APRIL 3, 2014
Volume 106: Issue 12
‘ Ke Alaka i THE LEADER
Culture Night
2014 End of an era 3
Athletics Dept. to close in three years
Queen of Tonga visits Laie 5 PCC gives the royal treatment
Stunning swords 10 Chinese Chapter shows off deadly skills
KE ALAKA I
CONTACT
E-mail: ke a l a k a i @byuh . e d u Ad Information: keal aka i a d s@g m a i l . co m Phone: ( 8 0 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 6 9 4 Fax: ( 8 0 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 4 9 1 Office: Campu s, A l o h a Ce n te r 1 3 4 P ubl i sher P r i n t S e r v i ce s
April 3, 2014 • Volume 106: Issue 12 Advisor
Editor-in-chief Je f f M c L e o d
Le e an n Lambe r t
COPY EDITORs T u c ke r G r im s h aw A u s t i n M e l d r um A ly s s a Wa l h o o d
Art Director Make n zie H e ad
MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISTS
INTERNs R ebe cca Gu lde n Gre g Er ick so n
NE W S CE NT E R Box 1920 BYUH Laie, HI 96762 Editorial, photo submissions & distrib u t i o n i n q u i r i e s : ke a l a k a i @ by u h . e d u . To s u b s c r i b e t o t h e R S S F E E D o r t o view additional ar ticles, go t o ke a l a k a i . by u h . e d u .
Rebecca Sabalones, Makaila Bergeson, Samone Isom, Matthew Roberts, Samantha Spring, Lauren Steimle, Jeff Facer, Hannah Packard, Emily Halls, Leslie Owusu, Ben Halverson, Braden Wood, Hailey Gardiner, Reid Crickmore ART & GRAPHICS
VIDEOGRAPHERS
M a ke n z ie H e a d M o rga n B o u wh u i s O n K i Wo o M o n i c a R uba lc ava
N i Sh ip e n g K atie Bak Jame s A stle Je f f C o llin s A J Ed dy
PHOTOGRAPHERs Ke l s i e C a rls o n M o n i c a R uba lc ava H a i l ey G a rd i n e r
AD MANAGER Sh aro n Wo n g
Table of
CONTENTS [5] [10] [9-11] [14]
PC C honors Tonga n Q u een C hinese C ha p t er d a nc es w it h knives C u l t u re N i g ht : A c om p let e rec a p Pres id ent of K i r i b a t i vi s it s B Y U H
ON THE COVER
Fatafehi K. Taufa, a member of the Tongan Chapter, displays his colorful costume worn in this year’s Culture Night. Photo by Kelsie Carlson.
Share with us your Photo of the Week and we may feature it in our next issue. e-mail us at kealakai@byuh.edu
Photo of the Week: The Cafe hosted Filipino Night, featuring decorations and authentic Filipino cuisine on March 25. Photo by Kelsie Carlson
APRIL Don’t forget to watch General Conference April 4 and 5. Live broadcasts will be shown in the Stake Center on Saturday at 6 a.m. for the morning session, 10 a.m. for afternoon, and 2 p.m. for the Priesthood session. Sunday sessions will be shown at 6 and 10 a.m. Live streaming is on lds.org. Sunday best dress.
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F R IDA Y BYUHSA’s Closing Social will be held in the AC Ballroom from 9-11 p.m.
