By Fiona Hernandez and Sophia Schultz | December 8, 2021
University Photo Services will bring the UAlbany yearbook back with help from the UAlbany community this year.
The yearbook originally started from the organization known as Torch. “I think that when the yearbooks started to go downhill and stop being made, UPS kind of took over as the official org,” said Dequane Gordon, President of UPS.
Gordon has been a part of this club since freshman year. He was never interested in photography, but after going to meetings, he noticed the vibrant group of people and the beauty in photography.
University Photo Services had published yearbooks annually from 1900 to 2014 and wanted to bring the yearbook for 2019-2020 back but couldn’t due to the pandemic. UPS hopes to have a publication out by graduation for the whole student body to enjoy.
“How this yearbook will come out will define these four years,” Gordon said. “I want to capture the full spectrum of the Albany experience. It’s a really interesting place, and we want to capture the essence of the year.”
UAlbany was originally named the New York State Normal School. It was used as a school to train students into teachers. Gordon said, “the yearbooks from back then were very straightforward. Usually just portraits for the students. Pictures of sports and clubs.”
But as the yearbook makes a comeback, Gordon hopes to include things related to the pandemic and even music content: like shows at The Laundromat, a DIY concert venue frequented by UAlbany students.
Ayanna Sampson, Public Relations for UPS, talked about why she thinks it is important to have a yearbook, “I think that it’s a capsule. Photos are worth a thousand words, and a college career, in many people’s lives, is the best time of their life, and having a photography club allows students to capture moments and have a memento of their college career.”
The medium for the yearbook hasn’t been decided yet, but Sampson mentioned a potential digital copy of the yearbook. “I wish to see the yearbook digitized instead of physical copies so we can cut down on paper waste and make it more accessible to others,” said Sampson. The cost of the yearbook has not been determined, but Sampson said a digital version would be cheaper for students over a traditional, physical copy.
The UPS is collaborating with the University Art Museum and the English department to develop and format the yearbook. They encourage students to submit their own photos to the University Photography Services page.
“You don’t have to be a pro photographer to submit,” said Sampson. “You can submit photos that you take with your friends, photos that you’re proud of, stuff related to school, campus, and other activities you do.”
You can find more information using the link below:
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