Be Good. Be Orange.

Lauren McCutcheon

  Being Orange symbolizes an assortment of qualities and values for different people.  Whether it be solely for the name of “being a beaver” versus being a duck or some other college mascot.  It could be from a competition aspect for those people; they want to be a part of a sports team community.  Being orange embodies victory, and intimidation; we beat other teams and therefore we are stronger and more elite than people from other schools.  For other people it’s a part of tradition; their siblings and parents went to OSU, and they happen to be next in line.  Then you have the students who come because it’s a party school, and the whole idea is to party hard and see how far you can make it by only meeting the bare minimum for everything you do.  There are people who actually go because of the programs, or because OSU has their major and it’s thought of to be a good school.  For those groups, the value that OSU holds for them is being a success.  Success is a broad term if you don’t explain what it stands for.  Earning your Bachelors’ or Masters’ degree is a vision of achievement for some.  For others, it’s a step beyond that.  It’s the hope of being in the career of your dreams because of your degree, and with other journeys you’ve been through along the way.

Then you have the values and characteristics that OSU wants its students, administrators and other faculty to have and take away when their experience at Oregon State comes to an end.  They put these goals and core values on their website and on other places where the community inside and outside of OSU can view them.  They tell you why going to OSU is deemed a better choice than going to U of O, or WOU or some other school. But if you dig deeper, below the bait they propose to lure people in to either support Oregon State or enroll, what do you get? What do you get out of the school that makes it a better decision than others? One of the core values listed on OSU’s missions, goals and values webpage, is ‘respect’, saying that it means to “…treat each other with civility, dignity, and respect.” Following that is social responsibility; “we contribute to society’s intellectual, cultural, spiritual, and economic progress and well-being to the maximum possible extent.”  Then you ask what “being orange” means for me, and I tell you the two biggest values that I think of: being open-minded and portraying respect alongside being open-minded.   Sure, the two values I say could line up with the goals OSU already bestows upon me, but I would not say that they’re the same.  In fact, the reasoning and substance between “my” respect and what OSU believes to be is respect may be similar in some areas, but there is definitely a different objective behind each one.

During this class, I’ve changed the way I look at the surface of things. In the beginning of the course, I’ll admit, I was definitely hesitant about staying in the class; I approached the beginning discussions like they were a joke.  I didn’t get the objective behind the subjects.  I had accepted that there had been problems with the way the university has been run for a long time, but I didn’t quite understand how this particular “Ethics 205” class would put a dent in the pattern that everyone was used to.

After going through the first few weeks, I started to understand why we were doing what we were doing.  I started to get how as students, in this Ethics class, we could change the way we think and potentially change the minds of the other students around us, and then, if we were lucky, that tidal wave of thinking could reach up into the higher faculty of OSU and beyond.

Being Orange resembles me being a sponge; I absorb the knowledge that will help me, or help me grow in a certain area, and I expel the parts that are unnecessary.  Being open minded is one of the most significant values a person can accomplish.  I now consciously focus on the things that make up the whole picture, and then the picture last.  The values that Oregon State conveys to me are being able to hear ideas that are not your own, and information you haven’t heard before, and being able to engage in understanding what it is you’re learning.   This could also mean retrieving previous information or thoughts that are buried in your brain and mixing it with the new to create something that is your own.

When I said that I think that respect weaves itself into being open minded, it’s because it does.  The amount of respect that you exhibit when communicating with someone else speaks volumes into how much you will learn and how much they will learn.  You can be as intelligent as you desire, but if you don’t have respect for yourself or others, your knowledge is of waste.  People won’t take you seriously because you may come off as not being ethically engaged to what’s important to them, and you won’t take yourself seriously after a while because you won’t care about how the information affects you.

Many people forget that the most powerful weapon that they can use sometimes can be them selves. But our selves can also be dangerous if we aren’t certain of who we are, what we want or what we are afraid to admit.  Being open minded isn’t correlated with being absent of a backbone.  It isn’t about taking everything you hear or read and believing it as sound information.  It’s having the ability to be teachable; to be humble; to realize that more often than not, you’re wrong and someone else is right.  It’s being able to learn and build upon the knowledge you have, and then going out into society and taking action, whether it means inhibiting it, observing it or pushing it forward.

When we went out on our field trip to the Gay-Marriage petition signing, it was good practice for taking considerable notice into what others are involved in.  This includes the evidence they have to support their cause and more importantly, the way they communicate to those who are unaware.   Seeing people fight for what they want personally or empathetically towards someone else is an important reminder that our humanity isn’t failing and we shouldn’t give up on it.  The Gay-marriage event was of good cause, but a major ingredient that lacked in the overall potency of the event was the evidence supporting it.  If the hosts’ of the event had come up to me and told me their story, and why I should sign their petition, I would have maybe signed it, or at least had a change of heart.  But for the hosts’ to prematurely assume that it’s visitors would just sign the paper because “it was the right thing to do”, exemplifies their lack of moral imagination.

A growing issue in our present society is not being ethically engaged or interested in what happens outside of our bubble, or even a bigger issue for some; being ignorant of our inner most selves.  Oregon State represents a foundation for students, administrators, faculty and alumni, to obtain the knowledge they need for their degree or their personal lives, and then use it.  I used to not enjoy Bacc core classes or even find them necessary; why should I be forced to take classes that I don’t want to take, especially when they don’t have anything to do with my major or what I want my specialty to be?  But I think I have philosophically figured out what they hold for those who want to take something away from them.  They provide people with the opportunity to be thoroughly developed in a range of ideas and perspectives.

