher-order reasoning, and the development of creative-writing skills. As Bernstein emphasizes, contemporary teaching or teaching to the test does not “require proper grammar, usage, syntax, and structure.” In fact, those skills may be perceived as unimportant in this modern age—as many of the tests taken by K-12 students employ multiple choice, and those that require essays grade on a rubric that pays little if any attention to the quality of writing.”

Instead of killing creativity, nourish it.

Submitted by Reed Oxsen

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by: Hannah Filicky

Oregon State University, OSU, Oregon State, and O State are all names for the place where growth and learning happen.  Experience, courses, and involvement all lend themselves as part of the process of education and personal development.  Oregon State University is a public, higher learning institution that is devoted to research, education, and community impact.  It is made up of students, alumni, staff, and faculty.

At Oregon State, the campaign “Be Orange” stands to hold and envelope the values that the school holds.  “Be” is to exist, individually or part of a group.  Additionally it can be used to explain behaviors or a beliefs regarding a specific group, ideas, or beliefs, in this case the ideals of OSU.  “Orange”, in the case of OSU, does not simply stand for color or a food, but a set of ideals and people.  Orange is a descriptor for people who attend or work at the learning institution, or those that have been a part of OSU in one of these ways in the past. Each of these people must be contributing to the betterment of the community goals and persons.  One of things that OSU values, and I value about those at OSU, is hard work.  Those who are “Orange” contribute by working hard.  Hard work is the process by which a person puts all of their effort into a task to receive the best possible outcome.  It could also include putting a lot of thought, time, or money into any specific action, thought, or behavior.

Hard work at Oregon State manifests itself in many everyday life situations.  Those may be individual or community based.  Individually based, hard work creates personal growth.  As personal growth happens, people become more aware, compassionate, inspired, and willing to create change.  This process helps a person become more aware how they impact their community.  For the community at OSU, it impacts community goals and people.  It affects how OSU reaches outside itself to influence economics, health, and sustainability- as defined as part of the vision for OSU.  One thing these all have in common is that they are complex social problems.  These are of concern to OSU, because we have the opportunity to influence these and make the world better by improving human wellness, contributing to the field of sustainability, and advocate and aid in creating social progress and economic improvement.  Each of these are not only an outcome of hard work, but are also a reason hard work should be continuously happening on the individual, community, local, national, and world scales.

Since OSU’s community is concerned with bettering the world, it is important to understand how our goals interact with the world. Improving human wellness is important because if we as humans are healthy and promoting healthy decision making, we can accomplish the other goals.  Impacting sustainability, social wellness, and the economy are only going to be changed by having humans who are clear thinking, physically and mentally well, and socially connected.  Those who have worked hard to gain social connections and skills can communicate with others to collaborate and change the complex social problems.  Those that can think critically and are healthy will have more energy and ability to appropriately create change.

Contributing to the field of sustainability is equally important as human health, because it impacts our quality of life and the earth which supplies all we need to live.  By each of us pitching in, we can not only sustain our lives but keep in mind that the earth is an important implementation in our ecosystem.

Advocate and aid in creating social progress and economic improvement be addressed by producing the other goals.  If considered, human wellness is mental, social, physical, and spiritual.  Each of these parts are interconnected and impact each other.  When emphasizes that these are important for individuals, we understand that there is a group impact as compassion and moral imagination work in between individuals. Therefore if we can address the issues related to those and empower individuals, that can work together, we will create social progress.  As social progress is created, economic improvements will follow.  Creating more sustainable living and address the needs of human life, we can start to flourish economically.

These goals can be reached by putting emphasis on the elements of hard work.  Since these are multi-faceted problems it takes a community of people to impact them in any way.  The community at OSU works hard to accomplish these by fostering the personal growth of individuals.  This is fostered at Oregon State by creating a community that collaborates, has diversity, encourages excellence and ambition, offers opportunities, and supports by being inclusive. It is a rigorous process to learn how to work hard for your passions and change.  At OSU, having a diverse community that includes people with many different backgrounds, cultures, skill sets, and traits allows for all to learn from new opportunities and personal experiences.  The individual is interconnected with the community because as they grow personally, they contribute to the community to help others grow.  The community then improves through individual’s passions, critical thinking skills, independence, empowerment, engagement, and learning experiences.  This interplay is essential in creating an environment that focuses on solving complex social problems, as well as preparing students to be able to contribute after earning their degrees.

