Howdy, SWACUHO!

The tradition of the Twelfth Man began in January, 1922, when the underdog Aggie football team was playing Centre College, then ranked first in the nation. As the game went on, several Aggie players were hurt, and Coach Dana X. Bible had to reach deep into the Aggie bench. As he quickly ran through his team members, he remembered a player who was not in uniform, and who was instead in the press box helping to identify players for the reporters. This player, E. King Gill, was called down from the press box, suited up, and stood ready on the sidelines for the rest of the game, which the Aggies finally won 22-14. When the game ended, E. King Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. Later, Gill said, "I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me."

His gesture was more than enough for his fellow Aggies, and even though he didn't play in the game, Gill had accepted the call to stand by and help his team. He has become known as the Twelfth Man because he stood ready in the event that his eleven teammates on the field needed him. That spirit of being ready to support the team, a desire to serve, and his enthusiasm created a flame of enthusiasm throughout the student body that has grown to a burning spirit in the many years since. Now, the entire Aggie student body is the Twelfth Man, and they still stand ready during the entire game as a symbol of their willingness to be called upon if needed.

As Texas A&M University prepares to host SWACUHO 12, we recognize that the spirit of the twelfth man is one that housing professionals show every day. From Resident Advisors to Chief Housing Officers and everyone in between, we always stand prepared to support our students. Sometimes that support comes in the form of a fun program, sometimes it comes from providing excellent facilities and customer service, and sometimes it even comes from a conversation we have during a conduct conference. But no matter what, SWACUHO members are ready to answer the call of duty (sometimes literally!), and we are always Standing Ready for Our Students.

So we hope you'll join us March 4-7 at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in College Station, TX for an annual conference that's sure to reenergize you and provide you with amazing new ideas to help you stand ready. Look for SWACUHO 12 on Facebook or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Register here: http://www.cvent.com/d/7cq8gb/4W.  You can make hotel reservations at the Hilton by visiting http://www.hiltoncs.com/. The code for the conference rate is SWACUHO.

Early-bird registration ends January 27; after that date, the registration fee will increase to $205 per person until February 10, and then it will increase to $220 per person through on-site registration.

View the full conference schedule here: SWACUHO 2012 Conference Schedule.

Gig ‘Em,

Your 2012 Host Committee