MEDIA WRITING FA L L 2 017
Pa g e 1 6 St u d e n t s u s e a n ci e nt syste m t o c l ea n u p l ocal he i au
B R I G H A M YO U N G U N I V E R S I T Y – H AWA I I
COV ER: Comm 211 s tudents s hare stori e s fro m s em es ter ’s w o rk
Page 27 Toxin in reef fish ca n ha r m hum ans if they ea t t hem
Media Writing Fall Semester 2017
ADVISOR Le e A n n Lam ber t ART DIRECTOR Lo r in Vi l ayvong MANAGING EDITOR Josh M ason COPY EDITORS
MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISTS John Michael Bangal Ayla Blad Swart Courtney Box Nielsen Zoie Conder Brittania Darrington Jordan Donaldson
Josh Mason
Shannon Gomez
LeeAnn Lambert
Gwen Gottschall
PHOTOGRAPHERS Ol iv i a Tsan
Teddy Hansen Milani Ho Ip
A lvin V i ncent Dy
Allison Hunter
H e cto r Per i q ui n
Alexis Jimenez
Lo r in Vi l ayvong
Christal Lee
A nu hea Chen
Chiao-Min Joy Liu James Jackson Measles Elisa Moncrief Evelyn Nichols Henrique Schmeil Emmalee Smith Rose Taabua Julienne Taylor Ethan Whitaker
NEW S CE N T ER BOX 1920 BYUH LAIE, HI 96762 PRINTER P r int Ser vi ces
CONTACT
Email: keal akai @by u h. edu Ad Information: keal akai ads@gmai l . com Phone: (80 8 ) 6 7 5 -3 6 9 4 Office: BYU -Hawai i Al oha Cent er 13 4 ON THE COVER: Students in the Communications 211 Media Writing class pause for a photo outside their McKay complex classroom just days before the end of the Fall 2017 Semester. Photo by Lorin Vilayvong
ABO UT US
Students in the Communications 211 Media Writing Class contribute to this magazine published every fall semester. It is produced in conjunction with the Ke Alaka‘i computer lab and interns. 2
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Table of Contents
CAMPUS LIFE
6
Senior Courtney Cox blends art and music into a hand-lettered symphony
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8
Study shows more than 90 percent of students use Netflix
10
Malaysian Club sells out of one of the top 10 ‘must try’ foods at FoodFest
12 Give N’ Take up cycles one student’s trash into another’s treasure
14
Religion professors advise reading scriptures in the morning and pondering
16 BYUH students use ancient system to clean up ancient Hawaiian heiau
18
Housing official says $50 room transfer fee was not enforced during campus construction but it is now
22
LOCAL
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Honolulu bill makes crossing the street while looking at a phone illegal
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Laie woman serves others by going to the temple or Family History Center daily
30
State of Hawaii to test air raid warning sirens due to North Korean missile threats
LIFESTYLE
32
Learn how to make sweet sticky rice balls in ginger soup
34 Students say music transcends language and cultural barriers
36
Study shows trick or treating should be left to children and students agree
38 Students favor small phones for most things but watch movies on larger screens
NEWS
40
Changes in General Conferences schedule make sessions more meaningful
41
Teenage Russian model dies from exhaustion after working 13 hours in a row
42
Coping with terrorist attacks includes coming together and not giving into fear
24 Weird Hawaii laws include no billboards
44 Gun control and mental health issues need
27
45 Two BYUH students remember
and not putting coins in your ear
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Local students say living aloha is serving others and caring for the land and sea
Toxin found in reef fish doesn’t hurt them but can harm humans who eat them
to be improved after church shooting
Chinese student killed in Utah
FALL 2017
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International Students
number of international students
at BYU–Hawaii
1200
Countries
1000
Percentage of a few individual international populations compared to the rest on the internationl student body as of 2016
800
China
600
9.8%
400
200
South Korea 0
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
year
19.8%
Asian Unknown Non Resident
Latino
Japan
19.4% 37.1% 7.3% Hong Kong
35.4%
16.7% White
Native Hawaiian or PaciďŹ c Islander Information gathered by Jordan Donaldson Illustration by Lorin Vilayvong 4
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campus life
in this section 6
Religion professors advise reading scriptures in the morning, pondering
14
Study shows more than 90 percent of college students use Netflix and BYUH students agree
8
BYUH student use ancient method to clean up Hawaiian heiau
16
Malaysian Club sells out of one of the top 10 ‘must try ‘ foods at FoodFest
10
18
Give N’ Take up cycles one student’s trash into another’s treasure
12
Housing official says room transfer fee was not enforced during construction but it is being enforced now
Graduating senior Courtney Cox blends art and music into a hand-lettered symphony
FALL 2017
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CA M Pature US L LIF C ampus i feE Fe
An artistic journey through life Senior Courtney Cox blends art and music into a hand-lettered symphony B Y AL E XI S JI M E N E Z
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ourtney Cox, a senior majoring in graphic design from Gilbert, Arizona, grew up surrounded by art of all forms including hand-lettering, watercolor and oil painting, ink illustrations, graphic design, and playing the piano, violin, and organ...for now. Art has changed her life in ways she can’t even explain as “being an artist at any caliber automatically brings you into a community of the most supportive and loving creatives. I am so lucky to be inspired every single day by amazing professors, fellow students and friends, and the glorious Instagram community I’ve built for myself. Art brought me to Hawaii, which has completely changed the way I view the world around me and the way I design.” 1. W HAT IS YO UR STO RY ? W H E N DI D YOU F IRST BEGI N D O I N G ART A ND W H Y ?
A. “I think I was born with a natural instinct for creativity. I grew up practicing music and was always filled with passion for the arts. I completed elementary school assignments as if they were going to be put in the [Museum of Modern Art] and I took my personal creative journey just as seriously. But in my early life I was all about performance arts, and my knack
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for painting and drawing were just hobbies until much later in life.” 2. W H AT D ROVE YO U TO CAL L I GRAP H Y?
A. “When I went to kindergarten, I was enrolled in a very serious private school. They took academics very seriously, and as a 5 year old, I was taking penmanship classes. I remember being fascinated with letterforms and I was constantly getting in trouble for experimenting with creative designs instead of sticking to the prim and proper standard. Most kids learn cursive when they’re in 2nd or 3rd grade, but I begged my mom to start teaching me as soon as I was comfortable holding a pencil. I just love the way that words can look and take on a personality depending on the way you decide to style them. It takes an amazing amount of control to be a calligrapher that takes way more practice than a lot of people think.” 3 . W H Y D I D YO U D E CI D E TO M AK E AN I N STAGRAM F O R YO U R CAL L I GRAPH Y? H O W H AS TH AT B E E N GO I N G?
A. “Instagram was the first platform that allowed me to explore the hand-lettering community. I loved finding experienced calligraphers and trying to imitate the things they did with their lettering. I bought my first beginners calligraphy kit from Jenna Rainey of @monvoirco and that is when I decided to start up my own account. Most of the accounts I followed didn’t start out as masters of their craft. If you scrolled back far enough, you could see their very first attempts of nib and ink calligraphy on scraps of paper on their kitchen tables. That was such an encouragement to me as a beginner; knowing that if they started out where I am, then there was a chance that I could end up where they are. Running that account has definitely taken the back burner while I’ve been busy with school, but it’s still very much a great way to connect with the community and to market myself as an artist.” 4 . H AS YO U R ART B E EN FEATUR ED I N AN YTH I N G? I F SO, WHAT?
A. “My first collaboration was with the startup T-shirt company, Rosieluv. One of the first T-shirts she ever started selling was my design of the phrase ‘Be a Nice Human.’ This was three years ago and this is still one of her best selling shirts. Honestly, this gave me the confidence to
Senior Courtney Cox combines her passion for art and music in her life and will be graduating in December. She specializes in hand lettering. Photo by Anuhea Chen
begin putting myself out there and finding my footing as an entrepreneur as well as a creative. It is also a great reminder to me that my art can and should be used to put good vibes out into the world. Coincidentally, the next shirt I designed for this company was ‘Spread Good Vibes,’ which is also a best-seller.” 5. H O W DID YOU E N D U P D O I N G G RA P HIC D E S I G N ?
A. “The graphic design major was an unexpected blessing in my life. I was about to wrap up my associate’s degree at a small community college in Arizona and still had not decided on a degree. I was considering pursuing music as a career, but I was not confident that I could complete a degree without it stamping out my passion for it. After expressing this concern to my family and friends, many of them suggested that I take my ‘knack’ for design and turn it into something more. Everything after that fell into place. I was accepted into the graphic design program at BYU-Hawaii and was living on Oahu within five months of that decision. I’m graduating with my degree in three weeks and I could not be more grateful for everything I’ve learned here.”
6 . H O W H AS H AWAI I I N F LU E N CE D YO U R ART?
A. “Our school specifically has brought together so many cultures that I would otherwise never have come in contact with. I’ve been pushed to learn about these cultures and from that I’ve been able to explore designing influenced by Polynesian, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc. styles! My art has grown so much in the past two years I’ve been here just from this exposure alone. There is SO much beautiful art out there in the world [and it is] so much bigger than just me and the smalltown I grew up in. There are struggles and hardships happening all around me that I know nothing about and one person can make a bigger difference than they realize. College is a time where everyone is sort of honing their talents and if everyone could use those talents and apply them to making a small difference in the world, the change made would be completely mind blowing. For me, that means using my art to raise awareness to things I’m passionate about. For example, a friend of mine started an online shop this year in the midst of all the horrible natural disasters and terrorist acts. It’s basically a place where myself and a few of our artist friends can sell
our art and donate the profits to those in need. For most artists, creating art isn’t necessarily about making money, but about the community and sharing the love.” 7. ARE YO U PU RSU I NG GR A PHIC D E SI GN W H E N YO U GR A DUATE? I F SO, W H E RE?
