Students at Mississippi State University will be able to order a new copy of the Reveillethis spring for the first time in three years.
MSU Student Association President Rhett Hobart said the new Reveillewill be available this summer, but pre-orders will begin in February.
“Because of the time restraints we are under to get the yearbook completed for this year, the 2011-12 edition will be mailed over the summer to each student who orders one,” Hobart said.
Laura Touchstone, co-director of history and traditions, said several changes are being made to the Reveilleto make it appealing to current students, including a move to high-quality printing and all-color pages.
“We are taking out the class photo section, this being the yearbook trend across a lot of colleges and universities,” she said. “We are hoping that by taking out this section, more organizations and clubs will want to have a page and put in their own photos of representation appealing to more students.”
Clark Cutrer, co-director of history and traditions, said the summer release of the new edition also allows the Reveillestaff to include events that occur late in the semester, including baseball and graduation, which are not usually part of the Reveille.
The new edition of the Reveillewill also include a section that will highlight the events at MSU since the last issue three years ago, Touchstone said.
“We feel that every year is important in MSU history, and the Reveilleis the way to preserve that and without it being around for those three years those important happenings in our history as a University will be forgotten, otherwise,” she said.
Jen Nguyen, Reveilleco-editor, said she feels it is important to have a yearbook this year so all MSU students will have a yearbook to document their time on campus.
“By releasing an issue this year, there will be no graduating class at MSU that will go without a yearbook,” she said. “I wouldn’t want any graduating class to go without a yearbook because they are so important nowadays. Not only do they hold memories for us, but they are also a history reference.”
Nguyen said she thinks tradition is also an important reason for the Reveilleto return.
“It is one of those traditions that I really love about State. There is so much tradition that lies in the Reveille, and letting it die would be a part of MSU that is missing,” she said.
 
The emphasis of tradition at MSU is important to many of the Reveille staff members, including Touchstone, who said her grandfather still shows her his copies of the Reveille from more than 50 years ago. She said bringing the Reveille back will increase school spirit and pride in MSU, especially after graduation.
“The Reveille is one of the oldest and greatest traditions we have on campus before it was stopped due to funding,” Touchstone said.
Hobart said he feels the Reveille is a way to bond alumni and students at MSU in a way that carries on many long-standing traditions.
“It is great to be able to look in the offices and homes of alumni and be able to look through their Reveilles,” he said.
Cutrer said he also thinks the Reveille is important for documenting a student’s time at MSU.
“It gives us an opportunity to cherish the memories that we’ve made here at MSU in a way that social media cannot. Also, it means the return of one of our oldest and greatest traditions, which is so important here at MSU where tradition runs so deep,” he said.
Touchstone said pre-sales and information about purchasing a spread for student organizations and clubs will be available in February.
Hobart said the price of each yearbook will be around $44, including tax and shipping and can be charged to a student account or credit card.