This year's UA yearbook, The Desert 2004: Unearthed, was released yesterday.

About 1,500 yearbooks have been mailed out to the students, staff and various UA departments that ordered them.

Though Daniel Scarpinato, former editor in chief of the Desert, said the book was supposed to be published in the fall, it was mailed out later than expected because of a few delays in the spring production cycle.

"A lot of seniors were turning pictures in late," Scarpinato said.

The staff also had to start from scratch

The last UA yearbook was published in 1997. Scarpinato said college yearbooks were becoming "less popular because campuses were becoming bigger, and people were becoming less connected to the campus community."

But when Mark Woodhams, director of Student Media, offered Scarpinato the chance to revive the 2004 Desert yearbook, Scarpinato was inspired by the thought of bringing back a campus tradition, he said.

The 553-page hardcover edition, which looks like it is bound with brown leather, contains the names and majors of all the approximately 28,000 UA undergraduate students.

Also, the yearbook contains a year-in-review, meant to capture the feeling of 2004, a section honoring the UA heritage, and articles covering campus life, Greek Life, campus involvement and others. On the inside of the covers are pictures of almost every yearbook since 1925.

Copies are still available for $75, but Woodhams said only a "limited quantity" is left.

Those interested in attaining a copy should call the Student Media office at 621-3195.