Right now, the word “sold” probably jogs a memory of the last garage sale a parent had where they “accidentally” gave away a prized childhood possession to the bargain hunter willing to bid the highest amount – which was most likely mere pocket change.

Once you hit Gannon’s campus, though, the word rapidly changes into an acronym and represents the governing body for every single club and organization that has existed, exists, or someday will.

The office of Student Organizations and Leadership Development, or the S.O.L.D office, is in charge of more than 75 different clubs and organizations on campus. These clubs can range anywhere from the local chapter of the National Broadcasting Society, Gannon’s radio station 90.5 WERG, to the Association for Computing Machinery.

There is a club that coincides with nearly every major the university has to offer, as well as multiple clubs that are simply special interest related.

Getting involved in these clubs can be a blast during your college career, but they can also help jump start your future. According to studies conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, some of the top attributes that employers look for are leadership experience and participation in extracurricular activities.

Even though there are so many clubs to choose from, there is always the rare possibility of not finding the exact niche for your intentions. No worries – the S.O.L.D office can help you start a new one.

All it takes is a set of by-laws, 15 people who are interested in the same thing, some officers and a faculty adviser.

According to Beth Shick, the director of the S.O.L.D. office, 10 different clubs were granted university recognition last year alone – and three more are in the process of forming this semester, but haven’t been granted recognition yet.

Among the ranks of the clubs that were formed last year is Gannon’s Club Hockey Team, formed so that students would have a fun and competitive way to play hockey. Sophomore management major Bobby Johns, who is also treasurer of the club hockey team, is an avid player on the team.

“We started the club hockey team because it was something that the group of us played in high school and wanted to continue playing,” Johns said.

Although the process was a bit lengthy, Johns says that the work was entirely worth being able to play competitively here at school.

“I love every minute of it,” Johns said.

The club hockey teams plays against colleges such as Allegheny College, Case Western Reserve University and Pitt Greensburg.

For a complete listing of all of the clubs and organizations Gannon University has to offer check out http://www.gannon.edu/life/sold/default.asp.

Stuff you may also like: Read more on Edge about student clubs and organizations.