Clayton Notestine: What it means to be a Rocket

Everyone is going to tell you about the big events: formal speeches, banquets with awards and classes. Always work your hardest, don’t wait till the last minute to write your papers, and take every opportunity available. That’s what school is all about.

I want to tell you what it means to be a Rocket.

I’m Clayton Notestine, your student body president and the leader of Student Government. As per the usual, I’ll introduce myself like I always do. I’m a senior majoring in political science. I come from a small town called Berlin Heights known for its apple crops and ridiculously good hunting season. When people ask I tell them I’m from Sandusky, Ohio, otherwise known as Cedar Point, and yes — I’ve been there before.

I’m also a geeky 22-year-old kid. I look like I worked for NASA in the 60s. When not in class I play Dungeons & Dragons and eat Thai. I’m a Game of Thrones fan, a Nautilus player on League of Legends, my favorite doctor is Matt Smith and more importantly — I’m a Rocket.

It’s taken three years, lots of mistakes, lots of great stories and now I’m finally comfortable declaring myself a proud member of the University of Toledo. The whole experience feels like eternity, but I know in hindsight my experience at UT will be gone in an instant — like breath on a mirror.

Being a Rocket is about working hard, going to class and trying your hardest every single day. When I came here I thought taking lots of classes, pushing myself and growing up would change who I was. I kept thinking that eventually these stories and random events in between the banquets and the important stuff would have to end. It was because of that preconception that I never felt comfortable declaring myself a Rocket. I thought that meant giving up who I was when I first stepped into Parks Tower.

But part of being a Rocket means working hard and still being who you are while doing it. The classes matter and the big formal events matter — but so does the small stuff in between.

Our university has beaten others in medicine, academics, the arts and athletics.

And UT did it with our help. Do exactly as everyone says: work hard, study hard and seize opportunities. Our future lives and careers are up in the air, but at least now we can focus on us.

I’d like to officially welcome everyone to the University of Toledo. The coming year is going to be very exciting for students and SG. The focus for SG this year is us — it’s about being Rockets and building a foundation for the future.

University leadership is changing drastically. SG has finished working with administrators to interview and approve a new head of dining. This is the first time in years that UT has hired an individual to lead dining exclusively. In the past, dining was one of several duties on the plate of auxiliary affairs.

The theory is that by restructuring and reinstating heads of key departments we can make them stronger and more likely to improve. This is why parking services has been moved under the same department that handles parking enforcement.

It’s also why one of our senators, Katie Smith, is interviewing a new head of the recreational center alongside staff and other leaders. The goal is to logically structure student services so that we can more easily improve them from year to year.

The biggest change will conclude in February: the presidential search.

In keeping with our focus, we plan to help choose a president who will be transparent and student-centered. A president who’ll tell us to study hard, work hard and seize opportunities, but someone who isn’t afraid to share those moments in between.

We’ll be gathering student opinion on what they want in a president, along with all the other changes occurring this year, through social media and messages like this. As your president and a fellow Rocket, I invite you to share your voice every Tuesday night at 8:15 pm in Student Union Room 2592.

Again, welcome back to UT and go Rockets!

Clayton Notestine is a fourth-year majoring in political science.