A. “After graduation, my plan is to work full time as a hand-lettering specialist on a design team at Zija International. I eventually want to continue my education at graduate school to study marketing communications. I was lucky enough to lead a marketing team during my undergrad, and I discovered a part of myself that loves business and analytics. I really scored with this job because I think there will be opportunities to use my marketing and advertising skills and advance over time. I can’t help but think of my future family and how this will benefit them. I’ll have a business mindset that can carry me in a career and have a creative foundation that will allow me to work from home if needed.” •
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Needing Netflix Study shows more than 90 percent of students use the online streaming program BY BRIT TA NIA DAR R I N GTO N
BYUH students say they are like other college students and watch Netflix often along with Hulu and Amazon. But they purposely limit the time they spend online. Photo by Shardayyy
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Business Insider article says Netflix is basically a necessity—or at least a given—for college students and BYU-Hawaii students interviewed agreed. They said they use Netflix and other streaming programs like Hulu and Amazon, to take a break from studying and also to learn from watching documentaries. However, BYUH students added they limit their time watching Netflix by putting schoolwork and other responsibilities first. Mashable reported, “92 percent of college students have access to Netflix. In that same survey by LendEDU, only 8 percent of college students said that they didn’t have an account. The rest have their own account (34 percent), use a friend or family member’s account (54 percent), or use a current or former significant other’s account (5 percent).” The same Mashable article says when students “had to pick one streaming service, 84 percent of the 6,660 college students surveyed chose Netflix. HBO GO came next with 12 percent, and just 4 percent said Hulu (Amazon didn’t factor into the survey).” Alta Osmond, a senior majoring in Communications from Utah, said she loves Netflix and watches it every night for one hour. “I love binge watching series… I can’t handle the whole wait a week just to watch one episode,” she said. Osmond said she doesn’t find Netflix a distraction because she’s learned to put her studies and important tasks before watching another episode. “I can only watch one series at a time and limit how much I watch, or then I would consider it a waste of time and unproductive.” If she watches too many, Osmond said she “feels guilty.” She explained it’s because she could be doing something more valuable with her time that “allows personal progression -like homework, work, quality time with family and friends, etc.”
Courtney Bow Nielsen, a junior from California studying communications, said she uses her parents’ Netflix. “I love watching documentaries on Netflix. If I watch anything else, I feel bad like I’m wasting my time. Just yesterday I watched a documentary called ‘One Of Us’ about Jewish Hasidic communities in New York City. I love that you can learn about so many things all over the world in a visual way.” Nielsen continued, “If it’s not stimulating, then I feel like there’s other things I could be doing with my time.” Students said they are pretty good at doing their homework before watching Netflix for this very reason. Teddy Hansen, a junior from California studying political science and international cultural studies, also said she uses her parents’ Netflix but doesn’t limit herself to only Netflix. She said she uses Hulu and Amazon too. “It just depends on what I’m in the mood for,” said Hansen. “If I wanna watch a movie, I’ll go to Netflix then Amazon. If I want to watch a show, I’ll go to Hulu then Amazon then Netflix. It’s kind of arbitrary,” said Hansen. “My two passions in life are movies and chocolate cake,” Hansen continued, “so Netflix fits very well in there. I like Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Video when I need to wind down, but I have to be careful so that I’m not wasting too much time and stressing out for the rest of the day because of procrastinating.” She added, “I’m a pretty disciplined person, so if I need to get responsibilities like homework done and I only have a certain time period to do so, then I won’t be tempted by Netflix. When I have a lull or just want to lay in my bed and eat, then I’ll watch Netflix or Hulu or Amazon.” •
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Malaysian Club members cook specially marinated chicken satay at FoodFest in November. Photo by Olivia Tsan
Malaysian Chicken Satay Malaysian Club sells out of one of the top 10 ‘must try foods’ at FoodFest B Y JOY L I U
E
ven the heavy rain couldn’t stop the Malaysia chicken satay purchase queue. One of what Malaysian students described as the top 10 “must try foods” in their country was presented at the BYUH FoodFest on Nov. 11, Friday night.Yew Fooi Wong said, “The best way to eat satay is when the chicken is roasted to a little crispy outside and dip into the special peanut sauce.” He paused, closed his eyes, smiled, and said, “Yummy!” Wong, a freshman majoring in human resources and organizational behavior, was the student in charge of preparing the confidential sauce and marinating the meat, which he said was the most important things. He said the sauce was a secret recipe from Spencer Tan, the chef at Club Dining Services. Wong and student King Wai Loke received training from Chef Tan. Jia Jun Liew, a sophomore business management major, said, “The sales this year were amazing.” He smiled and continued, “We increased our production by 50 percent because last year we sold out very early. “We tried to stretch it to 10 p.m. with more food. However, it rained heavily at FoodFest and many people were reluctant to come out and buy food.” Liew said the rain definitely made an impact on the sales. He said if it hadn’t rained, they would probably have sold more.
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He shared the goals for Malaysian Club at the next FoodFest: “We want to sell more than this time.” Liew continued, “We ran out of rice early on and so we will make sure to double the portions for rice.” The club members gave out free samples for 30 minutes to get customers to purchase the satay, Liew added. He said they are going to offer free samples again next year because it helped sales significantly. Loke, the president of the Malaysia Club during the last FoodFest, said, “Satay is a really common but also popular Malay delicacy.You can see people sell satay at the Pasar Malan.” He explained, “It is a Malay word. ‘Pasar’ means the market and ‘malan’ means night.” Loke, a senior hospitality and tourism management and marketing major, mentioned people will also use different meats. He said, “Chicken and beef is used most commonly and some people sell deer meat.” However, he added, “No pork for satay because there are many Muslims in Malaysia.” Loke said, “The Malaysia Club used to serve rice balls and cucumbers at FoodFest until 2014, when club members who felt this important cultural food and its deliciousness should be shared with everyone. Since then, satay has become one of the popular food sales at FoodFest.” •
Pumpkin Pie Easy to make
Ingredients 1 1/2 Cups Sugar 1 tsp Salt 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 1 tsp Ground Ginger 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
Step 1
Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tsp of salt, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves in a small bowl.
Step 2
In a large bowl beat 4 large eggs and stir in 1 29 ounce can of Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. gradually stir in 2 cans (12 fl. oz each) of carnation evaporated milk.
4 large Eggs
Step 3
1 29 oz can Pumpkin
Step 4
2 12 oz Evaporated Milk Cans 2 Pie Crusts
Pour into pie shells.
bake in preheated 425 F. oven for 15 min. reduce temp to 350 F; bake 40-50 mins or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Recipe compiled by FALL Julienne Taylor11 2017 Illustration by Lorin Vilayvong
CA M P US LIF E
Students gather for a photo at Give N’ Take on campus. Ke Alaka’i file photo
Service and shopping combine Give N’ Take up cycles one student’s trash into another’s treasure B Y RO SE TAAB UA
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ive N’ Take has become what some BYU-Hawaii students described as their very own Walmart. Tim Orrego, a TVA resident, said, “It’s the best place. I’ve been getting stuff from there like blankets, blenders, snorkel gear, and some stuff even for my kids.” The Give N’ Take building in the TVA married student area was renovated during the summer and now includes three large wood containers people can put their donations into. The idea was first thought up by then-student Kelly Ingold-Nelson who noticed students discarded a lot of things when leaving campus that new students could use. A story about Ingold-Nelson was published on the BYUH Newsroom webpage where she tells Give N’ Take’s story. The article says her idea even made her a finalist in the university’s annual Great Ideas Competition. Karlie Ellingson, a student worker at Give N’ Take who is majoring in elementary education, said sometimes Give N’ Take will donate 60 percent of what it has to the Goodwill - especially towards the end of the semesters when more drop-offs are made. Ellingson said she loves working at Give N’ Take and seeing people drop off stuff they cannot use but someone else may need. How the system works is people serve for 30 minutes organizing or cleaning the Give N’ Take area and in exchange they can take some items home for free. Give N’ Take not only serve for students, she said. But it also sets aside community days on Wednesdays and Saturdays when people in the community can come in and trade 30 minutes of service for donated 12
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items. Among the regulars on these days are the homeless, said Give N’ Take workers, who come to look for warm blankets and clothing. Kelly Lane, another worker at Give N’ Take who is majoring in social work, said she really loves the system. “Give N’ Take is just there to help others who can help other members of the community. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Missionaries also can take what they need without having to do service, workers said, but some couple missionaries still set aside days to come in and help. Give N’ Take is a place full of love and treasure, said the workers. Workers said while most people are respectful of the Give N’ Take effort, some people donate things that really should be thrown away. The workers said they sometime find treasures while sorting through donations deciding what is to be kept or thrown away. One time they discovered a new diving spear buried among old clothes. They said this is a common experience so they make sure to search every bit of each bag of donated items. Give N’ Take started as a volunteer operation, but now it is one of the projects of the Sustainable World Action Technology Team (SWATT). Apart from Give N’ Take, SWATT also has farms behind the men’s hales that operates like Give N’ Take. People give service for a minimum of 30 minutes and go home with vegetables. SWATT also provides free laundry detergent for students and staff at the campus Farmer’s Market, or anyone can fill a bottle after doing a little service at the Give N’ Take too. •
WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET STUNG BY A
JELLYFISH TO DO
NOT TO DO
HOT WATER Getting in a hot tub or bath can help significantly
FRESHWATER Freshwater causes the effected area to sting more
ICE WATER
URINE
applying ice or soaking the effected area in ice water can help
Despite popular belief, peeing on it actually worsens the reaction
VINEGAR Vinegar has the same osmic pressure and will cause stings to come off rather than burst
PRESSURE Applying pressure on the sting by rubbing sand or other ways worsens the stings Illustration by Emmalee Smith
FALL 2017
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Studying God’s word effectively Religion professors advise reading in the morning and pondering B Y CO U RTN E Y B O W N I E L SE N
Besides reading in the morning when there are less distractions, Religion professors say knowing the context and history behind the scriptures you read also improves your study time. Photo by Alvin Dy
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YU-Hawaii Religion faculty gave advice on how to enhance personal scripture study, from looking at the context, studying in the morning, and not getting caught up in reading a certain number of pages or chapters. Q UAL I TY OV E R Q UAN T I TY
Assistant Professor Matthew Bowen emphasized the importance of meditation instead of focusing on the amount of pages or chapters being read. He explained how the key to revelation is through pondering, even if it’s just a few verses a day. “Do not focus on length,” Bowen counseled. “Do not try to focus on getting a certain number of chapters read and then speed through it. Be sure that you focus on quality over quantity. Be willing to ponder individual words, phrases, and concepts even if it’s just a small block of scriptural text that you get through in the day.” Professor Marcus Martins also stated the importance of pondering rather than speed-reading. “It’s not a race. I feel that it’s necessary when you’re dealing with something sacred like the scriptures to savor the words.” CO N T E X T
Bowen also explained the importance of understanding the context of what’s being studied. He said the only way to fully understand the scriptures is to have an understanding of the historical and contextual background of whatever book or chapter is being read. An example he used was the Isaiah chapters in Second Nephi. He explained how knowing about the Assyrian empire in the eighth century helps readers gain an understanding of what’s going on in those chapters. Bowen said, “Once you know the history, then you start to understand what Isaiah is talking about. We tend to read
