Two thousand dollars of students’ money is going toward yearbook picture days that most students don’t attend.
A professional photographer was on campus yesterday to take student portraits for the Winona yearbook. The Hillsdale College Student Federation has given the Winona $2,000 a year for at least the past five years to pay for this.
If a student doesn’t get his picture taken, he doesn’t appear with his class in the yearbook. Last year, around 600 students had their picture taken — out of about 1,400 students. That’s 800 students that pay for something they don’t get.
This cost could be cut down to a one-time investment by paying for the photography equipment and having photographers on the yearbook staff take the portraits, providing them with valuable experience, while also saving money.
A portrait studio kit could cost up to $1,200 and a backdrop another $200 — still well under $2,000. The photographers on staff own their own cameras, which could be used for taking the portraits. This way, the costs for equipment would only apply during one year and could then be eliminated.
If the Winona were to purchase a camera, it would cost another $2,000 or more. In that case, the Winona would need the $2,000 for two years and then could eliminate that cost.
However, there are everyday scheduling conflicts for student photographers, said Aaron Sandford, editor of the Winona. Whereas a professional can be available the whole day, students have classes and other commitments. Sanford added that the professional photographer edits and matches each photo with the name of the student, a time-consuming process.
The Winona does have the equipment to edit as well as organize photos and has a team of photographers that could most likely tag-team picture days. The biggest problem, Sanford said, would be the extra time required.
So why doesn’t the Winona just hire more photographers? Currently, the yearbook photographers are paid $150 a year. The Winona could counter the added time by hiring a few more to help lighten the workload. Two extra photographer means $300 a year – still significantly less than $2,000.
With a larger staff, the Winona could offer picture day more than twice and have more student pictures in the yearbook. If more students get their picture taken, then they might also be more inclined to purchase a yearbook or purchase ads in the yearbook.
Student Federation President Esther Ashmore said that the Winona has gone over their $26,250 budget every year since she was a freshman. In the past academic year, they were over budget by $4,000. In an effort to make up that $4,000 from last year, the Winona staff worked with Student Federation Treasurer David Wilhelmsen to cut their budget by $2,000 this year and next year.
“There’s ways they can cut back,” Ashmore said. “It’s good life-learning — how to stay under budget.”
She added that the yearbook staff should be selling more ads to help pay for the book. Some years they do not reach their ads-sold goal.
Saving money on bringing in a professional photographer would free up hundreds of dollars ether to help keep the Winona under budget or to fund other student organizations or clubs. With only $19,000 going to other clubs and organizations, the saved money could be apportioned out more equally across campus.
The Student Federation regularly turns down requests for funding. Last year, Delta Phi Alpha, the German honorary, was denied $120 to make a day trip to Frankenmuth, a German town in Michigan. It seems that more of these smaller requests could be met if the wasted costs were cut from the Winona budget.
A majority of students are paying for this professional photographer and don’t benefit. If that cost could be cut from the Winona budget, that money could be used in other ways to benefit more of the student body and save student pocketbooks.
