The University of Rhode Island’s Renaissance Yearbook has entered a new era, now managed by Memorial Union staff instead of running as a traditional student-run club.
After the passing of longtime Memorial Union Director and Yearbook Advisor Maureen McDermott led to administrative challenges, the student senate authorized the transfer of nearly $77,000 in yearbook club funds to the Memorial Union, according to John Njende, student senate director of the treasury.
This decision secured both the resources and professional oversight required to ensure the yearbook’s continued publication, a goal university leaders say remains central to campus culture, according to Njende.
“The yearbook is more than just a collection of portraits,” Njende said. “It’s a record for students, alumni and the campus community. Losing it would mean losing a piece of our history.”
These concerns were spurred by the loss in student involvement within the Renaissance Yearbook committee, as they have not been able to function very well for the past few years, according to student senate President Meilin Reyes.
“Not a lot of students have the interest in dealing with technology and developing a yearbook,” Reyes said. “It’s been a couple years since we’ve had the student organization, I think it’s much more beneficial for the student senate budget and for the Memorial Union to have access to those finances, to be able to carry out the process of the yearbook.”
Physical production practices remain familiar, according to Director of the Memorial Union Melissa Boyd. The Memorial Union partners with Jostens for printing and Lauren Studio for senior portraits, and annual photo sessions are held throughout the year at the Memorial Union. Most of the yearbook’s operational budget is funneled into design, photography, editing and printing.
Each spring, content is collected after major events and commencement, according to Boyd. Finished books are shipped directly to graduates in the fall, ensuring the tangible tradition remains alive.
The shift in oversight means that financial management, vendor selection and project timelines are now entirely in the hands of Memorial Union staff, according to Boyd. Boyd said that student involvement within the yearbook committee has changed, but not disappeared.
Students are encouraged to volunteer in a variety of ways — submitting event photos, artistic designs or even written reflections on campus life, and have it be seen in the yearbook, according to Boyd. Submission options are accessible via digital forms or QR codes posted around the Memorial Union.
“If people want to submit pictures even now of events that they’re doing, I want to make sure that folks have a chance to see themselves represented in the book,” Boyd said. “But we’re also interested in artwork, stories or anything that captures what it means to be part of URI.”
There is currently no dedicated yearbook staff hiring or paid student positions, but Boyd said the option to revive a student-run club is always open.
“It only takes nine or 10 individuals to come forward and say, ‘we’d like to restart the yearbook club’ — and we’d support that,” Boyd said.
This transition comes as colleges experience a decline in physical yearbook sales and a surge in digital media preferences, according to Njende. URI is exploring the possibility of a hybrid model, allowing students to order either a traditional print yearbook or a digital, interactive edition.
This approach aims to keep the yearbook relevant for a new generation while maintaining the sense of permanence that only a printed volume can offer, according to Boyd.
Reyes said that the changes at URI are a custom solution to a specific challenge, not a precedent for other student organizations.
“Our intention was not to set a precedent for other student organizations, but to maintain the yearbook as a key part of university life,” Reyes said.
The Memorial Union and senate leadership see the Renaissance Yearbook as more than nostalgia. In times of change, preserving the stories, faces and events of each academic year ensures a lasting link for future students and alumni, according to Boyd.
This isn’t the start of a trend; the Memorial Union wanted to save a piece of university history, according to Boyd. Njende reinforced Boyd’s point, saying that what happened with the yearbook is a rare case, and that other student organizations should not worry.