a lot of those chapters out of context and we just kinda go through them to get through them.” Eric Rackley, a professor of education and the author of “Developing Scripture Literacy: What Good Scripture Readers Know and Do,” said knowing the scriptures you’re reading is supposed to make sense is better than reading the words on a page, turning it, and calling it good. “I think most of us have been in that situation. The real heart of scripture is nestled among the words, ideas, and the narratives, so looking for those intentional connections goes a long way to help us understand what we’re reading.” CO N TI N UAL LY ASK I N G Q U E STI O N S
Rackley explained the importance of continually asking questions and being curious. “Asking questions is important because it shows what we’re willing to understand. The nature of our questions as we read scripture indicates what the spirit is able to tell us.” M O RN I N G
Martins said he thinks studying scriptures in the morning is more effective. He said the First Presidency reads the scriptures in the morning because they rely on the promise in D&C 88:124 that if they retire early to their beds their minds will be invigorated. “Phones usually don’t ring,” said Martins. “There isn’t a whole lot of noise coming from the street so there are fewer distractions, and so that seems to be something to be taken into consideration.” Martins said when students ask him for advice on scripture study, he tells them he doesn’t have a specific method he follows. “Do what works best for your brain. As long as you do it, it doesn’t matter how.” •
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Sharing legends and service BYUH students use ancient system to clean up Hauula heiau B Y ZO I E CO N D E R
BYU-Hawaii students volunteer on Sept. 16 in Hauula to help clear the ground of an ancient Hawaiian temple or heiau moving “hau” or wood brush “hali-hali” style passing the hau down a zig-zag line with volunteers facing each other. Photos from SLAS Service organization
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Hawaiian legend says a man rose from the dead in the center of the ancient heiau in Hauula, and more than 150 BYU-Hawaii students saw the very spot where this legend took place while serving Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Hawaiiana service project. This event provided students the opportunity to serve and to learn more in depth about ancient Hawaiian culture. Visiting the a 9-acre heiau lot, BYUH Instructor Rebecca Walker said the land was sold to the Hawaiian Land Trust in order to preserve what was discovered on it - an ancient healing heiau or healing temple. Walker is a BYUH archaeologist who is working to excavation of the site. The objective for the students was to move from a red-flagged area two 15-feet-high and over 20-feet-wide piles of chopped hau to an open area. Hau is a native Hawaiian plant that grows rapidly and is related to the hibiscus, according to an online encyclopedia. The red flags signified there was a historical site or feature located in that area, and the piles of hau needed to be carefully moved so that BYUH archeologists Walker, Tevita Ka’ili, and several others could study the historical spot. “Today we are going to move this wood by hali-hali,” explained Walker. She continued, “This is the way that ancient Hawaiians moved things from one spot to another. They would line up in a zigzag, facing one another, and pass the objects down the line.” According to Walker, this system saved a lot of energy in comparison to the classic “bucket brigade” style of passing, where everyone stands in a line shoulder to shoulder and passes objects to each other. After a short overview of what everyone was going to do, the first batch of students to arrive at the heiau all lined up hali-hali style from the base of the pile all the way to an open area where the hau was moved. For an hour, the students laughed, joked, and chatted while they passed the hau underbrush down the line. More students arrived every 15 minutes, and the work became easier with more hands to help. Near the end of the project, Ka’ili offered to give a tour of the temple. Leading students through the trees, he explained this was specifically a healing temple where the people would go for physical and spiritual renewal. He said he knows this because of the many medicinal plants planted around the area, one being the ti plant. According to Ka’ili, the ti plant was used in many ways. Its leaves can sooth sunburns, the roots are boiled to make tea, and
the plant itself is often considered a spiritual protection against evil. In order to respectfully enter the temple grounds, Ka’ili led students in a Hiki Mai chant, a prayer that asks the spirits permission to enter the holy area. Afterwards, he directed the students to the base of a large, stacked perimeter of lava rocks that had once served as the foundation for the heiau. According to Ka’ili, the temples here all face east in significance of the rising sun, and the lava rocks were considered very powerful in ancient times. These rocks were transferred here from far away using hali-hali, some lines being 20-miles long. He explained that on top of this foundation used to be a three-story tower used by ancient priests to receive revelation. He guided the students to the top of the foundation and showed them a boulder that was used for making herbal medicines and leaving offerings for the gods. In the exact center of the temple is a navel stone, a smooth round stone the size of a tire that lays surrounded by smaller rocks, fanning outwards like the sun. Ka’ili explained in ancient times, the navel was considered to be the most powerful part of the body or the center of energy. Even more significant is what happens on the winter and summer solstices, the shortest and longest days of the year. On the solstice, the sun rises and the light strikes perfectly on the corner of the temple and this stone. Ka’ili said it was believed if one sat on this stone at the sunrise of the solstice, they would be healed of any ailment they had. Here is where the man legendarily rose from the dead, he said. Haley Williams, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas, who is studying marine biology, shared her thoughts about visiting the heiau. “It was cool to see the similarities, like with the Mayans and the Incas, how the temples all face east, and the significance of the summer and winter solstices in their cultures.” After the tour, Ka’ili told students they now needed to perform pi kai, an ancient cleansing ritual done after being on holy grounds. To do pi kai, people must wash themselves in the ocean because the salt water was considered in ancient culture to be the most powerful healing substance. Following his instructions, each student went to the ocean at Hauula Beach Park and washed their faces and hands with the salt water to cleanse. •
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Living on campus a fee of $50 is charged if students move to a different room. Photo by Hector Periquin
The cost of changing rooms Official says room transfer fee wasn’t enforced because of construction but it is now B Y JU L I E N N E TAYLO R
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n BYU-Hawaii’s on-campus housing contract, it states students may change rooms for the following semester during the “Room Change” period; however, the contract says “a $50 transfer fee will be applied to all room transfers.” Janey Grover, manager of Residential Life at BYUH, said the policy has not changed but that leniency was given before. “In the recent past, transfers were necessary due to construction and in an effort to provide new students with a first semester experience. With more capacity for students to live on campus, we are able to provide a more stable living environment without necessitated moves.” Haydn Wagner, a sophomore from Las Vegas studying education, said she is one of the students who were provided this leniency when first coming to BYUH. Upon seeing the $50 transfer fee, she said she was confused and then annoyed. “I don’t understand why Housing just started to charge us without sending emails, notifications, posting it, or discussing it with students, because it seems like they have started to charge for a lot of things this semester. I would be less annoyed if they would just explain.” Grover said the decision was made because of “overwhelming student feedback” that students would like a more stable living situation without having to constantly move. She said, “Based on university studies and studies performed outside the university in the residential life industry, data suggests that students do better when they have the ability to live in a
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stable environment. On our campus, a stable living environment includes staying in the same ward to ensure continuity of ward callings, continuity of roommate relationships, and continuity of the RA and coordinator for support.” Chimako Anitok, a senior from Ewa Beach studying social work, confirmed in the past she was charged the $50 fee, but she personally does not agree with it. She said, ”I honestly think the charge is stupid and just taking my money. We have to pay a lot for Housing already and some Hales require meal plans, so add another $50 and it’s just unnecessary. “If they want to charge us to move, make it $25 because the Housing on campus is not that nice. I am grateful for it, but there are a lot of little mistakes–in the rooms outlets are flipped upside down, the wifi cuts in and out. In my room, some of the doors won’t shut and are broken, and it’s really annoying.” Financially the fee was hard, Anitok added, because $50 is not something students can just throw around especially with how much life and school already cost. Wagner brought up, “What if you have a bad roommate?” She also said the way she has met her culturally diverse friends is from moving in the dorms. “If you spend all four years in one room, how are you going to experience the cultural diversity the school brags about offering? How are you going to learn about other cultures if you are forced to stay in one room?” •
Local
in this section 20
Toxin found in reef fish can harm humans who eat them
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Laie woman serves others in the temple and Family History Center daily
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Local students say living aloha means serving others and caring for the earth
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Weird Hawaii laws include no billboards and putting coins in your ear
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State of Hawaii to begin air raid warning sirens in response to North Korean missile threat
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Honolulu County bill makes crossing the street while looking at your phone illegal
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Look before crossing Bill makes crossing the street while looking at electronic device illegal with fines from $15 to $35 B Y C H R I STAL L E E
Hawaii News Now reports Honolulu is the 13th most dangerous city for pedestrians. Photo by AP
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ith the new Honolulu law prohibiting gadget-use while crossing the street in place, BYU-Hawaii students agreed the law is for the protection of pedestrians and pedestrians should be aware while crossing the road. According to Hawaii News Now, Hawaii is the 13th most dangerous for pedestrians, and this law makes Honolulu the largest city in the United States to ban looking at a cellphone while crossing the street. Noelle Oldem, a junior from Florida, majoring in theatre education, said not only would people get hurt if this law was not in place, but also too many pedestrians at fault could potentially win lawsuits by finding fault in the driver who hits them. She said, “That almost happened to me. I looked up right before crossing the street and a car zoomed passed me.” Meghan Preece, a freshman majoring in biomedicine from Arizona, said the law is
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needed protection because cellphones have made us more unaware of our surroundings. Jenna Armstrong, a freshman majoring in English from California, compared Honolulu to San Francisco because she said it has been a big problem in both cities. Jim Cartisser, a tourist from Idaho, said in an interview with Hawaii News Now that a ticket from gadget-usage while crossing the street would leave people with “a sour taste in their mouth leaving Honolulu.” On the possible effects on tourism, Preece countered Cartisser’s statement with her own: “Tourists will still be coming to Honolulu because it’s Hawaii. People love Hawaii. Tourists can walk on the sidewalk and look at their phone, right? It’s just crossing the street.” The bill states the first offense will result in a fine from $15-35, while the third offense can reach up to $99 within the year of viola-
tion. Preece said she felt fines should be raised to a higher price. “If you want people to stop doing it, more [must be] taken from them.” Armstrong said this law should be applied in other countries, but it’s not necessary for all cities and towns even in the United States. “It’s definitely smart in big cities, like Honolulu or San Francisco. But if it were like Laie, where it’s more chill, I don’t think it would be necessary.” Armstrong compared it to her own experience at BYUH. “I walk across the street with my phone all the time, just ‘cause I know there’s no cars. But in Honolulu, cars come out of nowhere.” Sean Malicse Somoray, a freshman from the Philippines majoring in business management, agreed the law should be spread to other countries. “This would result in lesser casualties from road accidents.” •
The
Dark Side
of Paradise
Wahiawa Mountains
Waimea Falls There’s a small pond at waimea falls where people tend to mysteriously drown and their bodies found a few days later. It is said in ancient Hawai’i that was a site used for human sacrifices. The akua, a god that takes human sacrifices, its mana is still present. Those who mysteriously drown are said to be used in the sacred rituals involving human sacrifice.
