Be Good. Be Orange.

By Jonathan Jenkins

Within a college community a new incoming student is introduced to many thoughts and cultural themes relating to the college itself. At Oregon State University one of the themes is, “Being Orange.” What does it mean to “Being Orange?” In this paper I hope to present my understanding of what “Being Orange” is, what I hope to take away from my experience, and what the University thinks of, “Being Orange.”

Coming to Oregon State University I was introduced to the idea of being part of the Orange Community. At that time, “Being Orange” was being included in a club of some sort, meeting new friends in my classes, and understanding what the campus had to offer. Manly a event of feeling included. Since then I hadn’t given it much thought to what “Being Orange” actually meant to me. Looking at it now, it expresses the skills I have learned through my time here at Oregon State University. One of these includes accountability.

First off I would like to address what accountability is. The act of Being Accountable is a person, organization, or institute who is responsible for the actions or decisions made towards a person or thing and are held liable for the well being of that person or thing. For a individual to be accountable they must be disciplined, confident, and exercise moral imagination. Along with these traits it requires trust from other individuals. Collectively the group of trusting individuals have confidence in a person to make a sound decision in their absence. Qualities like these are what I want my experience at Oregon State University to give me.

The next question to ask is what distinguishes accountability say for someone who wasn’t, “Orange” to someone who is? It’s a simple answer, a individuals personal development within this skill. This means someone who does attend Oregon State University may have developed skills such as accountability more or less then someone who wasn’t, “Orange.” As stated earlier I think the idea of, “Being Orange” is centered around the act where a individual acquires specific skills during a experience. This takes the special element out of, “Being Orange” that the University promotes. The term, “Be Orange” to me is just a slogan, a motivational quote or a title of a experience. The real development lies with the individual and how they challenge themselves with the opportunities around them.

In class we were asked what we wanted our degrees to mean in terms of the Universities slogan, “Being Orange.” I started thinking about the idea and what it collectively should mean to a student. I then realized how odd of an idea it was to have a slogan or a institute define who you are and what your degree means. From an employers eyes, or for that matter anyone other then yourself, it doesn’t mean anything other then you had jumped through some hoops for a piece of paper. The morals, values and character traits that define your abilities are not defined by a slogan, but by you. You and how you have challenged yourself are what defines the degree outside of Oregon State University.

So do I think the Universities slogan of “Be _____. Be Orange” is beneficial to the individuals, both students and staff? No, because two and a half years since I came to the community it has not aided or simulated my personal development. Along side of that, what I think the slogan means does not only pertain to the, “OSU experience” but relies on the drive a person has to further themselves both on a professional and personal level. By that I mean a person has to be trying to get something out of their daily activities, searches for opportunities within the community, investing in others, and is open to hear others opinions about a matter. This is what I think, “Being Orange” means and is what will define your degree as you move away from the college years, pursuing a career. What defines your degree is who you are as a person.

All that being said, Oregon State University does have many opportunities on and around campus that can stimulate a students development. One that has helped me develop myself on a professional and personal level is my job at the Department of Rec Sport, otherwise known as Dixon. In the year and a half I have been there I have cultivated skills that have played a roll in my classes and will carry into my career. It has also taught me life skills I find valuable. In this ongoing experience, “Being Orange” does not mean anything to me. I can fit values and characteristics under it, but when I am summarizing my experience at Oregon State University, I am discussing how I grew through the opportunities around me. You could say this is, “Being Orange” but that’s just because the opportunities were at Oregon Stat University.

In my findings the University and me have different opinions about what, “Be _____. Be Orange” means for the community. In slogans like this I think it is important to look at what audience or community the slogans targeted for? In my definition of what, “Being Orange” means I target the students, staff, faculty, and surrounding community on a personal level who learn from each other. From the University’s stand point, I believe they are targeting potential incoming students and individuals who are involved with sporting events. One example of this would be the re-branding that happened a few weeks ago. In reading several articles I wanted to find out why they changed the logo and what audience they were attempting to please. According to John Rizzardini, the Associate Athletic Director, in a article titled, Oregon State and Nike: A Long-Lasting Relationship, Oregon State University changed its logo on this thought, “We had to ask ourselves, ‘What does Oregon State University need to advance the Athletic Brand? What will help us recruit prospective students and student athletes?” The focus was not the student body as a whole paying tuition, but individuals who are involved with sporting events, future students and the fans. Only once in the article is it stated that the focus of the change was to represent the University as a whole and provide something everyone could relate to. I guess that is why they only got input from athletes and athletic staff members for the changes. Changing the logo is something that effected everyone on campus. It is the image of the school and the school is made up of the students and staff. For a small portion of the population to make a decision that effects the group as a whole sounds strange to me. If in fact the goal was to bring unity within the community, I would have expected to see the individuals who were making the changes to seek input from the Oregon State University community as a whole.