NOTE
WORTHY
News Headlines
BYUH to disband intercollegiate athletics
In a meeting with student-athletes and coaches held on March 28, BYU-Hawaii President SA T U R DA Y 5 Steven C. Wheelwright announced the uniGeneral Conference begins. Sessions versity’s plans to phase out all intercollegiate begin in Stake Center at 6 and 10 a.m. athletic programs over the next three years. with the Priesthood Session at 2 p.m. All of the school’s 11 athletic programs will M O N DA Y 7 be disbanded including; men’s and women’s First Monday of each month year basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, womround, turn in used ink cartridges en’s volleyball, women’s softball, men’s and and get a FREE meal in The Club (cafeteria). Bring 3 for breakfast, 4 women’s cross-country, men’s golf, and men’s for lunch, 5 for dinner. and women’s tennis. In an official statement from the 9 W ED N ESDA Y university, President Wheelwright publicly Final exams for the Winter 2014 semester will begin and run through announced the reasoning behind the decision. Fri. April 11. “In recent years, trends have emerged in SA T U R DA Y collegiate athletics that are continuing in 12 BYUH Commencement ceremony a direction that will be challenging for an will be held in the Cannon Activities institution the size of BYU–Hawaii.” But Center beginning at 9 a.m. the main factor for discontinuing “The law is doing what it’s athletics is rooted supposed to do. It’s working. in finances. “The It’s helping people from coast to money being spent coast. -President Barack Obama said in on athletics proa statement on April 1 from the White grams will be used T H E W EE K House’s Rose Garden after 7.1 million I N Q U O T ES Americans signed up for health care plans to provide educaas part of the Affordable Care Act. tional opportunities for the increasing number of students “The fact is we will know the from around the extent of the damage as time world who can be goes by and when we inspect the areas served by the university,” says the official in the light of day... The country has statement. faced these first emergency hours very The statement continues, “Plans well.” to increase enrollment to 3,200 students are -Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said just hours already in progress with the construction of after a powerful 8.2--magnitude earthquake hit off the northern coast of Chile in the late evening of new on-campus housing facilities. The univerApril 1. sity administration feels that the top priority is to serve more students, especially those
Above: Cory Lange, a freshman from Tehachapi, Calif., rocks the rim during a home game this semester. But the university announced on March 28 a three-year plan to phase out all athletic programs. Photo by Kelsie Carlson
from the Pacific and Asia.” The decision to phase out athletics was made by the Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, and university administration. The phase out comes as a surprise to student athletes and coaches. “I am disappointed in the way the message was delivered and the fact we are losing athletics,” said Landon Southwick, captain of the men’s soccer team and a senior business major from Kaysville, Utah. “I have loved my two years of being a student-athlete; I owe a lot to the athletics programs here.” Athletics at BYUH have built a tradition of success winning 24 national championships. Eleven of those have come from men’s and women’s tennis. In the past three years, both the men’s basketball and women’s volleyball team have competed in the National Championship games of their respective sports. Inquires regarding the phase out can be sent to communications@byuh.edu.
-Matt Robe rts
Graduation Student speaker: Larissa Suwanto Larissa Suwanto, a music major from Indonesia, said she loves the diversity of BYU-Hawaii and is looking forward to speak to her class at graduation on April 12. Photo by Kelsie Carlson.
Pianist pays the price by practicing Larissa Suwanto said she knows practice pays off. If it weren’t for her hours of practice, she would have never discovered her talent for music. Suwanto has since become a master of the piano and was recently selected as the student speaker at the 2014 April graduation ceremony. Elder Craig C. Christensen, in Presidency of the Seventy for the LDS Church, is the featured speaker. Suwanto, a senior, majoring in piano performance from Indonesia, has appreciated her time as a Seasider and is ready to take on the challenges of the future. When she started playing piano as an 8 year old, the last thing Suwanto wanted to do was practice. “I hated it as a child. I actually quit for seven years and picked it back up three years before I came here to BYUH.” With her interest re-sparked, she discovered her talent and passion for playing. “It has been a long journey with piano, but I’ve learned to love it. I love the sound of the keys, the music, and the emotions that I feel when playing,” said Suwanto. After graduation, totaling eight years of playing piano, Suwanto plans to return to Indonesia and become a piano instructor. “I still have a lot to learn, but I can’t wait to start teaching. I enjoy it so much.” Her said her favorite composers include Chopin and Debussy. Suwanto’s experience at BYU-Hawaii began in 2011 when she came to Hawaii to fulfill her parent’s wishes. “My parents wanted to come here when they were young, but they were not able to, so 4