It’s said that Ka-lo-Aikanaka and his followers were driven out of their land when ancient hawaiians discovered his practice of cannibalism. Him and his followers would then stop every traveler they came across and questioned them heavily. If he felt they were lying they were eaten. You can hear the cries of his victims
Pounders Beach A woman roams pounders beach at night. It is said that her child lost his life while swimming in the rough waters at night, and so did she when she jumped in to find him.
The Night Marchers They are ancient Hawaiian spirits. They march at night and it’s said they are taking the Ali’i’s or other hawaiian spirits with them or out for war. Often you will hear their drums and see torches before you see them.
Pali Highway According to legend the windward side belongs to Kamapua’a the pig god and the leeward side belongs to his ex-girlfriend Pele. Bringing pork to the Leeward side symbolizes bringing Kamapua’a to Pele. Pele will do anything to keep you from bringing him across to her land. Something will happen to stop you from crossing
Old Pali Road Dole Cannery Theatres Ka‘ena Point Haunted at night, believed to be the point in which spirits cross into the spirit world. They march to the point and jump off.
A bus full of children crashed into the theaters and over half the bus died. It is said you can still hear the children singing in the theaters, especially from the bathrooms.
Pele, God of Fire It is said that Pele can take on many different forms. She is often spotted as an old lady on the side of the road hitch-hiking. It is said misfortune will fall on those who don’t give her a ride.
A couple was driving on the old Pali road when their car stalled. The boyfriend jumped out of the car to fix the problem. The next morning police had surrounded her car and cautiously told her to get out. When she turned around, she found her boyfriend hanging from the trees above their car. If you drive on the old pali road at night it’s said that the boyfriend is still there.
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Every day ordinances Local woman serves others by going to temple or Family History Center every day of the week BY AY LA S WA RT
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very morning Tuesday through Friday, Scharre Munson wakes up, feeds her cat Mittens, gets ready, and goes to the temple. Laie community members and BYUHawaii students help Munson get to the temple so she in turn can help others beyond the veil. Munson uses a wheelchair to get around due to cerebral palsy. She said she asks people to push her to the temple everyday around noon. She then stays at the temple until as late as 6:30 p.m. doing sealings, initiatory, and the 4 p.m. session. Tuesday through Thursday she indexes at the Family History Center until the closing time of 8 p.m. Elaine McArthur, a Spanish and EIL instructor, said, “I don’t know when she started going to the temple everyday. She would stay from morning to night if she could.” Munson said in 1998 she would do up to six sessions a day. “I tell people in the temple that if I wasn’t Mormon, I’d probably be a Catholic nun because I’m trying to do the work of the Lord,” she said with a chuckle. “But then I would need to see the [LDS] missionaries.” Now Munson sticks to the 4 p.m. mobility impaired session. Faye Munson, Scharre’s mother, said, “We’re proud of her–all the work that she does, all the people she helps do the work for. That’s something they can’t do for themselves. She encourages all of us. Anybody that spends that much time has to be devoted.” McArthur said she became part of “team Scharre” three years ago when her neighbor, who usually pushed Scharre to the temple, got sick. “She asked if I could fill in, and so I’ve been doing it ever since,” said McArthur. “I’m so committed to the idea that whenever you can do something for someone who can’t do it for themselves, that’s the spirit of temple work. This enables her to do that for someone else who cannot do it for themselves. By extension, you’re helping temple work get done.” Whether it be enabling Munson to get to the temple or Munson enabling those beyond the veil to have access to ordinances, McArthur said she believes in the value of serving. McArthur also said Munson returns the favor of taking her to the temple by doing ordinances for McArthur’s family names.
Along with the community and ward members, BYUH students have played a large role in helping bring Munson to the temple, said Munson. Student Mary Elizabeth Deyro takes her to the Family History Center and BYUH on Sundays, Mondays, and Saturdays. At BYUH, Munson said she uses the wifi to do family history and indexing work. “She desires to live fully...I admire her tenacity with her own goals. She’s very positive. She’s a very grateful person. It can be frustrating when you have to rely on other people, but she’s pretty resilient and positive,” said McArthur. Munson told a story of a military man she met in the temple. “He said I’m an inspiration to all.” She said she was thanking the man for his service to the country when he said she was did so much more. “It made me feel good because he’s fighting for our country and that he would say that was really nice.” With many experiences to build her testimony, Munson said, “One time my veil kept on getting untied, but it wasn’t me that was doing that. So I think it was a person. Either they wanted me to know they were there or they didn’t want the work.” Scharre’s father is Lloyd Munson, a retired BYUH accounting professor. He said of his daughter, “I think she was an inspiration to her sister to get her endowments. She wasn’t afraid to encourage her. Scharre is very forthright about encouraging [her other siblings] too, and I think all of them are proud of Scharre. She contributes greatly to the family. When some of the grandchildren would pick her up at night, they supported her. Scharre is a very special part of the family. She’s a really special spirit.” Her mother added Scharre’s desire to serve is rooted in her knowledge of the scriptures. “I think a lot of it just came from herself. She wanted to do it and that’s the good thing about Scharre that she persists.” Her mother said even as a child with a disability, Scharre was motivated to be active. “She wanted to do things, and at first she just crawled all over. Then she got crutches. Then she could walk over to BYUH on her crutches. Now that she’s in a wheelchair, Sister McArthur has been trying to help her do yoga and different things.•
Scharre Munson spends her life in service to others doing family history and temple work. People in the community, her family, and BYU-Hawaii students help her get around Laie by pushing her in her wheelchair to wherever she needs to go. Photo by Alvin Vincent Dy
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Weird laws in Hawaii No billboards or putting coins in ears are among unusual laws in the aloha state BY E M M AL E E SM I TH
Among the unusual laws in Hawaii is one where people aren’t allowed to put coins in their ears. Researchers say they haven’t pinned down an official reason, but they think it may be connected to the rarity of original Hawaiian nation coins. Once Hawaii became part of the United States, the Hawaiian coins were switched to U.S. coins and Hawaiian coins are now rare. Photo by Lorin Vilayvong
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awaii is home to what websites described as “unusual” or “weird” laws such as a ban on billboards, husbands can’t eat their second wife, and companies can’t serve milkshakes with imitation milk.
BILLBOARDS
Hawaii is one of four states to ban billboards, including Vermont, Alaska, and Maine, the Huffington Post reports. Billboards have been outlawed in Hawaii since 1927, according to the Los Angeles Times. Darry Hong, a freshman in accounting from Malaysia, said he likes billboards. “They’re something to look at in traffic. I especially like the animated ones.” But Kristi Nelson, a freshman with an undecided major from Arizona, said, “I guess that’s good because drivers can’t be distracted by them.” She said the big animated ones are almost like giant TV screens and are distracting. HUSBANDS CANNOT EAT SECOND WIFE
In the Hawaiian Orakama tribe, it is illegal for a man to eat his second wife, according to StupidLaws.com. Cyrus Horoma, a freshman with an undecided major from Laie, blinked and said, “Cannibalism should be banned.You shouldn’t eat other people. I know no Hawaiian stories about eating your second wife.” Nelson said she thought the law was funny at first but stopped laughing, and said, “Oh, no wait, that’s not funny. That’s awful.” NO SMOKING UNTIL AGE 21
Since Jan. 1, Hawaii became the first state to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21, according to the Washington Times. It includes regular tobacco, lighter induced cigarettes and e-cigarettes. COINS IN EARS
It is also illegal to put coins in your ears, according to Only In Your State. A researcher from funcage.com, says while they looked for a reason for this law, they couldn’t find a definite answer. But one theory is “the fact that Hawaiian coins, the real Hawaiian coins are rare. Before the state became a state, they had their own currency. After Hawaii changed to U.S. currency, their coins became rare.”