The ways in which the community and the individuals that make it up are interdependent on one another’s hard work is what makes OSU a university that is advancing not only individuals but creating change for complex social problems.  This is what makes us, the individuals that make up OSU, “Orange.”

The Future is Orange: The Campaign for Inner Growth by Alex Hoffer

By working at or attending Oregon State University, an individual is subscribing to a community. The idea of a community of individuals who represent Oregon State is certainly abstract. After all, how can you include every age and background in a single group? To encompass all of those who identify as Beavers, OSU’s administration has provided us with a simple, concise phrase that not only clumps all Beavers into a tidy category, but also gives us an idea of what it truly means to be a Beaver. That phrase (“Be Orange”) has some weight to it, however. What does it mean? It says “Be Orange” everywhere- on campus, on signs, on shirts. It is an idea that offers up many interpretations. But to Be Orange, it says something about a person. OSU’s “Be Orange” motto is a conclusive statement that means to be a Beaver, you must accept that you desire to grow in maturity.

First, we must ask the fundamental question of “what is maturity?” in relation to Being Orange. When we’re young, we hear the word incessantly. We would hear it when we were acting young for our age. We’d hear it when we sprouted a chest hair. But these definitions of maturity must be abandoned for a more inclusive interpretation, one which is more abstract, certainly, but also arguably more rewarding. To be in pursuit of maturity means that you know that you have a foundation of knowledge and experiences, but you recognize that you can certainly grow in those areas, and grow as a person in general. Nobody attends college without the desire to grow in intellectual maturity; simply by attending college an individual is suggesting that they would like to learn more about a subject or subjects of their choosing. In order to Be Orange, a person must identify that they could develop mentally and emotionally by attending Oregon State University, an institution that provides ample opportunity to succeed in those pursuits through various degree programs and a qualified teaching staff.

The rewards of this development in maturity are vast and very much up to the person who acquires them. The rewards are, in many cases, what attract an individual to the pursuit to begin with. Sure, some have an interest in school, and will take courses without any intention of graduating simply out of the lust for knowledge, but many college students join in on the Orange experiment so they can reap its benefits. They see OSU graduates go on to do great things, such as making advances in medicine, or opening their own veterinary practice. As a result, they enroll in the university. What they’re looking at in these success stories is a level of maturity that was in development at the time of the first class. Take my friend’s father Mark, who graduated from OSU with a Business degree and became a successful banker. Mark was molded by not only his academic experiences here, but also his social ones. He met a girl at OSU. He married her while he was a student. OSU gave him not only a degree but a social immersion that granted him a woman he loves.

OSU offers academia that will grant an individual knowledge that they can apply to a number of situations, but, perhaps what’s more profound is, it allows a breeding ground of different views and backgrounds that, simply by exposure, causes a person’s mind to open and his character to mature.

A person can receive the inner growth and maturity that OSU offers by not attending the school, surely. But what the Be Orange campaign suggests is that this maturity will come to the student in a way that is unique to OSU. And, while you don’t need school to become well-rounded, it is evident that the years you spend here force you to mature in a caring environment at a steady pace. Naturally, Be Orange is merely a motto, not a mandatory rule. Some can come and go from the institution without gaining any of the maturity OSU offers if you accept it. To Be Orange is also to accept that OSU has the capability of providing you with great things- whether these things be the tools to solving the problems of the world, or simply the problems of your life. Being Orange is not for those who have no interest in growing internally, and it never will be. To Be Orange, you need to have a designated level of ethic and interest that permits you to grow with the help of OSU.

The idea of inner growth and maturity is not exclusive to the students of OSU. Everybody who involves themselves with OSU has the opportunity to Be Orange. To Be Orange, one must have the desire to grow and be granted the experience to do so. For a professor, Being Orange is going into a class as a teacher and realizing that they could also be a student, learning from the knowledge of their students and shaping their future ability to teach. For a janitor, Being Orange could mean being inspired by the quality of their job to go back to school. No matter what, Oregon State offers experiences, and whether you choose to use those experiences and truly Be Orange falls upon the passion and drive of the individual.

