The Penn State yearbook, La Vie, plans to submit a proposal to administrators that would use student activity fee dollars to pay for free yearbooks for the graduating class every spring.

Kellen Ball, the yearbook's business manager, said the proposal would suggest increasing the student activity fee by $3 a semester.

Earlier this month, yearbook staff surveyed students in the HUB-Robeson Center and in classes to gauge support for the new proposal. Ball said survey results indicated that about 86 percent of 2,644 students surveyed said they would support the proposed increase.

Ball said yearbook sales have declined in past years, following a nationwide trend. For the 2005-2006 year, 750 yearbooks were sold, and La Vie has not made a profit since 2003, Ball said.

Jenna Wenclawiak, La Vie co-editor in chief, said many students cited high cost as the reason for not purchasing a yearbook. The yearbook, which includes a DVD, costs $80 this year, down from $116 last year.

Jaclyn Gruber, the other co-editor in chief, said the savings came from a number of "nitty-gritty" cost-cutting measures that La Vie has taken to save money without cutting quality, such as switching to generic instead of name-brand colors.

Since production costs decline dramatically as more yearbooks are ordered, purchasing yearbooks for the entire graduating class of about 6,000 students could lower the cost per yearbook to less than $30, Gruber said.

Stan Latta, director of unions and student activities, said the new Fee Allocation Board (FAB) might consider the yearbook's proposal.

FAB, which plans to begin operating in the spring, will allocate student activity fee funds at University Park. The board will consist of seven voting students and three voting faculty members. If La Vie's proposal is accepted, it would probably be included with other "big budget items" that FAB will give money to every year, such as Bryce Jordan Center ticket subsidies and the Distinguished Speaker series.

FAB will begin accepting funding proposals next February and will notify groups of its decisions in early March.

Greg Heleniak, chairman of the University Park Allocations Committee, which allocates funds to students groups, said since the yearbook's proposal includes an increase in the student activity fee, it may need to be considered by the Student Activity Fee Board (SAFB), which recommends the student activity fee.

However, Heleniak said SAFB had already made its recommendation for next year's fee, so La Vie would need to wait until next fall's consideration of the 2008-2009 fee in order to be included.

Heleniak said while he did not personally support the proposal, he would need to see a formal presentation on it before deciding how he would vote on it.

Latta said FAB and SAFB would need to have a discussion about which board will handle the request.

Other groups, including the University Park Undergraduate Association and WKPS-FM (90.7) The Lion, have also said they may seek funding from FAB. "We really haven't considered how those kind of requests might go forward," Latta said.

Ball said yearbooks are still on sale for $80 on La Vie's Web site at www.clubs.psu.edu/lavie.