Horoma replied to this saying “Is that a real law? Kids are not going follow this.You can’t control kids.”
IMITATION MILK IN MILKSHAKES
It is illegal to put imitation milk in a milkshake without making it known, according to Only In Your State. But the staff at the Seasider store assures that they only use real milk. Tanner Smith, a sophomore studying biomed from Oregon, said, “I would prefer real milk, but I don’t really care. Maybe someone else wants to know that.” He said he thought it was a weird thing to regulate. “Maybe if it has health benefits to it then it’s a good law, but if it doesn’t, then no.” FEEDING SHARKS
Feeding sharks is illegal unless it is for “traditional Hawaiian cultural or religious practices,” according to Find Law, a website for making law more accessible. However, all commercial businesses are not allowed to feed sharks, even if it’s by a Hawaiian cultural group or for religious purposes. KILLING A SERVICE ANIMAL
Killing or injuring a seeing-eye dog or service animal is also illegal in Hawaii, according to Justia Corporate Center, an online legal resource. A first offense is a maximum fine of $2,000 and or up to 30 days in prison. The second offense raises the fine up to $5,000. Compensation must also be offered to the owner of the animal or the person or organization that provided the animal. Audrey Tuttle, a freshman studying hospitality and tourism from Utah, said, “Animals in general shouldn’t be harmed at all, but service animals are important because they really help people.” ANNOY BIRDS
It is also outlawed for people to annoy birds in state parks in Honolulu, according to Only In Your State. Tanner said he has annoyed birds before, “but they started it. I was eating and the birds were annoying so I scared them away. It’s a hard law to enforce and define. I mean, what if one lands on your shoulder? Can you go shake it off?” But he said he still thinks it’s a good law, unless birds start it. •
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Information gathered by Zoie Conder Illustration by Abish Moncur 26
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Fish warning Toxin found in reef fish may affect humans who eat them B Y JA M E S JACK SO N M E ASL E S
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iguatera toxin is potentially dangerous toxin found in nearly all reef fish in Hawaii in at least trace amounts, according to an article on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website. It can be dangerous to humans and affects both the gastrointestinal and neurological systems in the body, it says, after eating fish with the toxin. Signs of the “illness is typically mild to moderate in severity with gastrointestinal (diarrhea, cramping, nausea, vomiting) and neurological (paraesthesias [tingling or pricking], cold allodynia [pain sensitivity], fatigue, pruritis [itchy skin]) manifestations,” it reports. “Rarely, the disease can be more severe with significant neuropathic or cardiac effects such as bradycardia [slow heart rate] and hypotension [low blood pressure]. Endemic to Hawai‘i and islands throughout the Caribbean and Pacific, CFP incidence rates range from several to thousands of cases per 100,000 per year.” Unfortunately there is no known cure, so treatments can only be administered to specific symptoms, it says. Luckily, a fish must contain high levels of the ciguatera toxin in order to affect a human consumer but any fish can contain the toxin. According to the Honolulu Advertiser, the reported cases each year since 1999 has ranged from 14 to 69. Experts think this is likely a lot smaller than the actual number of cases since many people don’t see a doctor when the toxin affects them. The ciguatoxin originates in microalgae that grows on the coral heads in tropical waters, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Its website explains how small reef fish feed on the coral and ingest the toxin. Bigger predatory reef fish then feed on the smaller fish and the toxin becomes more concentrated as it moves up the food chain. Larger fish mean a higher risk of ingesting dangerous amounts of ciguatoxin. While fish are completely unaffected by the toxin, humans are very sensitive to it, according to fao.org. Being that almost all reef fish have come into contact with the ciguatera toxin, it doesn’t affect humans in trace amounts, says fao.org. However, when humans ingest high amounts, the toxin can wreak havoc on the body. Alicia Cram, a 36-year-old BYUH graduate from Kauai, had the misfortune of ingesting fish that was high in ciguatoxin.
She said, “It was the most miserable few weeks of my life. We ate kole fish from Anini Beach for dinner. Within an hour after eating the fish, I started to feel my fingers go numb. That night it only got worse. My hands and toes were numb, I had a pounding headache, I had a fever, and I couldn’t tell the difference between hot and cold. When I touched warm water, it felt cold, and when I touched cold water, it felt like it was burning me. My brother had it worse than me. He had all that plus gastrointestinal issues and hallucinations.” According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, ciguatera poisoning is unique because it can cause severe gastrointestinal problems as well as neurological problems. Since it is not a bacteria or virus, it cannot be cooked or frozen out of food, and it is both odorless and tasteless, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It says the best way to avoid ciguatera poisoning is by steering clear of extremely large reef fish and never eating the head or organs. The NCBI article says “reef fish commonly associated with CTX are many but include: barracudas, groupers, jacks, moray eels, snappers, parrotfish, and surgeonfish. Due to its lipid solubility, CTX accumulates more heavily in several places in fish including the brain, liver, and gonads. Anecdotally it has been noted that more severe cases of CFP reported to the Hawai‘i Department of Health involve consumption of the head (brain) or organs of the fish and less severe cases tend to involve consumption of only the muscle.” Other members of the BYUH ohana have their own tips to avoid ciguatoxin. Kawika Kaui, a 28-year-old business alumnus from Kauai, said Hawaiian legend warns to always remove the head of black fish before cooking them. He said obeying this, along with not eating fish that are abnormally large, has helped him to avoid the ciguatoxin. Byron Halas, a 65-year-old resident of Kahaluu, said he never eats fish caught in Kahuku. He believes fertilizer runs off from the golf course, causing the algae to bloom in abundance and thus causing the ciguatoxin to thrive in the algae. Like most people who are aware of ciguatera, Halas also said to avoid larger reef fish. •
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Living aloha Local students say aloha is a way of living - serving others, caring for the land B Y SH AN N O N GO M E Z
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t is common to hear “Live a little aloha,” or “Show some aloha spirit” in Hawaii, but local students and residents explained that aloha isn’t just a greeting or an expression of love, it is a way of life. There are two sides to the word aloha, they said. There’s the commercial aloha and then there’s the historical and cultural aloha. The commercial aloha simply means hello, goodbye and love. It’s a greeting, a farewell, and something people say when they tell people, “to relax - no worries.” That’s the aloha most visitors and tourists learn while they are in Hawaii.
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But aloha means more to the people who have lived their whole lives here, they said. The literal translation of aloha breaks down into “alo,” which means in the “face of, or presence of,” according to www.to-hawaii.com, and “ha,” which means the “breath of life” as in “he who gave us life.” It can directly be related to the beginning of man when they were first created and Adam was given his breath of life. As Dane Auna, a student from Hauula, explained, “Aloha existed before languages were even made.”
BYUH students work cleaning up the beach. Local students and residents say aloha is more than a greeting. It is a way of life where people care for others and the land. Photo by Alvin Dy
Since aloha existed before languages began, aloha is not just a word or a greeting, locals said. It’s a way of living and seeing life. “The word actually originates from Hawaiian roots and it’s actually very similar to latter-day-saint principles,” said Tiare Vainerere, who was born and raised in Hawaii. “The two have a foundation and belief in love, affection, compassion, sympathy, love and respect for the Lord, nature and for each other.” Another local said, “Aloha is deep. I think aloha is the behavior to create harmony with others. Whether it is with individuals, a family, a village and so on. For example, when you give your love, you should be receiving love - otherwise it’s weird.” Aloha is about creating harmony, they said, and it is showing respect not just to people but to the land, to animals, to plants, and to everything living and non-living. An example of this way of thinking is in the Disney movie classic “Pocahontas” when she’s singing to John Smith about Native American’s perspective of the Earth. She sings: “You think you own whatever land you land on The earth is just a dead thing you can claim But I know every rock and tree and creature Has a life, has a spirit, has a name
Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest Come taste the sun-sweet berries of the earth Come roll in all the riches all around you And for once never wonder what they’re worth The rainstorm and the river are my brothers The heron and the otter are my friends And we are all connected to each other In a circle, in a hoop that never ends.” BYUH sound engineer Sonny Ah Puck explained, “Aloha is a value of love, compassion and charity…To me, living aloha is to be Christlike.” Just as the translation of aloha is “in the presence of he who gave us life,” the same idea of living aloha is found in the LDS Primary song, “If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?” Locals said to really understand aloha, people have to try to live it themselves. They said people should relax, calm down and help those around them. For example, they suggest people smile at everyone. Pick up some trash while out walking. Help a random person move heavy things. Cheer on someone who can’t dance but is dancing anyway. By serving others, they said, people will better internalize and understand what aloha truly means to them. •
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Preparing for bomb attacks Hawaii to test air raid warning sirens after North Korea performs missile tests BY A LLIE HUN T E R
Using the tsunami sirens but with a different sound, the state of Hawaii is starting monthly air raid warnings for the first time since WWII. Photo by AP
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s heightened tensions between North Korea and the United States continue to grow, the state of Hawaii planned to test air raid sirens at the beginning of December, but BYU-Hawaii students and staff said they hadn’t heard about the tests. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports, “Hawaii residents statewide will hear an air raid warning siren test that’s not been heard since the Cold War—a wailing alert that potentially would be used to warn of a North Korean missile attack.” Hawaii state officials said implementing the air raid warning system is in preparation for threats of missiles being fired from North Korea at the islands. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported, “The new siren—which differs from the more familiar ‘attention alert’ steady sound for threats such as hurricanes or tsunamis—is part of a new state of Hawaii preparedness and information campaign aimed at addressing the growing North Korean threat.” A BYUH 30
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Campus Security official said local agencies don’t want people to panic but are aware of the need for some kind of preparedness plan. He explained how the BYUH Department of Public Safety is working closely with city, state, and federal officials to closely monitor and keep up to date on all possible threats. He said, “This is current for us as well. President Tanner has asked us to monitor and wait to implement any specific emergency plans for nuclear bombs.” International students attending BYUH said they’ve had experiences with nuclear bomb warnings in their home countries. Shem Wu, a junior from Singapore studying biomedical science, said, “It’s not real for me yet. Back at home we would have these drills, and sometimes you think it’s never going to happen.” He said the bomb warnings have grown to be a part of him but they don’t seriously affect him. The best he said he can do is let it be and carry on.