To leave OSU unshaped is not a flaw of the school itself- rather, it is the flaw of the person who endured their time there. Like all life experiences, there is something to learn at Oregon State University. OSU is distinctly special from other life events because it offers countless experiences at your convenience; experiences at OSU are literally a walk away. And what you take from those experiences- whether it be a further sense of responsibility, an enhanced work ethic, the ability to look at things through different lenses to gain perspective- determine whether you truly were Orange or not. If you want to Be Orange, if you want to go through the task of maturity, Oregon State has it waiting for you on a silver platter. But if you take that offer, and you do become Orange, you will find that at the end of the tunnel there is indeed a better life ahead.

Submitted by Devon Renard

“Be Successful. Be Orange”

            To be “Orange,” you must strive for success in the ventures you undertake on a daily basis which promote the well being of the Oregon State University community. One must engage in activities and follow through with decisions that ultimately uplift beaver nation. Being successful, in my eyes, is the basis of what it means to be “Orange.” In order to strive for greatness and achieve my life goals through the receiving of my OSU degree, I must prove to be a successful person. Whether that be advancing my physical activity from collegiate athlete to playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association such as Jared Cunningham, leading a group of my peers to rally for a tuition freeze like Dan Cushing, or simply following my own dream towards success of working for a well known contracting firm, building a firm network through my time at OSU, and gaining internship experience with local companies. My degree here at OSU symbolizes the long road of learning I have gone through and the credentials I have gained that are necessary to professionally present myself in the business world. This degree exemplifies the understanding I have gained of how a community can come together, supporting one another and give back where aid can be given, as well as my educational cap off of knowledge gained through sitting in a classroom receiving instruction from a single professor per course.

The value of success is expectant to be used by every single person in the world and it is our goal as Oregon State graduates to implement this knowledge into the minds of those who personally did not receive this degree or who did not take part in the construction of the student’s knowledge base to receive this degree. Each and every participant in the OSU community, students, faculty, and scholarship granters, all have a job to spread the word of striving for success across the world. This applies to the victims of the tsunami that hit Alaska in 1964, as natural disasters such as these are being studied by students and faculty at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at OSU. The success of the world may also apply to Oregon Health and Science Universities Doernbecher Children’s Hospital who provide pediatric healthcare for kids suffering from bone and joint damage, cancer and blood disorders, cardio and neurological problems, and the OSU community generates thousands of dollars to aid in their world wide supportive health providing care, which saves the lives of countless children each day. (Doernbecher Children’s Hospital) With the aim of success, as the slogan “Be Orange” expresses, the OSU community is able to help others grow in their successfulness and promote itself for future endeavors to come.

Being orange may not only entail the sole value of success, but rather a new angle of promotion. “During the reveal, Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis declared the rebrand as being about three things: ‘Recruiting, recruiting, and recruiting.’”(Berkes, Peter [De Carolis, Bob]) In an interview with SB Nation the Oregon State athletic director clearly labels the mantra of what it means to be orange and new school logo as a means for recruitment towards student-athletes. This creates an immense drive for better athletes to want to come to OSU, ultimately producing a greater fan base and bringing in more revenue for the school. Athletics on the OSU campus are one of the top revenue earners for the school, but is recruitment the only way being orange can be defined? In class, communicating with my group members, a value they all believed was the best for defining what it means to “Be Orange” was diversity. To them this was cultivating the beliefs and ideas of people with different temperaments, talents, and convictions and spreading diversity across campus, through the community, and to the world. This would generate an endless amount of knowledge and creative thinking, but will this value advance OSU in a direction to advance the world?  I believe the success of both recruitment and diversity among the OSU campus are a part of what it means to “Be Orange,” but lack in the opportunities in knowledge growth and the education that Oregon State has to provide for its students and community.

Success is an important value and holds the sole aim of accomplishment. Being orange is doing just that. To “Be Orange,” one must simply accomplish the task at hand and promote the community, nation, or world around them. This value requires you as an individual or together with others, to determine a common goal or idea, building off of the knowledge and ideals of others, without the actions of procrastination, with the notion that no idea is a bad one, diving into the moral values you hold and to come up with a solution that has in some way advanced you, the community, nation, or world around you in a fulfilling manner. This applies to everyday individual choices made such as being polite through conversation, picking up garbage off the street, brushing your teeth in the morning, or spending time at a retirement home. Success may also be applied towards larger actions and moral decisions such as driving on the correct side of the road, aiding other countries by donating food and money, or building skyscrapers downtown. Being successful excludes anyone aiming to deter from the advancing successfulness of what being orange has to offer. This may include terrorists, people who perform bomb threats towards communities, or sexual assaulters on the Oregon State Campus. These people who perform these acts suppress the advancing successes of OSU and the positive movements Oregon State makes for the community, the nation, and the world.

