The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley recognizes two hand signs as university spirit symbols.
V’s Up
The UTRGV ‘V’s Up’ is a single-hand sign representing the Vaqueros community. It is the same ‘v’ used in American Sign Language and represents the true spirit of our Vaqueros students, staff, faculty, and the greater community.
V’s Up is used across all university communications and branding and is a universal sign of the UTRGV spirit and The Future of Texas.
HERD V
The two-handed ‘V’ was created by students from HERD, the official student section of UTRGV Athletics.
The right hand is brought up to symbolize a lasso — a traditional vaquero accessory representing the strength of vaqueros. The left hand is brought up to symbolize Texas. Both hands are brought together (right behind left) to form the ‘V’. The hand sign is highly visible at athletic and spirit-themed events.
Original Creators of the HERD V: Amanda Aguilar, Dinorah Flores, Antonio Forina, Dianne Dublado, Mar Gonzalez, Henry Fisher, and Aylin Reta