Students with no prior experience with bomb warnings “don’t know of anything like it,” said Ellie DeMartini, a sophomore from California studying social work. “I have never been through something like [this] before. It means a lot when you have had a personal experience.” She explained how the new bomb warnings in Hawaii don’t scare her; however, she said as humans we can feel indestructible, and that’s not always the case. She said she feels more comfortable knowing that in the case of nuclear bombs, Hawaii will be prepared. According to CNN, North Korean United Nations Deputy Ambassador Kim In Ryong told a U.N. General Assembly committee, “Unless the hostile policy and the nuclear threat of the U.S. is thoroughly eradicated, we will never put our nuclear weapons and ballistic rockets on the negotiation table under any circumstance.” Since then, North Korea has continued to perform missile tests.” •
lifestyle
in this section The recipe and directions to make sweet and sticky rice balls in ginger soup Students say music transcends language and cultural barriers
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Study says leave trick or treating to children and students agree
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Student favor small screens for most things but not for watching movies
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Sweet Sticky Rice Balls in Ginger Soup B Y M I L AN I H O I P
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ith a rainy week and a cool air seeping in the evenings in the small town of Laie, we have arrived in the month of November. Try this warm recipe of sweet sticky rice balls in ginger soup, a traditional Chinese dessert. Mike Cheng, senior studying exercise science, gave an explanation of this dessert: “This dessert might seem scary to those who aren’t used to Asian foods—the sticky rice balls are made of black sesame filling wrapped in white glutinous rice dough, and cooked in a sweet ginger soup. The sticky rice balls are chewy, a texture which Asians love.” This dessert is normally made for the major Chinese festivals
thorough the year, it is a symbol of family unity, but it’s popular year round, too.” shared Lily Leung, graduated social work student living in Laie. “The sweet ginger soup is very comforting, especially for ladies.” Ginger is well known in Chinese cuisine to be soothing to the stomach, menstrual cycles, and flus. “On a night where I crave a sweet, warm, gingery, chewy dessert, I would go for the sticky rice balls in ginger soup—if I have all the ingredients after shopping from Chinatown! ” said Helam Lau, sophomore studying psychology. Let’s get to the recipe!
Ingredients: Rice balls
1 cup ground black sesame
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 cup 1 cup 1 cup 3/4 cup warm water
1 cup cold lard, margarin, or butter
3/4 cup
Ingredients: Soup
1 cup sugar
10g of fresh ginger, sliced
1 cup
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2 pcs brown slab sugar or rock sugar
Steps In a medium or large pot, boil 1 litre of water. Bring to boil.Once the water is boiling, put in the slices of ginger and brown slab sugar. Turn down the heatto medium, let simmer for 20 mins or more. The longer it simmers, the more gingery and spicy it gets, so adjust accordingly to your taste.
Prepare the dough while waiting. In a medium bowl, pour in glutinous rice flour. Using a spatula or hand to mix, slowly pour in the warm water. Knead the dough until smooth. The longer the dough is kneaded, the more chewy the sticky rice balls will be, which might vary with personal preferences. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside for 20-30 mins to allow the water and flour to incorporate.
In a medium bowl, mix the ground black sesame, sugar, and lard/margarin/butter together until it forms a thick paste.
+ Prepare a large plate. Unwrap the dough, scoop about 1 tablespoon piece, and roll it into a ball. Press down with thumb the middle of the ball to make space for the filling; put in ½ teaspon black sesame paste. Cover the filling by closing up the dough, roll it back into a ball, and set onthe plate. Repeat the process until dough and filling are finished.
Put the rice balls into boiling ginger soup, about 20 at a time. Cook for 10-15 minutes. The rice balls are ready when afloat on the top of the soup. Scoop both rice balls and soup into bowlsand serve hot.
Enjoy!
Illustration by Lorin Vilayvong
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Music: A Universal Language Students elaborate on how music can have a real, emotional impact on people B Y GW E N GOTTSCH AL L
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n a campus representing dozens of nations and cultures, BYU-Hawaii students said a unifying and powerful force on school grounds is music. According to them, its power lies in its emotion and its ability to touch people and move their hearts. However different their backgrounds are, students stated they don’t feel that different from their peers when it comes to enjoying the art of music.
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Sarah Shong, a freshman hospitality and tourism management major from Washington, described music as “an expression of feeling. It can hype you up, and just as easily make you cry.” From Seattle, a hub for underground musical artists, Shong said music has definitely been an influence in her life, specifically in connecting with people. She stated in multiple instances it was music that introduced her to people and artists who have made her feel happy and grateful to be alive.
Members of the BYUH Street Band perform during a Fall 2017 Semester concert directed by Music Professor Daniel Henderson. Students say music crosses cultural and language barriers. Photo by Alvin Dy
Once Shong said she made an unlikely friend just because they were going to the same concert and neither of them wanted to go alone. The new friend turned out to be a total gem, she added. According to Shong, music is powerful because it contains emotion. “The feel of music is what makes it powerful. It’s the context, the emotion. That’s why I like discovering underground artists. Their music is the best to me because it’s raw. Totally pure in the art.” Cindy Iongi, freshman graphic design major from Tonga, expressed a similar opinion about music’s power. “Music is everything,” she said with a big grin. Iongi’s father sings Tongan music back home for a living, so she said she was surrounded by it all the time. “When other homes and families might be filled with silence, ours was always blasting music,” she stated. According to Iongi, music is meaningful and influential because it touches people. “People write music from experience,” she said, “so it affects people who might be experiencing the same things.” In a 2008 TED talk, conductor Benjamin Zander expresses that same line of thinking– that music is so much more than notes and
melodies. In the talk, Zander states his role with music has more to do than just waving his arms at an orchestra. His job as a music conductor is to make other people realize and fulfill their powerful potential. He says he can tell he is doing his job if the people around him had shining eyes. “Who am I being if my players’ eyes aren’t shining?” he asked. “As we go back into the world, who are we being?” He encouraged his audience to translate this question into their everyday lives, stating that it isn’t just a principle limited to musicians. Zander cites a statistic that reports 3 percent of the population enjoy classical music and says this number caused grief in people who thought it was too low.Yet Zander expresses that despite those numbers, classical music still touches every kind of person. He specifically recalls a moment where a Chopin piece he played touched a troubled youth. The teen had a brother who was shot and had never cried for his brother until Zander played Chopin. The boy said to Zander, “It felt really good to cry for my brother.” Zander pushes his audience to see music as a long line, telling a story. “It’s about the vision,” he said. •
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C AL IF M ESTY P U S LE LIFE
Survey results show going door-to-door for candy on Halloween should be left to children. But parents say dressing up and going out with their children is a great way to enjoy the holiday. Photo by Haley Phelps
Leave trick or treating to children Buy your own candy, dress up and enjoy the season with your children BY E L I SA M O N CRI E F
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rick or treating is a Halloween tradition stemming back to the 1920’s in United States history, however most BYU-Hawaii students and residents on Oahu said they are too old to be taking candy from strangers on Hallows Eve anymore. As Halloween approached, students said they are busy planning themed activities and decorating, and as Shan White, a junior accounting major from Arizona, put it, “Devising a plan to create the most iconic costume.” Dane Auna, a Laie resident, said, “I’m a big fan of dressing up and going to town to see others’ costumes. But why trick or treat for hours when I have the money to go buy a bag of candy if I really wanted to?” Going from house to house collecting goodies was something students said they looked forward to every year growing up, but not everyone grew up with this tradition in their homes. Jessica Schemmel, a freshman and music major from Canada, said she “I never got to dress up or go trick or treating and maybe it would be fun to go at least once But I’ll probably just take my kids. I’d feel silly going with friends in college.”
