Be Good. Be Orange.

Submitted By Drew Wheeler

What does being orange mean to you?

This word has countless meaning, to a countless number of different people ranging form students, faculty, alumni, fans, and none the less the entire Corvallis community. Personally, when I think of being orange I think of my first year at Oregon State, and how I viewed the school, the campus, and the overall environment. When I think of when it mean to be orange I think of my first few weeks living on campus. I think of all the people I met, the new places I went, and all the other experiences I stumbled upon.. It was an important growing period in my life as I think it is with many other students as we mature and learn to live on our own. The closest single word I can use to describe being orange is,

Be Respectful, Be Orange.

I think this is only one aspect to being orange but at the same time it is at the core of what it means to be orange. Being orange to me can be described as a culmination of respect, courage, tolerance, and compassion. These four virtues all represent what it means to “be orange.” Being courageous does not mean being a hero or running into a burning building. While these might be courageous things, courage can be seen all around use every day. Tolerance is also of great importance, people don’t always see eye to eye and having the ability to understand that is an invaluable ability. Last of all, an element of compassion showing the signs of morality and humanity.

Courage. I view courage as the ever-present drive pushing you towards new achievements, whether small or large. As we make courageous choices we inevitably grow more adventurous and unique. This uniqueness contributes to the diversity here at OSU and it’s this diversity that helps to create such a motivating and competitive environment across campus. With self-respect and a sense of respect for others, courageous choices and acts push progress and serve as a much needed agent of change.

Tolerance reads with a harsh tone, almost a negative feel as if it’s related to some type of frustration. In this case, I want to avoid the frustrations and focus on the need for diversity. If everyone was the same, liked the same, believed the same, and chose the same we can agree life would be quite boring. With this presence of diversity, it is imperative we have tolerance toward one another and as we develop perspective we become tolerant. As we travel through life there will always be bouts with diversity and if approached with tolerance, courage, and respect the outcome will always “be orange.”

I learned the concept of compassion through sports, it certainly wasn’t a direct correlation but with time I saw that when people work together, they are able to accomplish much greater things than when working alone. Compassion can provide a fabric for lasting relationships and in general creating a positive, motivating community.