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For some, a yearbook is a book that records a time period in a school’s history. Yet, to many a yearbook is much more than just a record of the past year’s accomplishments.
A page from the 1993 NSU yearbook.
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In 1913 the first yearbook was published for NSU. (This yearbook is available in the library for those who would like to step back in time and see what life was like for students in 1913.) As with all things there are differences between the class of 1913 and the class of 2007. The yearbook of 1913 was centered on the student. Each student provided three pictures of themselves from their daily life on campus, at home and at leisure.
Some students included their favorite quote. This concept lasted until the student body grew too large to continue on with the process. Once this occurred, instead of a quote the students were linked to the organizations they were in and their major.
“Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable,” said Wendy Wasserstein, American playwright.
The idea of a yearbook and maintaining a consistent style and theme has always been present until the 21st century rolled around. The cost of producing a yearbook was not in the favor of the university and namely the students. The budget had reached $30,000 a year and the return did not exceed or match what the school was spending.
A page from the 1953 NSU yearbook.
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The decision was made to cut the program and switch to a new and inventive design. The online magazine Tsa-La-Gi became the new format for the yearbook. Along with all things in the dot com age, the student yearbook was caught up in the whirlwind.
“We do not remember days; we remember moments,” said Cesare Pavese, Italian poet.
Thankfully the yearbooks have all been catalogued in the library for students to look through. The Tsa-La-Gi has provided an instant connection with writers but not with the students. While the school has saved money and the yearbook has moved online, there have been many things that were lost in the process. In a traditional yearbook there are sections over the people, campus life, departments on campus, sports, organizations, ads and space for friends to sign. These were the parts that made a yearbook what it is.
“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose,” from The Wonder Years.
A page from the 1913 NSU yearbook.
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There is more to a yearbook than the recording of the past year’s highlights. This is a connection with a past that in 10, 20, 30 years will be a distant memory. The current version of the yearbook is still in its infancy in regards to development. The personal connection that was formed with a yearbook in hand has been replaced by images on a screen with stories from a mass communications class.
Each year there is a different take on what the layout will be like. And with the upcoming year kicking off the “Century of Excellence” for NSU there will be a lot of talk about change and advancements made. In 1913 the yearbook featured students, their life, their thoughts, organizations, stories and poems. All of these were tied together to celebrate a year of accomplishments and to celebrate the life of a student. T
he introduction of Myspace and Facebook makes it clear that creating a connection and allowing expression is possible in the digital world. The ability to do this again is here. This will once again allow the students will be a part of the yearbook.
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Photos courtesy University Archives |
