War Whoop in jeopardy

Lack of student interest leaves administrators questioning the future of the Norwich University yearbook

By Elysha Nelson
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Col. Michael McKean, Commandant and Vice President for Student Affairs; Norwich President Richard Schneider; and Dr. Chandler Stowell, Director of Student Activities are all in agreement that the War Whoop, Norwich University's yearbook, is an important part of student life.

The question in their minds, however, is "Where are the students?"

The War Whoop has been struggling over the last several years with dwindling student interest and support, according to Stowell. "We have had some problems. One being getting people to work with the yearbook."

In addition, students have been reluctant to keep appointments with the photographers for their activities and senior photographs. Recently, the president's office and other offices around campus have been receiving letters and phone calls expressing dissatisfaction with the War Whoop.

"I'm heartbroken for them, like when I get a letter saying this book is terrible, my picture's not even in it," Schneider said. "And I write back and say: 'Where were you when the pictures were taken? All you had to do is go, and show up.'"

While this problem is certainly disconcerting to the alumni who receive a yearbook that is a "disappointment," Schneider said that it is also a major concern for the university. This lack of support hurts the university's alumni relations, something which Schneider thinks the administration is "not responsible."

"I think they may not realize it now, but that yearbook is going to be very important to them, especially on their 25th homecoming or their 50th homecoming. I don't think the students understand how important a document it is for them," said Schneider.

Stowell said part of the problem may be the lack of compensation offered by the university for the time one might put into the yearbook.

"I think there still are a lot of people who would like to be involved in it," Stowell said. "But it's a thankless job. It's not like going out and winning a basketball game, and everybody cheers for you."

This problem does not seem to be strictly a student one. There also has been difficulty in getting faculty support in the form of a faculty advisor for the War Whoop.

Prof. Andrew Knauf, Head of the Humanities Division and a member of the English Department faculty, said, "This business is new to me. I know only that, periodically, Chan Stowell and his predecessors have tried to arouse interest from faculty assigned to Humanities and other academic divisions on advising or helping with the yearbook."

The biggest problem seems to be how a professor who decides to take on duties as yearbook advisor would be compensated.

"On occasion, a few faculty have tested the waters, found the institution could not at the time provide compensation in release time or a stipend, and allowed their interest to lag," Knauf said.

The brainstorming process has begun, at least informally, to fix the War Whoop's problems.

Stowell would like to see involvement as a yearbook staff member become part of a one-credit course.

"It's always been volunteer. What I've tried to push for is to work [the yearbook] into some kind of a credit course," said Stowell. "I think it's only fair if people get credit for Pegasus Players, or band, or working on The Norwich Guidon, it should be the same for the yearbook."

Schneider agrees.

"I think it will help; I think we've improved the Guidon reporting since it's become part of the academic program. I think that's certainly true for our documentation work that the video guys do, Bill Estill and his group," Schneider said. "They produce wonderful, award-winning things. Our newspaper is an award-winning newspaper, and I think that's because we've integrated it into the academic program."

Stowell has been working with the different academic divisions and the Provost's office to offer credit for involvement in the War Whoop.

Traditionally, the advisor to the War Whoop has come from the ranks of the English Department, and Stowell thinks it should stay that way. However, he said that he can't fault any faculty member for a lack of interest, because, "like everyone else, they feel they're overworked and underpaid."

McKean said that he also thinks that the yearbook should be both a student and faculty effort.

"What we have got to create is a mechanism that we get student involvement, because it is a student book, and we have faculty/staff oversight that is consistent," McKean said. "We don't have consistency here."

Some students said that they would be more likely to work on the yearbook staff it was offered as a course.

"If it was offered as a credit that could fill a humanities elective requirement, then I would be interested, but not if it was offered as a job, because I am not able to hold another job, either in school or out of school, according to my residence life contract, starting next year," said Anne Lambert, 21, a junior English major from Jaffrey, NH.

Meghan Hunt, 20, a junior psychology major from Northumberland, NH, said "if it were a class, I would participate. I helped out a little bit with the placement on my high school yearbook, and I thought that was fun."

Another idea Stowell had was to break the management, production, and marketing of the War Whoop into different departments.

He said that the yearbook should be a combined effort of English, communications, and business departments.

"The business department did step forward and said that they could make a senior project out of it," Stowell said. "Someone would work up the sales and the advertising and the selling of the yearbook."

McKean, along with many others, is determined not to let the War Whoop become extinct.

"To have this die is morally wrong. To have it not a quality product is morally wrong," McKean said.

"And I can tell you that I'm committed; the president is committed; we're gonna make this happen correctly."

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