Hawks set to get official hand sign this April
The Hawk Spirit and Traditions Council (HSTC) at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) is hosting a hand sign contest that allows the student body to submit and vote for the university’s official hand sign. The submission deadline has passed, but the voting begins March 25 and ends April 1 with the winning sign being announced at UHCL’s annual Chili Cook-Off on April 4. The idea for a hand sign has been discussed before but never gained any traction until recently.
HSTC Committee Coordinator Patty Waters suggested the idea of a hand sign in her interview for the position of coordinator in the fall of 2019 and is now spearheading the hand sign initiative. Waters stated that she has two international roommates who are isolated from the culture at the university, and she believes a nonverbal sign is a perfect solution to create a sense of pride and belonging among the students, staff and graduates.
“That would be so amazing if we had something where we don’t even have to speak to one another; we just have this hand sign, and we just immediately feel connected in the room,” Waters said.
Dean of Students David Rachita said having an official hand sign can foster a sense of connection to one’s school and, in turn, affect how well they do in their college career.
“Research shows us that students who feel connected to their university are more satisfied, and if they are more satisfied, they are going to persist; they are going to be retained, and if they are going to be retained, they are going to graduate,” Rachita said.
Hand gestures unique to different colleges exist across the United States and have been a part of the college experience and tradition since it was started in 1930 by Texas A&M. An article written for myaggienation.com titled “Today in Aggie History: ‘Pinky’ Downs starts the ‘Gig ‘em’ hand signal” states the start of the university’s hand gesture began with the Aggies football team.
As A&M geared up to play TCU, Pinky Downs, a former Aggie and school board member from 1923 to 1933, gave a motivating speech to the team before the game. When he asked the team what they were going to do with the Horned Frogs, he yelled “Gig ‘em’ Aggies!” and made a hand sign of a closed fist and a thumb up. The term comes from hunting frogs or fish using a pronged spear called a “gig,” The gesture became A&M’s signature hand signal.
Texas A&M had a monopoly on hand gestures for the next 25 years, but in 1955 Harley Clark, a cheerleader from The University of Texas (UT), concluded that A&M was winning because they had a hand sign and UT was losing because they did not have one.
At a pep rally before the TCU game, Clark held up his right hand in a peculiar way. The index and little fingers were sticking up, while the thumb held down the two interior digits to represent the head of a Longhorn.
From that point, the use of hand gestures spread rapidly throughout other universities starting with those in the Southwest Conference (an NCAA Division I college athlete conference comprised of universities from the South).
Hand signs are generally associated with school sports, but that is not all they can be used for. In his time as both a university student and an administrator at previous institutions, UHCL’s Vice President of the Division of Student Affairs Aaron Hart has seen hand gestures used in a variety of ways.
“You would see it in promotional videos; during orientation you would see it during campus visits,” Hart said. “ Because we don’t have athletics, having a hand sign and building those traditions is even more important.”
Andy Robb, graphic design major and graphic designer in the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs, said he is not sure if the hand gesture will fully catch on but will be excited if it does.
“ We’ll have to wait and see if it does, I’d be excited about it,” Robb said. “I’ll finally have something to do with my hands when taking pics at school events.”
