I hope these are enough to get things rolling again. Before you jump back into traditional student life section development, think about redeveloping the section depending on some of your content. The student life section tends to be the section most students really enjoy, and yet it's the section yearbook staffs don't typically change much. I hope you take this opportunity to really think about your section coverage and see where these new ideas can take you. We seem to do the same stories year after year.
Staffs needs to be reminded to look around from time to time.
If we allow staff members to sit in the staff room with last year's yearbook open, the same ideas will always pop up at brainstorm sessions. Take some time to look around and take a walk with the staff. You can make this an assignment or just a fun activity. Walk the entire campus, all the halls, check out the offices and the gym. Students should take paper and pencil and write down any new ideas they see.