This USC senior wants to bring back the yearbook. But she’s running out of time

It’s been a long time since the University of South Carolina had a traditional yearbook.

Garnet & Black was last published as a yearbook in 1994, the same year Hootie & the Blowfish released their smash debut album, Cracked Rear View.

But today, a USC senior is trying to bring bring back a modern version of the school’s yearbook.

Samantha Petrelli, a senior in USC’s Darla Moore School of Business, is already hard at work. Petrelli said she already has a publisher, 25 complete pages, 50 pre-orders, 15 volunteers to work on the yearbook and a 50-page business proposal that served as her senior thesis.

“Thee Big Spur” — riffing on “forever to thee” from the alma mater and not to be confused with Gamecocks sports publication The Big Spur — aims to “capture the Carolina experience” by featuring traditional events like the Tiger Burn, Columbia mainstays like Soda City and student initiatives like supporting Hilinski’s Hope, Petrelli said.

Unlike the yearbooks of old, Thee Big Spur will not feature pages upon pages worth of photos of every student. And unlike the Garnet & Black magazine, which replaced the yearbook in the ‘90s, Thee Big Spur will focus less on current events and social movements, Petrelli said.

Rather, Thee Big Spur wants to be a “piece of memorabilia, something students are going to be able to take with them and put on their coffee table,” Petrelli said.

“I love everything about” USC, said Petrelli, who is originally from Pennsylvania. “I’d love to be able to show my friends.”

Jostens, which sells class rings, yearbooks and graduation garb, has agreed to publish the yearbook without students having to put money up front.

The yearbooks are selling for $60, and Petrelli is seeking advertisers to help defray the $80-per-book production cost, she said.

But just as quickly as USC’s yearbook came back, it could disappear. If Petrelli and her staff don’t get 250 total orders by Feb. 15, Jostens will “pull the plug,” Petrelli said.

Those who want to buy a yearbook can go to Jostens.com and enter University of South Carolina in the pop-up prompt.