Slogans like, “Be _____. Be Orange” or “We Are Beaver Nation” are only motivational quotes geared towards individuals who are outside of the campus community and want to join so they can feel included in something bigger, or to individuals who come for the social sporting events. Instead slogans like these should be geared towards the personal development of the students who attend the University. They should carry meaning and purpose that will stay with a individual for the rest of their life. If mentoring was the focus of the quotes and campaigns, then the idea that a person who attends Oregon State University, through a domino effect, could change the world would be attainable. But for now with the way the University is geared towards business vs. personal development it is left in the individuals hands to wake up and realize how to seize opportunities around them. This will then stimulate them to develop skills such as accountability through the opportunities at Oregon State University.

By Alexa Chappell

This ideal, Be Orange, isn’t just a color you call yourself, it’s a set of morals that students at Oregon State should want to take part in. These morals and ideals help our university to better itself and be shown in a positive light. When I think of Oregon State, I think of what it means to have pride. Proud of the obstacles you’ve cleared to get to OSU, the late nights you’ve stayed up studying in order to stay here and the degree you’ve earned in order to graduate. When I think of Oregon State and what it means to Be Orange, I think of the improvements this school has made on my life academically and socially, as well as accountability, and how it is a necessary contribution to a community like Oregon State. When graduation rounds the corner my senior year here, I will be waiting with open arms, proud of my accomplishments and improvements, ready to start the next chapter of my life.

It’s obvious that everyone is going to have their own ideas and perspectives of what it means to Be Orange and different views on what a degree should represent. A few of my friends said that when they thought about Be Orange, they thought of tradition and how their family and relatives are alumni of OSU. Another friend also said that when they think of Be Orange, they think of commitment and dedication, the drive it takes in order to makes things happen for yourself when you didn’t even know what you were working towards in the first place. I agree with both of these meanings for Be Orange; however they don’t fully apply to me. Everyone will have their own ideas of what it means to Be Orange because different people have different perspectives of what moral ideals they take part it.

At the beginning of PHL 205, I was unsure of what the outcome of the class was going to look like. Although, after putting in time and effort, I was able to accomplish what was needed to be done and soon began to grasp the concepts we had been learning in class. This in a way can be related to the accomplishments that can be made at Oregon State. A lot of the time, myself as an example, students come to college not knowing what they want to do with their future, but with a little time and effort put forth, you soon find out what areas fit your interests and how you can use those interests to make your future brighter than it was before.

It’s hard to decipher who all Be Orange can apply to. I think that it can be applied to anyone who has ever been a student or employee of Oregon State University. This includes current students, alumni, professors, advisors, coaches and even the janitorial staff. Anyone who has put time, energy and effort into Oregon State University should be able to consider themselves Orange. I could see where some people might consider themselves Orange if they grew up around Oregon State, whether that means locally living in Corvallis or constantly being surrounded by relatives and family members who raise you to Be Orange and encourage you to attend this college when you’re of age. It’s an honor to call yourself Orange and anyone who chooses to use this as their title should do it with pride. I believe that if someone wants to Be Orange and show their pride for Oregon State in a positive light, they should be able to do that regardless of where/if they’re in college or how much time they put in to this school.  Those who take on the title of “Orange” should show their pride and represent Oregon State University with responsibility and a sense of community. Beaver Nation should be meant for everyone who represents OSU to come together as one and show pride and support for everything this school has to offer; not only in athletics, but in academics and the community as well.

Being a member of Oregon State has shown me what accountability means and how without it, there would be no improvements made. If there were no improvements being made, it would be difficult to be proud of any accomplishments. Being Orange helps show students and others at Oregon State what building blocks are needed in order to succeed. These building blocks are not the same for each person who steps foot on this campus. Being Orange can be altered to mean whatever it takes for you to become a better person and help yourself, and also the university, grow as a whole. If we all were living an Orange lifestyle, we would be able to create the strongest Beaver Nation that Oregon has ever seen. Take pride in everything you’ve gained so far at Oregon State University. Be Proud. Be Orange.