Club involvement may set students apart in job search

• By BRYONY D. STOCKER
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Feb 5, 2009 - Page: 1E - UPDATED: 12:40 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

All work and no play make a dull resumé.

In these tough economic times, college students need to differentiate themselves and demonstrate the transferable skills employers want.

From quiz bowls to water sports to wizards, LSU has students covered with an organization or club to suit nearly every need, taste or fantasy.

“Being the president of a club landed me a job that is potentially the start of a career,” said Adam Silcio, 21, of Slidell. “All the hard work I put into building the (Wakeboard Club) has definitely paid off.”

As LSU campus representative for Apple Inc., the marketing senior sees a bright future for himself and urges his fellow students to get involved.

“I’ve been here about 10 years” said Michelle Eldredge, associate director of LSU Campus Life. “When I started there were 300 organizations and now it ranges from 340 to 360.”

Campus Life recognizes 353 active student organizations, making the 2008/09 academic terms a peak year.

Not everyone can get a coveted place on an SEC-level athletic team, but tor those less athletically gifted there are a number of intramural and non-competitive sports clubs ranging from ballroom dancing to women’s rugby and ultimate Frisbee.

Students who find that too tame can get involved in wakeboarding, which takes spectacular board stunts onto the water.

“Wakeboarding is an extreme sport,” Silcio said. What makes it more exciting is avoiding alligators while carrying out flips and spins on a stretch of the Amite River near Prairieville, he added.

That might sound dangerous, but the club takes measures to ensure riders don’t end up as gator bait. “The boat and rider scares them away and we do not feed any of the animals that we see,” Adam said reassuringly.

The sport of Quidditch was created by J.K. Rowling and is featured in the Harry Potter series of books which take place in a school for wizards. In the books, the sport is played by wizards on flying broomsticks, but in its “muggle” (nonwizard) form players run around with brooms like children pretending to ride a hobby horses.

Dustin Harless, 21, from Jennings, is the president of the LSU Quidditch Club – and quite proud of it.