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they wanted all of their children to attend.” Suwanto is the middle of three daughters, and her older sister graduated two years ago while her younger sister started this semester. Suwanto said she has not been home since she started here, but with the companionship of her sisters, she has been able to have a piece of home with her. Once she arrived, Suwanto said she quickly fell in love with BYUH. “I loved coming to this campus because it was new and different. I liked the fact that I was practicing independence and gaining new experiences I could not get elsewhere.” While here on Oahu, Suwanto said she has enjoyed going to the beach, snorkeling, and even parasailing. Her favorite memories, she said, are of the potlucks she had with her culturally diverse friends. As an iWork student, Suwanto works 19 hours a week but nearly matches that number with her total hours of piano practice dedicating three hours a day, six days a week. Suwanto said jokingly, “I’ve basically just worked and studied piano since the day I got here. It’s hard to balance, but it is fun.” Suwanto works for the Music Department as a student secretary and teacher’s assistant for music theory. She is simultaneously practicing her piano skills and her teaching skills through her work with the Educational Outreach Program. Suwanto has 12 students that she gives private piano lessons to. “I am pretty new as a teacher,” said Suwanto. “I don’t really have much experience, but it is good for me because I am learning a lot, especially in working with kids.” Last semester, she was the accompanist for the religion hymn class. She holds a calling as the stake music coordinator for the Laie 2nd Stake and has played for stake choir performances, devotionals, and presented a piano piece at the Empower Your Dreams Conference. Suwanto has performed at every fall and winter semester piano major recital and has played background music for past graduation banquets. “My time here has been a fast and busy one but I have enjoyed it so incredibly much,” said Suwanto. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” In her speech, Suwanto said she plans to speak about her experiences here in Laie, the spirit of BYUH, and the future of the graduates. “I feel so special and honored to be chosen to speak because not everyone has the opportunity to speak on their big day. This is my first time talking in front of so many people. I am nervous and excited.” In her speech, Suwanto also wants to offer words of advice specifically to underclassmen. “I want them to enjoy every moment they have here. Our diversity is so great, and it is important that you focus on having connections with different people,” Suwanto said. “Become friends with them, get to know their culture, use this opportunity to truly love people from different countries. Don’t forget to work and study hard. Don’t waste time but also be sure to balance your time with fun and the nature that Hawaii has to offer.” Suwanto’s senior piano recital will be held on April 8 at 7:30 in the McKay Auditorium. -Le slie Owu su
The Queen of Tonga Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho smiles at the crowd during her visit to the PCC. Photo by Monica Rubalcava
A Royal Occasion Queen of Tonga visits Polynesian Cultural Center The Polynesian Cultural Center welcomed Queen Nanasipau‘u Tuku‘aho of Tonga on Friday, March 28. The visit to the PCC was her first as queen since her husband King ‘Aho‘eitu ‘Unuaki‘otonga Tuku‘aho Tupou VI ascended to the throne in 2012. Queen Tuku‘aho was greeted by PCC President Alfred Grace and presented with a special ‘oli (chant) from PCC Cultural Director Cy Bridges. Hawai‘i village dancers also performed a hula kahiko, an ancient style of hula, to welcome the queen. Fijian warriors then escorted Queen Tuku‘aho on a canoe to the Tongan Village for a special cultural protocol from each of the six managers representing the island nations at the PCC. Every village presented gifts to the Queen along with their performances, signifying the unity in Polynesia, said Tade Karrati, a senior studying elementary education from Utah who served a mission in Tonga. “I am grateful to see a culture I grew to love being persevered and honored,” Karrati said. As customary in Tongan culture, the queen prepared a statement that was read by her talking chiefs, according to Karrati. She thanked the people for doing their duty to the throne and for representing Tonga throughout the United States, he said. Matt Duffus, a senior studying social work from Australia, was one of the performers honoring the queen in the Tongan village. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not only be in the presence of the queen, but to also perform for her.” Duffus, who also served a two-year LDS mission in Tonga, continued, “I was a little nervous, but I wanted to make sure I took advantage of this opportunity because I know one day it will be a story I can share with my children.”
Guests in attendance consisted of Queen Salote College alumni, Tongan community members from throughout the island, PCC employees and performers, and media covering the event. Mele Ongoongotau, a retired Tongan professor at BYU-Hawaii, paid respects to the queen on behalf of the Tongans on the North Shore of Oahu. Nania Maka, a Queen Salote College alumna now living in Salt Lake City, Utah, said, “This is an exciting time. Every year we have this reunion and it is so fun. This is our third time seeing the new queen.” Maka noted the event was also a celebration of the allgirl school’s 80th anniversary. For those in attendance, the Queen’s visit meant more than just a celebration. With tears filling her eyes, Olivia Avea, a resident of Laie, said, “It’s so special. It’s a real blessing. For the Queen to come to Laie and for those of us Tongans who grew up in America to see her, it is amazing.” Avea added, “Laie truly is a gathering place.” Following the conclusion of the cultural ceremonies, the Queen attended a private lunch hosted by the Queen Salote College Alumni in the newly renovated Gateway Restaurant. -Gre g Erickson
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Culture Night Costumes
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t BYU-Hawaii, culture is defined every day through language, food, customs, and dress of each of the students on campus. BYUH’s two-night event is an opportunity for students to showcase their home culture while learning about other cultures simultaneously. For Jess Price, a freshman in exercise and sports science from Georgia, the costumes of Culture Night stood out more than anything. She said, “I got excited when each chapter would come on stage and I saw their unique costumes. It made each performance more memorable, and really interesting. I could see that a lot of hard
Taiwan Chapter: Cheng-Yuan Mao, a sophomore in marketing from Taiwan
