From Yearbook to Facebook?

The college years are often remembered as the best days of your life.

And, traditionally, the memories were collected, printed and bound, put together in a college yearbook meant to last forever.

But now, in this digital age, all that might be about to change. With students carrying cameras in their pockets and regularly immersed in electronic media such as Facebook and Instagram, the popularity of the yearbook is declining.

So far this year, only about 10 percent of students have ordered a yearbook. Less than 30 percent of students had their pictures taken for the yearbook’s “People” section earlier this year.

Photo by Drew Chaltry: Past MVNU’s yearbooks can be viewed at the campus library.

Jordan Nichols, managing editor of this year’s yearbook, said he hates to think it’s the end of the yearbook program.

Nichols, whose parents both attended Nazarene schools as college students, loves looking through the pages of his parents’ old yearbooks.

“They’re hilarious,” he said, noting that it’s great to view Mom and Dad in a different light and culture.

His concern is that students in this generation are “too caught up in iPhones, and MacBooks, Facebook pages, and Instagram feeds to care about physical media anymore.”

“I hope students understand that Instagram and Facebook aren’t going to last forever,” he said. “The best way to preserve the memories you make here is with a yearbook.”

MVNU alumnus Shelby Jones, who was managing editor for the 2014 yearbook editor agreed. She said yearbooks are an important part of history for individual students, as well as the school.

“It seems like we do not really document things like we did in the past,” Jones said. “We take pictures and store them all digitally and then they tend to end up getting lost or deleted.”

The yearbook program also took a hit this year when students had to purchase their yearbooks separately for the first time.

Previously, yearbooks costs were included in students’ general fees on their MVNU school bills.

Students and parents said they preferred it that way. Many students who willingly paid for the yearbook in the past decided not to buy one this year.

Anyone who still wants to order a copy of this year’s Enerazan should pick up an order form in the

Communication Department offices in Founders 219 or go online to yearbookforever.com. The cost is $62.