This semester’s Houstonian Yearbook staff has kicked off the semester with a new and contemporary approach.
Print Production Manager for Student Publications, Matt Dulin said that the main motivation to make changes was that most of the old staff graduated in May.
In order to maintain the traditional process of the yearbook, structural changes were made.
“The new team split up the responsibility and each worker can focus on their task more. We have 30 pages done, and I have been noticing a book with more content and a modern layout,” Dulin said.
Dulin said this semester, the editor-in-chief position was left open. Therefore, the Student Publications Committee decided to split the job into three separate roles.
“We hired a new editorial director that would produce texts and also could hire people to help with the writing process,” Dulin said.
One of the main changes made was the form of the text.
“We want some condensed and short stories which will be not only fast with content, but also objective. However, we are separating spaces to publish big stories related with visible events or controversial issues that would happen during the year,” Dulin said.
Part of the innovation is the new production director and marketing promotion team. Both groups have the responsibilities to improve the yearbook’s layout and advise it throughout the university.
“Most of our staff came from The Daily Cougar team,” Dulin said.
Even with these alterations, he expects that the yearbook price will not be changed. Last term, it cost $45.
“We will have roughly 300 glossy pages and a red leather front cover,” Dulin said. “Our intention is making a book that students are interested to read 20 years from now. The yearbook is a unique memory that is universal. Some people ask to do a digital yearbook, but it doesn’t work.”
Editorial Director Ruth Rodriguez said that the new version of the yearbook would be divided in approximately eight sections.
“The events that we believe are more significant will be put in the feature section,” Rodriguez said. “Others will be in time line. Furthermore, we are going to have other subdivisions such as campus beats, student’s photo section, administration people, portraits and the deans part and so on.”
Getting a copy of the yearbook during senior year is common for most students.
“I am a senior, and in this level, we have so many papers and applications to fill out that is hard to think about the yearbook, but for me, it means a lot. I just need more information about it,” biology senior Karen Leal said.
Photo week for this year’s yearbook will be from Monday through Feb 19.
The Houstonian Yearbook 2009-10 preview can be seen on Facebook at www.facebook.com/houstonianyearbook.