OSU wants it’s students to be able to be accountable to their ignorance, and absorb the information they will perhaps need eventually.  Taking a speech class may seem obnoxious during the time you are involved in it, but being able to communicate effectively and support yourself when people ask why they should sign your Gay-Marriage petition definitely makes it worthwhile in the end.  Or being able to write to the OSU President and explain why you don’t think tuition should be raised can be a lot more beneficial and operational if you’ve previously learned how to write a good argument in a past Writing 121 class.

Being able to grow in the areas of being open minded and displaying respect can heap respect and relativity from others towards yourself.  And that’s what we’ve been learning in this class during the whole term; how to learn something and be able to show others how to think about it more ethically, and in turn enlarging the spectrum of the cycle.  That being done as students at OSU. That’s how people will know that we are different from other schools.  Being orange envisions that we are open to change, we are open to “different”, and more importantly we are open to growth.  And if someone doesn’t agree with us along the way, then we will show them respect, because sometimes all humanity needs to remember is that respect exists. And sometimes, respect is the very thing that prompts people to grow because they remember that it is possible.

By: Tiffany Cicerchi

Be Orange Essay

For the past couple of years Oregon State University (OSU) has been adopting and implementing the phrase “Be Orange” to encourage people to support Oregon State. Aside from the new logo, the phrase says something different to me, and comes across more positive than the beaver logo. I personally see posters on campus with pictures of students; working in the lab, engaging in class discussions, cheering for athletics, working on campus, studying, and participating in clubs. While looking at these posters from a Be Orange stand point, it would mean being associated and involved with OSU in anyway. The value that I see the most is involvement, and I believe being orange can be students, professors, staff anywhere on campus, athletes, fans, alumni, online students, etc. When I look at the advertisements on campus for being orange I see a positive community that will support you in the event that you choose to be orange and be involved with OSU in some way. Another way of looking at being orange is understanding that it means to be connected to the school or people associated with the school.

It is hard for me to determine and assume how others define Orange as a value, so instead of assuming I asked some of my roommates what they thought. To them being orange means contains the value of unity. They see being orange as everyone associated with OSU learning to be united with one another, whether it is for academics, athletics, or clubs through the school.

Students practice being orange everyday once they step foot on campus or do assignments outside of class. OSU students are orange by being in class, learning at OSU, and engaging in class work. Similar to students, professors can practice being orange as well and it happens when they come to campus and teach the students, because they are actively engaging in the learning process and benefiting the students, in the hopes of gaining the title of an OSU degree.

Athletes are one of the largest components to being orange in my opinion just because sports are so widely broadcasted. I think that our athletes are orange because they are playing their sport to represent OSU. Individuals outside of our institution do not normally see students and staff members being orange, but they do see athletes being orange, because of the media surrounding the subject. Without fans, who knows what orange would look like. Fans are another huge component to showing yourself being orange. By supporting OSU you are taking part in the be orange campaign.

Now when I was looking at our new school beaver logo that was designed, I did not feel that it accurately represented my definition of what it meant to be orange. When I see the new logo the things that come to mind are; aggressive, winning is everything, football, sports, where the logo cause we look the best. I do not think that this is what it means to be orange, and I feel as though the logo is directed more at athletics and leaves out everyone else who is involved with OSU. When I where our logo I do not feel like I am being orange, but I feel like I am only allowed to be a sports fan with it. The logo does not want me to be engaged in class, or being involved with the school outside of sports.

Although my two definitions do not match up based on the new logo and the be orange campaign, I still believe that being orange is a more positive outcome and does not relate to the logo at all. Being orange as proved above, is being involved with OSU in anyway, including, students, staff, fans, in-class activities, etc. Being orange is positive and gives you a sense of community support for all to feel welcome. I hope that when I graduate from OSU that my education says “involved”, which in turn shows experience. I believe that if my education shows this value of being orange it will open up more doors and help prepare me more for the real world.

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: 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.”

Must one “be good” to be happy?  Go ask!

-Thanks Anna! 🙂

Demonstrate your ability to use relevant ethics skills (as defined in syllabus and class) to answer the question: “What does it mean for you to Be Orange?”

This will require:

•  Identifying how others define “Orange” as a value
• Clarifying your own values and educational goals within the context of the OSU community (What do you want orange to mean?)
• Determining the most “effective” format/method for communicating your value message
• Thinking of your assignment as an “engagement” exercise and recalling other ethics “actions” or “interventions” discussed in class

Guidelines

Audience: your professor (remember course goals!) and blog readers

Objective: Provide student accounts of the value of “Being Orange” for the purpose of refashioning higher education (e.g. PHL 205 as back core requirement)

Format: Reflective blog entry on Be Orange website (*approximately* 3 pages).  Other formats welcomed but must be cleared with professor.

Assessment: see in-class checklist provided 3/12/13

Deadline: 3/20/13 by 5pm

Option #2 assessment due via email 3/22/13 by 5pm.

Posting Instructions

1. Login with ONID information: Be Orange.  Start a new post (using dashboard on left side of page).

2. Title post as: “Be [your value]. Be Orange.”

3. First line of post should be: “Submitted by [your name]”

4. Include text in box provided.  You may save and edit prior to submission.

5. Check “begood” category (in right side box)

6. Add three “tags” to identify your post, using the box on the right side of the submission page.  One of your tags must be the value identified in your post title.