As Lasallians come and go, it is important to have something that can remind them of their stay in the University. For this reason, yearbooks are made—to remember their fleeting college life marked by their personal noble achievements and the hardships of their batch. Every educational institution comprises of a yearbook publication body, and for DLSU, it proudly boasts the Green & White.
It takes a maximum of one and a half year to finish a whole yearbook. The LaSallian sits down with the incumbent Green & White Editor in Chief Danielle Sandrino to talk about the services they offer and the process of distributing the finished yearbook.
On Green & White’s services
The process for subscribing to the yearbook has been constant throughout the years. Registration happens during the first term of every academic year, graduation pictorials during the second, and the photo distribution and online verification during the third term.
According to Sandrino, during the registration period, Lasallians who want to subscribe to the yearbook will get a registration kit containing the Personal Information Sheet, Contract of Agreement, Accounting Slip, and the new Data Privacy Agreement. These forms must then be filled out and signed. Afterwards, subscribers must pay the corresponding fees to the Accounting Office and return the accomplished kit along with the receipts. To complete their registration, subscribers must create an account on Green & White’s website where they would input their personal details and schedule their pictorials.
The yearbook subscription is open to undergraduate students with five remaining terms or less, and graduate students with two remaining terms or less. Students who have graduated from the previous year are also allowed to subscribe, given that they have not subscribed to any previous batch of the yearbook.
Despite the deadlines set by Green & White, they still accommodate late registrations with valid reasons or other special cases. However, Sandrino emphasizes that this is not encouraged by the Editorial Board (EB) as they want everything to be done as soon as possible to prevent any delay on their processes, especially those concerning the subscribers.
“We also do not want to promote a habit [among] the subscribers to do everything [at] the last minute, or expect us to accommodate their special requests all the time. Green & White teaches the value of discipline not only to our staffers, but also, hopefully, to our subscribers,” she adds.
From previous subscribers
When asked about her yearbook registration experience, Vivean Pallera (AB-DVS, ‘17) expresses that she and her batchmates were confused about the process. She claims that there was not enough information about when and how to apply for Green & White services. While there were some information eventually released, many of her batchmates felt it was not disseminated effectively.
“I was surprised na I found out that people who will graduate on this certain month have to apply now. Basically, I discovered the application process really late, and I was rushing things,” she adds.
On dealing with backlogs and delays
Sandrino asserts that Green & White is committed to taking the necessary steps to avoid production and distribution delays. However, given unavoidable circumstances, she explains that the first step in handling the problem is finding its source and working on it immediately. Subscribers are also updated and reminded about deadlines through emails, text blasts, and posts on Green & White’s Facebook page. “But if the subscriber still fails to accomplish [the requirements] before the deadline, then we have to apologize [because] we must [move] forward [with] our process. Again, a deadline is a deadline,” she stresses.
Sandrino also explains that every Green & White batch has its own EB that is working on finishing and distributing the yearbook on time, so a delay with one batch would not affect the subsequent batches. “We always tell our subscribers that [a respective Green & White batch] is an entirely different entity from [the] previous one, although carrying the organization’s name. This is to protect the other batch from the mistakes or backlash that one batch is receiving. Another is to protect the staffers, who might not be even part of the organization when [the] given incidents [happened],” she elaborates.
For the steps that the publication takes to ensure the promptness of their deliverables, Sandrino shares that open communication, harmonious working relationships, and teamwork are just a few of the work cultures that Green & White upholds.
Project Green & White
According to an article by The LaSallian last February 2017, Green & White had started distributing old yearbooks taking up spacte in their respective storage rooms. Faced with the question of its success, Sandrino expresses that Project Green & White’s goal is to distribute all past Green & White yearbooks from different batches. “Since these yearbooks had been taking up storage space, this is a call to action which has been relatively successful,” she shares.
However, Sandrino clarifies that this will not lead to the removal of the mandatory delivery charge. “We implemented the delivery charge to avoid having a storage space, so the yearbooks would be delivered directly to the subscriber,” she concludes.
with reports from Ramon Castañeda
