A few weeks ago, I found an old edition of the “Reveille,” Mississippi State University’s yearbook. It was first published in 1898 when Mississippi State University was still called Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College. The yearbook was then consistently produced from 1906 until 2008.
The “Reveille” made a brief comeback in 2012. That edition was 269 pages and was $44 for students and $46.50 for alumni and friends. Sam Baker, the digital media manager for the Alumni Association, pointed me to this information in the Newsroom archives. I could understand why there was a decline in purchases, especially if students no longer find interest in yearbooks; that price could also be dramatic, especially for college students who already pay tuition and have access to a free student newspaper.
A Reflector article published in 2013 states that the Reveille was at risk “due to a lack of student interest and a decline of sales.” Not only was there a decline in sales and interest but also insufficient staff to continue production.
For a long time, the Reveille served not only as a source of nostalgia for MSU alumni but as a tool for current students to look back on MSU’s history. Since its production stopped, much has been missed: Dak Prescott, Mike Leach, the Men’s College World Series — MSU’s first national championship — and men’s basketball advancing to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
I think there could be value in having the Reveille brought back to serve as documentation of the big things that happen at our university.
I understand that yearbooks are expensive and challenging, but I think MSU can do it with good planning. I have many thoughts about MSU’s yearbook, there are some aspects of the previous Reveille that I think should be maintained and some I think should be changed.
In preparation for this article, I debated with my grandmother, Susan Terrell McGehee — who graduated from MSU in December 1974 — about how the students should be listed.
Initially, I thought it would be best to list only the top twenty of each class. However, that would mean many students would be excluded. Then, with some inspiration, I decided that picturing and listing the upperclassmen — juniors and seniors — while only listing the first and second-year students would be best. This would cut down on the pages, making the cost more affordable while still including everyone.
I also discussed the organization of the yearbook with my high school yearbook manager and teacher, Stephanie Jackson McCormick. After the discussion, I decided that sections for clubs, Greek life, homecoming, beauty pageants and sports would be best. After these sections, there will be one page per month dedicated to the major events of that month.
Now, I am sure you are wondering: Where will we get the pictures? Finding someone to take photos for each event on campus would be expensive and nerve-racking, so it was decided that a mass email with a link would be sent to students. Students could send 10 pictures they would like featured in the yearbook through this link. Then, a yearbook committee would pick from the litter and choose the best pictures.
As for staff and students’ pictures, I think the best policy is for students to either send in the best picture of themselves or have their student ID photo used in its place.
As for highlighting the excellent university staff, all staff members should be pictured and listed at the beginning of the yearbook, as they are the backbone of MSU.
Another thing I should mention is the cost of getting these yearbooks. Yearbooks are expensive, but unlike your high school yearbook, which is only 50 to 60 pages, previous versions of the Reveille were 300 to 400 pages each. The more pages and elaborate you get with a yearbook, the more expensive it becomes to make. Which makes it more costly for students to purchase them.
Not only does the production cost depend on the pages, but it also depends on the company used to produce the yearbooks. It would be easiest to guarantee a total amount of books being produced, and to do that I believe the yearbook price should be included in tuition. I believe the price would range between $40-65, especially if we cut back on pages. It can be done again since “Reveille” has historically been priced in that range.
In the last years of the Reveille production, staffing became hard to find. In hopes of fixing that problem, I thought that instead of it only being a “job” it could also be a club. Having paid workers, but also volunteers could help cut costs for the university.
The cost is the reasoning behind all the changes I have mentioned above. Each of these could make the “Reveille” easier and more efficient. In the hopes that someone will take pity on me and my need for a yearbook, these ideas could be a practical base for a new yearbook staff.
I know that the odds of the Reveille coming back are slim and that, even if it does return, I will probably be long graduated. However, it would be incredible if we brought back the “Reveille” yearbook. Let us not leave another 16 years out of our personal history books — we do not know what we could forget.
