For the first time in 40 years, the T-Book has resurfaced as a printed edition on the Tech campus. The T-Book can be easily identified by its gold cover and large white “T” on the front.
Inside, the T-Book chronicles everything about Tech traditions that a freshman should know. It starts by talking about athletics and then goes on to list all Tech’s famous cheers and traditions.
The final section is called “Completing the Tradition,” and here, students are told about various traditions for freshmen and the activities on campus in which they are encouraged to participate.
The pictures are printed lighter in this section with the hopes that students will replace the pictures with their own photos of participating in all the traditions listed in the book.
“It’s sort of a photo diary of your time at Tech…. This book is really meant to be a special thing that students can use to remember their time at Tech for the rest of their lives,” said Brandon Kearse, editor of the online edition of the T-Book.
This year, 5,000 copies of the T-book were published in conjunction with the Georgia Tech Student Publications Board and the Ramblin’ Reck Club. The photos were taken mainly from the Student Publications database, and the articles were written by various members of the Ramblin’ Reck Club. Funds for publishing the T-Book came mostly from Student Life Activities Board with the rest covered by the Ramblin’ Reck Club.
The Ramblin’ Reck Club distributed the T-Books in the freshmen dorms in early October. Other copies have been given to people in the Alumni Association and in the President’s Office, and are available to whoever wants one. The T-Book can also be viewed online.
T-Book staff is pleased with the reaction on campus to the T-Book.
“Not only do freshmen love it… but alumni are absolutely fascinated by the book…. What’s amazed me the most is how it goes beyond freshman to the whole community,” Kearse said.
“When you look at the book, you can see there’s been a lot of time and effort put into the organizing of the book … A lot of the current editors and advisors [from the student publications board] had positive things to say,” said D. McCall Pitts, director of Student Media.
The T-book was originally a book given to freshmen at orientation that described Tech’s many traditions and acted as a guide to Tech for the newly arrived freshmen.
The printed tradition of the T-book lasted from 1906 to1968 and was printed in conjunction with the YMCA (which Tech used to use as its fitness center). When Tech cut its ties with the YMCA, the T-book tradition died out.
For about the past ten years, the T-Book has been an online entity that functioned as an online RATS Guide to Tech. However, there has been a lack of funding and sparse updates. SGA even cut funding to the T-Book last year.
The new printed version of the T-Book is an attempt to bring more attention to Tech’s traditions and prevent the publication from dying out.
Logistics for the future of the T-Book are still in question. Funding for the T-Book from SGA has been applied for under the umbrella of Student Publications, but other funds are also being solicited from outside sources, such as the Alumni Association.
In order for the T-Book to publish under its current name, it must continue to stay a part of Student Publications, so the details of how they will partner with Ramblin’ Reck Club are still being worked out.
The primary concern is to try and get a book out to each incoming class, hopefully by convocation.
“We want to do what’s best for the book, so it doesn’t turn into a dilapidated website again,” Kearse said. “Our ultimate goal is to produce a book every year.”