OSU Shared Student Values

Mission and Aspirations

We, the students at Oregon State University, are present within this community to complete a quest to better ourselves. To thrive intellectually, emotionally, personally, and socially requires us to draw closer together in the pursuit of our dreams. We feel that in order for us to succeed, it is paramount that we challenge each other to be in community. We pledge to embrace the values that were created by students, for students, to guide our time here.

Values:

The values highlighted below will help create an environment in which fellow colleagues are able to prosper and grow. They were generated, defined and supported by OSU students and appear in no distinct order, all are equally important.

• Respect is treating every individual with dignity, honor and generosity while valuing their humanity. Each individual, whether a student, faculty member, community member, or you, deserves to be treated honorably. This includes taking care of each other, each other's belongings and university property.
• Empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another, trying to understand where another person is coming from, who they are, their experiences, and their perspective. An empathetic person is willing to put their thoughts, feelings and perspectives aside and openly listen to others.
• Inclusion is welcoming all people into a friendly, accepting and helpful atmosphere where diversity is not only embraced but also encouraged. It is honoring others as unique individuals who all have something to contribute.
• Responsibility is holding yourself accountable for your words and actions, whether you believe them to be right or wrong. Responsible students meet their academic and personal commitments. They also consider how their actions could affect others, the university and the environment, and act accordingly.
• Honesty and Trustworthiness go hand in hand. Honesty is telling the truth. Trustworthiness is establishing a reputation for honesty. Together, these are the foundations of our academic and social associations. In the academic arena, it is paramount that you do your own work and credit others when appropriate. In the social realm, honesty and trustworthiness create the space for strong and lasting relationships.
• Openness is being continually ready to approach a situation with an open mind. An open-minded approach enables you to consider new ideas, try new things and relate to people with different perspectives. But openness is more than just being open-minded, it is also being willing to share yourself with others.
• Awareness is knowing what's going on around you. This includes in the world, at the university and within your immediate vicinity. Awareness prepares you to make well-informed decisions. Self-awareness is recognizing your own needs, desires and your purpose in attending OSU.
• Integrity is having a strong set of moral values and living up to them. People with a high level of integrity do what is right, for the right reasons, even when it is not easy and even when no one else is watching.
• Growth is why you are at the university. We are all here for the same underlying reasons: to learn and to prepare ourselves for the life and career to which we aspire. Growth encompasses your personal, intellectual, spiritual, and physical development. It includes making mistakes and learning from them, thinking critically, asking questions and seeking answers, expressing your own ideas and exploring the ideas of others. It includes building relationships, discovering what you believe in and maintaining a healthful lifestyle.
• Courage is the willingness to risk going outside your comfort zone in order to better yourself. It is important to be bold enough to ask that question in the midst of a packed lecture hall, to build a relationship with someone new, to learn about perspectives counter to your own, to seek help when you need it, or to take an intellectual risk on a paper or project. Courage includes standing up for what you believe in and facing challenges.

These OSU Shared Student Values were unveiled in May 2008.

Download the OSU Shared Student Values.