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But trick or treating isn’t entirely over for some adults. Leiloni Leon, a North Shore resident, and mother said, “I love going trick or treating with my son. We take kids from the block and parade around the street in our costumes for an hour, and it’s like I’m a kid again, only with more responsibilities. Instead of getting candy for myself, I get to see how happy my son is, and I end up stealing some of his candies later anyways.” An online survey from the site SurveyMonkey shows “more than half of people who celebrate Halloween think kids should stop going door-to-door at some point between ages 12 and 15.” So while there may not be an age restriction, a majority of people sees Halloween as a holiday for children. Even Auna who said he likes dressing up confessed, “If I opened the door on Halloween to find a face my age looking back at me, I would immediately close the door. No questions asked.” On Oahu there are Halloween-themed activities during the entire month of October for anyone looking to replace trick or treating. The website honolulufamily.com lists 30 different events leading up to Oct.31 such as pumpkin decorating and film festivals. •
Information gathered by Brittania Darrington Illustration by Abish Martin Moncur FALL 2017
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C AL IF M ESTY P U S LE LIFE
Students say bigger phones don’t fit in their pockets as well and fall out of pockets easier. Photo by Nigel Tadyanehondo
One size doesn’t fit all Students favor small screens for easier use; large screens used like a laptop B Y E VE LYN N I CH O L S
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tudents at BYU-Hawaii have been comparing iPhones, and the ever-constant debate over screen size proves to be alive and well with students saying they like the larger size phones as a substitute for their laptops but the smaller phones because they are easier to carry and use. Ally Pack, a freshman from Idaho with an undeclared major yet, loves her iPhone 6s. “The screen fits in my hand better and just feels easier to use. I love photography, and I like using my phone for photo editing when I don’t have my laptop. In that case, it’s nice to have a bigger screen so I can see what I’m doing. The processing isn’t much different from my 5s I used to have, but the bigger screen is definitely a bonus.” While the bigger screen usually tends to bug people who like to type one handed, Pack doesn’t think it’s as big of a deal. “I didn’t type with one hand on my 5s anyway, so it wasn’t a big problem.” Hannah Olsen, a freshman from Georgia with an undeclared major, said she doesn’t mind the smaller screen on her iPhone 5s. “It works for me. I don’t wish anything was
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bigger because then my hands wouldn’t reach everything and it’s honestly the perfect size,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind a newer phone, but I think that the screen size is just fine. If I had anything bigger it would fall out of my pocket. Besides, the screen I have now I can reach all the way across with one hand. Sometimes I only have one hand available.” She added how she enjoyed the benefit of typing with only one thumb. “One thing that did bother me was that since the newest update, my phone had been working slower,” Olsen continued, “especially in opening apps or using Safari.” Savannah Baugh, an undeclared freshman from Georgia, also had a 5s before she got her update. “I love my iPhone 7,” she said enthusiastically. “The screen isn’t too big or too small, and it fits in my back pocket. The bigger screen makes it to much easier to watch movies on, and it’s way easier to watch by myself or even with friends. They have the keyboard shift option on it, too, which makes it easy to type with one hand even though the screen is bigger,” she said. “I love the 7 way more than my 5s. There’s literally nothing I thought was better on my old phone compared to this one.” •
news
in this section Changes in General Conference schedule to make sessions more meaningful Teenage Russian model dies of exhaustion after working 13 hours
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Students say the best way to cope with terrorism is join together, fight fear
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Church shooting brings call for better gun control and mental health care
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Two BYUH students remember Chinese student killed in Utah
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C A MNEWS PUS LIFE
To reduce and simplify, says a church announcement, women’s and priesthood sessions will only happen once a year. Photo courtesy of lds.org
Spacing out sessions New changes in conference schedule makes session more meaningful, say BYUH ohana B Y JO RDAN D O N AL D SO N
The new General Conference schedule change could help increase the central focus of Priesthood and Women’s sessions by making them more special and giving members more time to internalize the messages, which will bless the lives of members more, according to BYU-Hawaii students. Deseret News explains, “Beginning April 2018, both the general priesthood and general women’s sessions of general conference will be held annually, with the priesthood session being held in April and the women’s session being held in October. The meetings will follow the morning and afternoon sessions of conference on Saturday evening.” Bethany Donaldson, a freshman from Arizona studying education, said, “I think when things are not as frequent, it makes them more special. Imagine if we had general conference every month—it wouldn’t be that special.” She added this change can help members like herself have an extra focus. “It will be more special for me,” she said. Jared Emerson, 1st counselor of the 11th Ward in the Laie YSA 1st Stake, said, “For me as a leader, I look at some things in the church sometimes as too much talking and not enough doing. This change in the General Conference sched-
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ule would give us more time to exercise what is taught in our families rather than constantly have repetitious talking.” He said he felt sometimes general conference can be overwhelming for his young priesthood-holding son. According to Emerson, the changes could help youth to have a less overwhelming experience give families greater opportunity to exercise and apply what is taught because “we have more time to apply it.” In a letter to all the members of the church, the First Presidency wrote, “In the spirit of reducing and simplifying the work of the Church and the demands made upon leaders and members, we are pleased to announce that the Council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have decided to modify the general conference meeting schedule.” It continues, “We are confident this change will be a blessing in the lives of members throughout the Church.” Ynos Ballesteros, a sophomore from the Philippines studying information systems, said, “General conference will still be the same thing, but I feel like they’ll be more focused. Members can internalize the talks more, and the transition between sessions will be more smooth.” •
Russian model Vlada Dzyuba, 14, shown working a modeling job. Photo by AP
Model, Inc. Teenage Russian model dies from exhaustion, other models say mistreatment is common B Y H E N RI Q U E SCH M E I L
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14-year-old Russian model died from working after an exhausting season in China, according to the New York Times. Vlada Dzyuba suffered from chronic exhaustion and meningitis after a 13-hour long event in Shanghai. According to the Daily Mail, the teenager collapsed and went into a coma moments before going on the runaway again, one of the many entrances she would make that day. Dzyuba never regained consciousness and died two days later. Still, according to the British newspaper, the girl was tied with a “contract of slavery,” not entitled to medical insurance, and families confirmed she was too frightened to seek treatment alone. Officially, she should only have to work three hours a week with medical assistance anytime. Kate Rosegold, a 22-year-old model and resident of Laie, said, “I have worked as a model since I was 16. The industry treats us as if we are objects. A lot of times during long 12-hour shoots, photographers, producers, stylists and other members of the crew would
forget that we, the models, still hadn’t eaten or had gotten a rest break. I have worked in several different countries around the world and Hawaii’s industry is not that different from the reality of this Russian model who has died in China.” Mahina Garcia, another 20-year-old model from Kahuku, said some locations’ in the model industries are worse than others. “I work between Los Angeles and Hawaii, and there is a phenomenally difference between the two industries. While the people in Los Angeles are worried about my weight and measurements, the people I work with in Hawaii are concerned with my health.” Dzyuba’s death raises once again the discussion of working conditions for young models, mainly for models who move to different countries searching for more prominence in fashion, said Ryan Brown, the owner of ADR Model’s Agency in Hawaii. Local authorities told the Daily Beast the company in which Dzyuba has worked for three months is now being investigated for reports of contract of slavery. •
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Looking past tragedy Best way to cope with terrorist attacks, students say, is to come together and not give in to fear B Y TE D DY H AN SE N
Bicycles lay on a bike path after a man drove a truck deliberately drove down the path in New York City on Oct. 31. But students say when people ban together and help eat other, acts like this can’t break people’s spirits. Photo by AP
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ollowing the New York City terrorist attack on Oct. 31, BYU-Hawaii students said although anything can happen to anyone, news like this should not keep people from rallying together and going about doing good. NYC native Eleni Garcia, a student studying international cultural studies, explained, “Unfortunately I can’t say I was surprised. Whenever events like this happen, I think everyone thinks back to 9/11 and has thoughts and feelings like, ‘Oh man, that could’ve been me.’ But talking to people back home, everyone kind of comes together after tragedies and tries to show that cowardly acts like terrorist attacks can’t break people’s spirit.” According to NBC News, eight people were killed and about a dozen more were injured when a motorist in a rented pickup truck deliberately drove down a bike path in lower Manhattan and mowed down several people before crashing into a school bus. Officials called it a terrorist attack–the deadliest in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001. Garcia added one way NYC citizens showed unity was by continuing with the big Halloween parade everyone thought would be cancelled. “A lot of people came out, specifically the governor and mayor of New York. They told the press that the terrorists didn’t win. Also Mayor De Blasio gave a speech warning against trying to politicize or turn this into an excuse to hate a whole religion or groups of people.” Jordan Holbrook, a junior from Sacramento studying English, said, “I feel like if I’m in a big crowd doing something fun, something bad can happen. I try to remind myself - no matter where I am or what I’m doing, bad things can happen. The unexpected you can’t control so I try to be cautious about my surroundings and still try to have fun and forget about and just enjoy myself.” Marian Clark, a senior from Utah majoring in international cultural studies, said social media has both positives and negatives in situations like this. “I think, on the one hand, it can help by getting in contact and making sure that people, like my friends in New York, are safe. On the other hand, it can have a negative impact on those who want to cause harm because it provides information on where gatherings are and where [terrorists] can hurt the most.”