Being “Orange” is being successful in your everyday life and is necessary for the modernization, economic growth and well being of Oregon State University, the community which surrounds it, the nation and the world which we live in. Being successful when referring to being orange is not just a belief some students have that it might be defined as, but rather a way of life people take on and define themselves by when they come to Oregon State University and agree to take part in what this institution has to offer. Be successful. Be Orange.

Sources Cited

1. Berkes, Peter [De Carolis, Bob]. “SB Nation.” March 4, 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/3/4/4063318/new-oregon-state-logo-uniforms>
2. “Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.” Oregon Health and Student University. 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/doernbecher/>
3. “O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory.” Oregon State University. 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://wave.oregonstate.edu/>
4. “Tsunami Research Center.” University of Southern California. 2005. March 17, 2013. <http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/alaska/1964/webpages/index.html>
5. “Wear The Square.” 2013. March 17, 2013. <http://www.wearthesquare.com>

Submitted by Chad Wheeler

Is “Be Orange” anything more than a slogan?  In a consumer based world our daily interaction is bombarded with statements just like this one.  Mantra type motivational catchphrases make an attempt to promote certain types of human behavior or emotion.  Does it matter then if the motto is profound or original?  Should it matter?  The answers to these questions become an exercise in ethics.  This essay will examine whether or not “Be Orange” is profound or original and determine whether or not it is significant if these criteria aren’t met.

“Just Do It”, a Nike slogan that conceivably lives in the hearts of many adrenaline junkies, athletes, and motivational speakers worldwide.  It can be interpreted as symbol of ethical egoism at work because its main objective is self-serving in the capitalistic environment which it exists.  This is not an attempt to diminish positive things done by the Nike Corporation but the slogan doesn’t define what not to do.  From a corporate point-of-view the phrase could simply indicate a motivation to purchase a particular product; to cast off inhibition for self-interest.  Others have magically altered this to mean something more.  The slogan is viewed through creative marketing as an empowerment of human achievement.  There are hundreds of other corporate slogans that would also meet these same descriptors.

The motivation for being “Orange” has similar traits though.  When analyzing the strategic plan put forth by OSU these similarities become evident.  The “culture of collaboration” clearly spells out who benefits.  It is paraphrased so that the student receives a ‘better product’ but it also defines who the corporation is.  Another point was “growth in student enrollment”.  However, they go on to preface this by indicating particular demographics that they wish to appeal too.  This concept of diversity equality is problematic.  It operates under the guidelines that some people are more valuable than others based on a certain criteria.  So being “Orange” is precluded then from any connection to equality and then must be more akin to being chosen or privileged.  Privilege is certainly a trait in common with anyone who has purchased Nike attire.

Two other factors indicated in the strategic plan were the concepts of a “comprehensive capital campaign” and “regional positioning”.  These are important to empire building.  For OSU they address the competitiveness that occurs with other colleges locally and globally.  These notions also tend to use people as means in order to achieve their goals.  One way to accomplish this task is through social cohesion.  So it seems logical that a slogan built on pride would provide cover for this type of achievement to occur.  It could be perceived when deconstructed as nothing more than a promotional gimmick designed to first and foremost benefit the corporation.  The university grows its influence and the student body receives a false notion of pride based on the concept of privilege.  Otherwise there would be a clear distinction between what it meant to “Be Orange” at OSU versus: Syracuse, University of Tennessee, Auburn University, University of Texas, or Clemson just to name a few.  It is likely though that if one were to visit these campuses the student body and staff would not look or behave much differently than the student body at OSU.  Just watch a televised sporting event for proof.

Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa also has a “Be Orange” campaign developed and implemented in 2000 – 2001 by a marketing company called ME&V.  The college describes “Be Orange” this way on their website:

            “Be Orange” isn’t just a slogan.  It’s an attitude, a mantra – a way of life.  It’s the energy that comes from being independent and making your own unique choices.  It’s the warmth in the genuine smiles you see around campus.  It’s the inner glow you feel when you get involved in service to others.  It’s the spark of intellectual curiosity that ignites when you find your true calling.  It’s the fire that drives you to pursue your own passions.  Wartburg students want to stand out and put their gifts to good use, and they want to support others doing the same.  They are involved, busy and multi-talented.  Wartburg students know how to balance school, activities and social life.  They work hard, have fun, manage their time and graduate in four years.  It’s about being different.  It’s about being real.  It’s about being you.”  (www.beorange.net )

OSU measures graduation success on a six year scale.  Other than that everything used to describe being orange would apply to the community at OSU.  This example is merely reinforcing the notion that “Be Orange” is possibly just another insufferably irritating mantra type motivational catchphrase.

This essay has provided some stark comparisons indicating that the slogan “Be Orange” is neither profound nor original.  The question still remains, should it?  It is the opinion of this author that anything less than profound and original sacrifices the sanctity of the degree that myself and other students seek to acquire.  The prestige connected with a degree from OSU should be of the utmost importance because it affects our very livelihood.  Otherwise the time and money spent obtaining that dream is nothing more than a sham.  Academic integrity is a standard which the student body is held to and the university should be held to account when it does not operate under the same moral guidelines that it seeks to employ.  BEAVERS are better than this!  The pride that we share should be based on what we can accomplish together not our collective privilege.  We do this best through our profundity and originality.  Let us continue to showcase THIS as our shining contribution to the world not through a slogan but how we represent a sustainable solution to education and the viability for the world!

Submitted by Haley Chapman

Being Orange: A Reciprocal Exchange

            When I close my eyes and envision the values I want to see demonstrated in the Oregon State University culture, I struggle to match my envisioned values with reality. I want Oregon State to help me grow beyond just academics, I want them to help me grow into my character as well . Sadly, I believe the structure we have here at OSU is solely focused on academic development, which means I am not living out to my character’s full potential. I believe that the university should place just as high as a priority on character development as academic achievement. When students come to college they are on their own for the first time. They lack parental guidance and have no limits on freedom. We are dropped into a new culture and expected to know how to responsibly behave, and yet we have no idea how we will respond to such unlimited freedom. I see college as a preparation tool for life, but it is used as a stepping stone for intelligence. We are here to learn about our fields of study and gain intellect, but I want OSU to push us to experience  and engage, so we can gain knowledge. In general, I want OSU to encourage its students to be better people, not just better students. As students, we support OSU through engaging in its culture and by being orange, but I want OSU to reciprocate this idea. I want being orange to be an interdependent exchange between both the students and the college. I want Oregon State to reflect the values we have towards it, which are compassion, engagement and knowledge.

By this time in our lives, we are expected to know who we are and accept who we are. But at 21 years of age, the majority of us still feel baffled. So many of us students feel trapped in confusion as to who we are, what we stand for, and why anyone would love us. The majority of students here at Oregon State desperately need to be forced to reflect on who they are and appreciate themselves. We study so we earn good grades. We are nice so we have friends. But, when do we ever take time to sit and appreciate our existence? Never, and that is because there is no intrinsic value placed on self love. I want us to be able to develop our characters over the four years here at Oregon State, so that when we graduate we will have more than just a diploma, we will have knowledge. Knowledge about who we are and what we want. Our diploma says we have the intelligence to succeed but it lacks the assurance of knowledge. This shows that if we support OSU, it should support us back by loving us like we love it. Oregon State should institutionalize a class that helps develop our character and help us flourish into compassionate individuals.

