The Southwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SWACURH) was officially organized in 1980. Originally, states in the SWACURH region were part of the Midwest Affiliate. The Midwest states consisted of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. At this time, the primary purpose of the organization was conferences, but because of the large geographical area of the region, schools struggled to attend regional conferences and attendance was sparse.

 

In 1979, two student leaders, Bob Tattershall, the Regional Director of MACURH, and Kevin Wyatt, Director of the National Information Center (NIC), submitted a proposal to realign the NACURH regions to be more in harmony with the national professional housing organization, Association of College and Housing Officials-International (ACUHO-I). The ambitious goal of restructuring all of the regions was met with opposition by many; however, people from various schools understood the logic, concept and benefits of aligning the student organization with the professional organization.

 

In continuing the effort to realign the regions, Bob and Kevin initiated a plan to help facilitate participation and growth in regions.  Bob became the catalyst in increasing membership of MACURH before SWACURH was organized. In order to do this, he sent 250 letters to schools in Minnesota and Louisiana—in turn, MACURH affiliation increased from 22 to 48 schools.

 

The 1980 NACURH conference, held at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, marked the true beginning of SWACURH history. Bob and Kevin prepared a proposal to the National Board of Directors to split the Midwest region. As a result, the South Atlantic and Great lakes regions released their affiliation with Louisiana and Minnesota respectively, and the National Board of Directors accepted the proposal. 

 

In August 1980 at the regional MACURH conference, two copies of governing documents were prepared.  The documents consisted of financial, administrative, organizational, and miscellaneous policies.  Two sets of files were created from the MACURH files. Two business meetings were held, and policies and by-laws were established for the new SWACURH and MACURH regions. Each region also elected a new director, selected conference host sites, and voted on School of the Year and Advisor of the Year. The newly formed SWACURH had eight schools in attendance and has continued to grow from this foundation. 

 

Throughout the years, SWACURH kept growing and progressing. In 1985, a $50 scholarship was given to the NCC OTM winners, and in 1987 the NCC of the Year award was created. In 1995, the first schools in Mexico became affiliated with SWACURH, creating the current affiliated areas of the region.  As a move to become a more environmentally conscious organization, the process of online bidding was implemented in 2003, and in 2006, the SWACURH Regional Conference boardroom was the first to go almost completely paperless.