Since beginning working for the United Students Government in 1977, Buffalo State College graduate, Dave Meinzer has not seen BSC's yearbook this close to extinction.

“Ten years ago the yearbook staff just kind of evaporated and the project was just sort of dumped in my lap,” said Meinzer, who since then has been editor in chief and “defacto adviser” of the Elms yearbook .

20 years ago, most people who commuted to school were within walking distance to campus and the sense of community was greater, Meinzer said, but now the “balance of population has shifted,” and students are becoming strangers.

“Why would I want a yearbook full of people I never met before?” said Lauren Carpenter, an elementary education major.

Meinzer agrees, saying that he would like to have categories in the yearbook such as “most likely to succeed” to make it more fun and interesting, but “people don't know people.”

As of early March, Meinzer does not even know who is going to be involved next year. To raise interest he wants to get communications and design majors involved but for the most part this has been unsuccessful.

“This would be good for (a design major's) portfolio…(but) as of now we only have one design major involved,” Meinzer said.

Meinzer adds that the yearbook is not something students hear about on a weekly basis like The Record , but it is something that just appears at the end of the year “like magic,” making it harder to gain interest and get the word out.

This year's budget for the yearbook is half of what it was two years ago due to decreasing sales , and Meinzer thinks that it is possible that BSC will not have a yearbook at all in the near future . Even two years ago one yearbook cost SEVENTY DOLLARS to produce, were sold for TEN DOLLARS and only half were selling, according to Meinzer.

Meinzer invites communication, design and any other majors here at BSC to get involved by seeing him in Cassety Hall Room 106.

Email: EustMT@mail.buffalostate.edu