The first step to helping us grow is to encourage us to love who we are. I want Oregon State to facilitate us to open our eyes to love ourselves. To simply tell us that we are unique and special, and mean it. However, I have yet to see those values incorporated into a syllabus. I want students to feel proud of who they are and be optimistic towards their futures. We have baccalaureate requirements that force us to learn about diversity, cognitive skills, and perspectives, but yet we lack a requirement to learn about who we are as individuals. By taking self assessments, questionnaires, and experimental self discovery assignments, we could begin to unravel a greater understanding of ourselves. How can we grow if we don’t know what to work on? How can we have self efficacy if we do not know what we are capable of? Our baccalaureate courses structure us to learn about other cultures, other fields, in general, other people. My question is, why do we not have a requirement to learn more about ourselves? Why not have a baccalaureate prerequisite about appreciating who we are as individuals? A class that pushes students to in turn love who they are. I feel that it is the universities obligation to prepare us for life, not a career. Elementary school prepares us for middle school, middle school prepares us for high school, high school prepares us for college, and college prepares us for life. There is sadly such a lack of understanding on this principle. So many people believe that college is all about preparing us for a career, but it is so much more than that. We are basically learning how to parent ourselves and I think it is the universities role to help us with that experience. It is such a simple idea, but it could have an incredible impact on the wellbeing of us students. Imagine the self empowerment one would feel after attending lectures designed for them to learn about themselves so they can eventually love themselves. When someone loves their self,  I am referring to them accepting who they are and having a proud sense of self efficacy. I believe that by loving oneself, one would be able to love others and grow compassion, which I feel is what being orange is all about. And if the university wants us to exemplify being orange, then I feel they should, as an institution, exemplify it as well.

To me, being orange means associating oneself with Oregon State and engaging in its culture. You can exemplify being orange by being a cheering fan at a football game, teaching a class to a room full of students, or simply studying in the Valley Library. All faculty is a part of the orange culture, along with janitors, students, and fans. You don’t have to be an enrolled student to feel the power of orange, you just have to engage yourself. You can engage yourself by compassionately listening to those around you, by being ethically aware of your actions, or simply by supporting those in the orange culture. Engaging in the orange culture means being an active participant in the community. It can be as simple as proudly wearing that OSU logo or as complex as organizing a club on campus. Being orange means showing compassion for Oregon State and anyone who associates with it. If you want to be orange, then love your professors as much as your fellow classmates, go to sports events, join a club, and appreciate the culture surrounding you.

Being orange means you do not hesitate to hold open the door for the person behind you or lend a pencil to a helpless colleague. It means you understand the limits of your knowledge and are open and courteous to the opinions of others. Being orange means communicating with those around you with respect, compassion, and fairness. It is the combination of both respecting your morals and the morals of those around you. Above all, being orange means engagement. Engagement with yourself, with others, and with Oregon State University’s culture.

I want Oregon State to befriend us, push us, and encourage us to live lives full of compassion. In order to do that, Oregon State needs to consider incorporating the idea of self compassion and compassion for others, as one of the core goals for students. They need to realize that we are in need of guidance for self discovery and that they should uphold their responsibility to facilitate such growth. By incorporating a self compassion baccalaureate requirement, we would be pushed to learn about ourselves and how to love and take care of our hearts, minds, and souls.

We need a college that values knowledge more than intelligence, for knowledge is based off intelligence and experience. I also want the concept of being orange to be a reciprocal exchange. I feel that a strong relationship needs to go both ways and in this case, OSU needs to appreciate its students as much as its students appreciate it. We show our support by proudly wearing orange and black and attending OSU sporting events, but how does Oregon State display its affection towards us students? Oregon State needs to exemplify being orange by displaying the same compassion and support we give them. They can engage in our lives by simply incorporating a character development plan into the curriculum. This would prove to us students that they value us and want to help prepare us for life’s challenges by strengthening our characters. In summary, I want Oregon State University to actively participate in the “being orange” philosophy by honoring the values of compassion, engagement and knowledge.

Here are some hypotheses from our community:

Greater Expectations

Oregon State Strategic Plan

Oregon State Mission

OSU Branding Requirements

OSU Shared Student Values

OSU Bacc Core Goals and Values

OSU School of History, Philosophy, & Religion

Your major department’s website, value statement, and requirements

PHL 205 syllabus (and all course materials)

Values are not reducible to economic gains and career paths.  Ethics skill empower you to make better, engaged, and informed decisions.

From OSU President Ray:

“Being able to read things critically and then being able to articulate how you can change things going forward and assess things, the ability to work in teams—those skills are important everywhere,” says Oregon State’s Ray. “If you talk to people who run companies that hire engineers, they will tell you, ‘I need an engineer who can write.’”

Read more: http://nation.time.com/2013/03/07/who-needs-philosophy-colleges-defend-the-humanities-despite-high-costs-dim-job-prospects/#ixzz2NY3SXZq8