“When I read about it, I felt sad because so many of these kinds of things have been happening lately and it makes me realize that anything can happen to anyone of us in any moment. We are not in control of our surroundings,” Clark said. Holbrook added, “I think part of the problem is the media and I feel like people do these horrible acts and think they will get attention if they do something bad. I hate hearing about these things. I’ve actually been having super bad night terrors where I dream about things I see or read about, things that stress me out. It ruins my sleep.” USA Today reported that experts cautioned the terror attack could be a frightening indication of things to come in the war on terror in the U.S. The simplicity of planning and carrying out similar attacks, in which a man drove a pickup truck onto a bike path near the World Trade Center and plowed into cyclists, makes them difficult to guard against and prevent. “It’s now, unfortunately, becoming almost conventional because it’s so easy,” Charles Strozier, director of the Center on Terrorism at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told USA Today. “This particular form of attack has not reached anywhere in the United States before. We’re vulnerable. Democratic societies are open and they can be penetrated.” In the article, Victor Asal, a political science professor at SUNY’s University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, said the internet is increasingly radicalizing “lone wolf ” terrorists and encouraging them to take action. “We are seeing more and more of the inspired lone wolf, who maybe has been directed ... who has bought into someone’s ideology,” Asal said. Addressing the internet’s role in these attacks, Hoffman quoted his recent book, “Inside Terrorism,” noting that social media and the internet allow terrorists to reach people more directly than in the past. “This new approach by terrorists ... has much greater resonance and traction because of the communicative power of social media,” Hoffman said. •
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NEWS
A gunman entered this rural church outside of San Antonio, Texas, and killed 26 people and then killed himself. Photo by AP
Texas shooting sends shockwaves Better gun control laws and mental health services are both needed, students say B Y JO H N M I CH AE L B AN GAL
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hree out of four BYU-Hawaii students said they feel Texas should impose stricter gun control laws in the aftermath of a recent mass shooting at a church in that state. Besides more gun control, students said mental illness is at the heart of mass shootings and needs to be addressed better, including counseling for the victims of attacks. Students added since the recent mass shootings and terrorist attacks have been in public places, they are being more cautious when they out and about. “Violence is still flourishing in the American society,” said Louell Jeanne Lorzano, a senior majoring in political science from the Philippines. “I think Texas should impose strict gun control state laws to possibly avoid these incidents. Also, I guess the government should pay attention to mental health as people who are mostly committing these crimes are mentally unstable.” Two out of four students said they thought the problem is not in gun control but mental illness. Dixie Johnson, a senior majoring in peacebuilding from Idaho, said, “The government needs to give more medical access so people can get help.” Isabelle Vincent, a freshman from California majoring in graphic design, said, “I think gun control is important. Maybe stricter laws 44
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could have prevented it. I think overall America needs to recognize mental health and see the fact that firearms shouldn’t be accessible to these people. I think it’s an issue we address over time and not something we can change overnight.” She added, “I think that the mass shootings display a few problems like: 1. In the media, they normalize the ‘lone wolf’ factor. They humanize shooters too much, and I feel like it’s becoming way too normal for white males to be these ‘lone wolves.’ 2. This contributes to the fact we give so much attention to the shooters, glorifying them in TV shows and in the news.” CNN reported that Don Christensen, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, said the alleged gunman, Devin Kelley, was involved in “multiple occasions of domestic abuse” against his ex-wife and stepson. Kelley was in the Air Force when he was convicted of domestic abuse, reports CNN, and was court martialed. But the Air Force didn’t report his abuse to three databases including the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). “Had his information been in the database, it should have prevented gun sales to Kelley,” the Air Force said in a statement. “Somebody really dropped the ball,” Christensen told CNN.
A law enforcement official also told CNN that, “Kelley’s social media suggested a fascination with mass shootings reported by CNN.” PREPARATION AND COPING
The BYUH students interviewed were asked what they could do to prepare themselves in case this kind of event happens in the future and what they think about the families affected by the shootings. Lorzano said, “I can prepare myself for this unpredictable event by being aware of my surroundings more and avoiding open public spaces that are targets for violence like this. Families of the victims need access to counseling. Authorities should reach out to families who are entitled to Social Security benefits. Churches might get together to extend help.” Ayla Stewart, a senior majoring in communications and a military child, said, “The shooting is really disheartening. I can’t imagine what the families are going through. Part of me honestly believes this is related to political affiliations. Coping is so hard. I think the availability of counselors would definitely help because often times I feel like those that need those service the most cannot afford it.” •
ChenWei Guo was a student at the University of Utah who was killed on Oct. 30 Two BYUH students said they were friends with him. Photo by AP
Reflecting on ChenWei Guo Chinese student killed at University of Utah shooting remembered as a good friend by BYUH students who knew him B Y E TH AN W H I TAK E R
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henWei Guo, a 23-year-old student attending the University of Utah from China, was shot and killed on Monday, Oct. 30 in a car-jacking incident. Local police searched 15 hours before finally locating Guo’s alleged killer the following Tuesday morning. Chris Wen Hao Zou, a freshman at BYU-Hawaii with an undeclared major, said, “I knew ChenWei. We were friends at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). He was a really good guy and super genuine. We were both Chinese, so it was easy to relate to him. When I woke up today to hear the news, I couldn’t believe it, and I never thought anything like this would happen to him. Chen was one of those guys who you could really trust.” According to the Salt Lake Tribune, University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy said a woman came to campus and received treatment for some unspecified injuries she had received from her husband, who she reported had assaulted her while they were camping in Red Butte Canyon. The woman’s husband allegedly killed Guo just before 9 p.m. at the mouth of the canyon as she was being treated. Blake Johnson, a freshman studying hotel and tourism management from Utah who described himself as a close friend to Guo,
said, “I know what it feels like to lose someone close and I feel for him. I also have friends who are going to the University of Utah, and to hear about an act like this makes me quite fearful knowing that at any moment they could be gone.” The suspect is identified as Austin J. Boutain, 24, according to the Tribune. He was arrested in the rugged foothills next to the campus. As a result of the shooting, the university, which has about 32,800 students, performed an emergency lockdown that ended early Tuesday morning, according to ABC News. About 175 students spent the night at the library Monday night. University officials canceled classes for Tuesday. When asked if he thinks something like this event could happen at BYU-Hawaii, Johnson said, “No I don’t think so, but then again I am pretty sure that [Guo] didn’t leave class that day thinking he was going to get shot in a car-jacking gone wrong. Laie is peaceful and I don’t know of any case similar to this one that has happened here, but who knows. It could be possible and that makes me kind of scared.” • FALL 2017
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HOW TO PERSONALIZE & STYLE YOUR
T VA A P A R T M E N T WITHOUT BREAKING RULES
BYU-Hawaii’s Temple View Apartments house over 200 student families, many of which are these families’ first homes. TVA can be their home from one semester to one year to four years, depending on their schooling. Living in TVA is a part of the university experience, and a huge part of young families. Thus being said, most families seek to make their homes comfortable, characterized, and even stylish. Here are the rules and nine ways to personalize and style a TVA home while still keeping the rules.
T H E R U L E S F O R D E C O R AT I O N
MUST BE R E M O VA B L E
ALL ADDITIONAL
I T E M S & D E C O R AT I O N NO DRILLING ALLOWED
M U S T B E R E M O VA B L E
A N D L E AV E N O S TA I N S
NO OPEN FLAMES
OR RESIDUE BEHIND
IDEAS TO PERSONALIZE & STYLE
H AV E A C O L O R T H E M E & S T I C K T O I T Having a color theme can help the home to look more tidy. A color theme can range from 3-6 colors, or more if preferred. While it can be fun matching colors you like, keep in mind the practicality of the color theme. For example, if black, white, metal, and wood are more conventional colors and materials available in stores you shop at, then it’s not a bad idea to incoperate these colors in your theme. It can also make it easier when shopping for home items--towels, small furniture, bedsheets, curtains, dinnerware, kitchen tools.
LIGHT UP WITH LAMPS & LIGHTS To some, the original TVA lightings might not be of their own liking--too plain, too dark, too fluroscent, etc. Lighting is a powerful way to give a room a bright difference, it can completely change the room’s mood and character. A switch to tungsten light often relaxes the body and mind. A floor lamp, a table lamp, or a whimsical string of fairy lights can go a long way. On a relaxing weekend evening, switch off the regular lights and enjoy the warmth and romantic vibe that a tungsten glow gives.
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HANG UP PHOTOS AND ART ON THE WALL Nothing quite personalizes a home like family pictures. Photos can be printed, framed in a series of photoframes of your choice. For a more textured decoration, photos can be printed on canvases. With the no drilling rule, these frames and arts can be hung up with 3M stickers/hooks, but be sure to buy them according to the weight of your items being hung. If you struggle to find light photoframes or stickers that hold, a light weight alternative is to print photos on foamboards and stick them to the wall with sticky tack.
P L A C E S O M E C A R P E T S A N D M AT S D E C O R AT E T H E F R I D G E D O O R S Your magnets collection, family photos, polaroids, quotes, magnetic notepads--stick them on the fridge doors! It doesn’t have to be perfectly aligned nor overly messy, but it adds a lot of character and life to a fridge when you have personal items on it.
CHEER UP THE ROOM WITH LITTLE PLANTS Plants can be used as decoration, but it can also be a hobby if you enjoy planting. Small or mini pots of herbs such as rosemary, lemongrass, and basil even give off luxurious aromas in your home. Althought some plants can invite insects and mosquitos, there are those of opposite that prevents and shoo insects. Choosing low maintenance plants and clearing out excess water can diminish or downsize the problem.
If you don’t feel like stepping on those years-old carpet all day, some area mats or carpets might make life more comfortable for you. Whether the apartment floor is already carpeted or wooden, a plush roll of carpet or a doormat with a witty slogan can add fun! If the flooring is originally dark, putting a light colored carpet can brighten up the room. Adding a small mat in the kitchen can give a feeling of homeliness, and provide your feet more rest when you’re slaved at the sink over dishes.
GET A COUCH COVER Perhaps the couch in the apartment is spotted, old, faded, or the color just doesn’t really fit the room. Couch covers can be a lifesaver, it can provide a new choice of color, texture, and feeling to your couch that better suits your home. Depending on which one you buy, it probably fits better and looks tidier than a bedsheet. Couch cover can be machine washed and dried, perhaps even making it easier to clean than the couch itself.
THROW IN SOME COLORS WITH CUSHIONS
ROOM PERFUMES INSTEAD OF CANDLES
Add color accents to the room with cushions on the couch, dining chairs, and bed. Constrating colors can brighten up the room, and complimenting colors can bring out the charm of your color theme even more. Cushion also makes it much more comfortable when sitting. It can also reduce the stress on your spine when you’re slouched across the sofa doing homework on your laptop.
Just as breathing in a spritz of peppermint oil can calm nausea, home scents can provide a sense of comfort and joy. Searching for a personalized collection of home scents can be fun. Aromatherapy scents can even have effects of calming, energizing, relaxing. Scent is one of the strongest ties to human memory. Soak up the happiness in the air with room perfumes.
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Motherhood statue stands outside of the McKay complex classroom where Communications 211 met during the Fall 2017 Semester. Photo by Lorin Vilvayvong