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work was put into the making of each costume, and it made Culture Night a lot more fun.” Throughout Culture Night, the performers taught the audience about their culture through their dances, singing, and costumes. Each chapter’s costumes were unique and showed the campus’ diversity. The participants put a lot of thought into what they would wear on Culture Night, with most chapters crafting their own costumes. Each grass skirt, headdress, lei, and dress that was worn during Culture Night had significant cultural meaning to each chapter and helped to enhance their performance. -Emily Hall s
Tonga Chapter: Fatafehi K. Taufa, a junior in TESOL education from Tonga
Musicians of the night Live music amps up Culture Night chapters
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ive percussion, strings and vocals from the chapters added an extra element to Culture Night. Specific chapters arranged for live musicians from the student body and community to contribute their talents for the performance and practices beforehand. Ukulele player Jon Ako said he thought it was important to contribute what he could to Culture Night through music. A senior studying music from Hawaii, Ako said, “As a native Hawaiian, I felt it my duty to contribute to the Hawaiian Chapter. Since here at BYU-Hawaii no one knows how to play Hawaiian music like I do, I decided to take that responsibility upon myself.” His sense of obliga-
tion to the Hawaiian culture wasn’t the only reason he volunteered for the position. The senior also said he thinks music adds to any type of dance, and Hawaiian dancing is no different. Mel Manutai, president of the Hawaiian Chapter said she thought the live instrumentalist was an important part of her chapter’s performance. “We could have had a recording but the fact that we live in Hawaii and have not only people, but also students who can play the music makes it a more personal and authentic representation of our culture.” Besides the Hawaiian Chapter, the Samoan, Cook Islands, Korean, Japanese, New Zealand and Tongan Chapters also integrated live music into their performances. Audience members enjoyed having the excitement of live music in the CAC. Senior Leena Kilpelainen, studying education from California, said, “I love when all of the musicians came out for Samoa’s performance. I also loved the live chanting. I didn’t understand it, but I loved it.” She said she thought the energy seemed to rise and the whole crowd got more into the performances that had live musicians.
- L au re n Ste iml e
Indonesian Chapter: Immanuel Nggiku, a freshman in accounting from Indonesia
Photos by Kelsie Carlson
April 3, 2014
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Everybody Dance! BYUH students get to know each other by dancing at Culture Night
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econnecting and learning about people from other cultures were the reasons students said they joined different chapters and clubs on campus and participated in Culture Night. Students unfamiliar with the history and practices, said they spent time learning about their club’s culture beforehand in order to perform at Culture Night. Because it is an activity unique to BYU-Hawaii, students said they are eager to perform in Culture Night. Senior Samantha Spring, a graphic design major from California, said, “It’s my last semester and I hadn’t been in Culture Night. I was telling two friends how I thought Africa would be fun and we decided to do it together.” While reaching to learn more about other cultures and their dances, students take away pieces of the cultures’ heritage to add to their own lives. Spring went on to say, “I really like African dance because it’s high energy and the music is fun. Plus the dance moves are The Latino Club gave students a chance to participate in traditional dances and get to know Latino culture. Photo by Monica Rubalcava
moves that I can implement into my regular club and freestyle.” Also taking advantage of the opportunities at BYUH was sophomore Keagan Hanny, a graphic design major from Utah. “It is so awesome that we can go to a school with so much diversity and I wanted to be a part of it,” she said. This semester she decided to join both the Cook Islands and Samoan chapters, getting to know students from all walks of life and having an in depth education of the dances. Hanny said she spent almost four hours a week during the semester practicing for the performances. Returned missionaries said they were excited to participate in the chapter of the culture where they served their missions. Matt Roberts, a history education major from Utah, said he fell in love with the Guatemalan culture when he served his mission there and the Latino Club helped him feel that love again. “The Latino Club offers me a great opportunity to keep speaking Spanish as well as learning more about the culture,” he said. A passion for dancing is another reason students and locals said they decided to get involved in the night’s activities. Community member and Laie local, Ajir McArthur, explained why she chose to perform in Culture Night: “This year I joined the Tongan, Fijian and Samoan chapters primarily for Culture Night because I love to dance.” McArthur added she believes dancing is a language in which she can connect with her friends from the chapters she danced with for Culture Night. - L au re n Ste iml e
2 014 TWO NIGHTS OF CULTURE Culture Night combines colorful costumes and customs A picture of Nelson Mandela was projected onto the backdrop of the stage as the African Chapter paid tribute to the late South he Cannon Activities Center was packed with students, family African president. The crowd began to roar, and the dancers wearing and friends, to watch the performances of the first 10 culture African face-paint began to sing and dance. “It was cool that they had clubs on Friday, March 28, and the eyes of audience members a picture of Mandela in the background. They were very entertaining and their clothes were awesome,” said Mike Garrison, a junior in were fixed on the dances late into the night. The Hawaiian Chapter started off Culture Night with a per- exercise and sport science from Portland, Oregon. The pace continued to pick up as two performers with formance that captured the Hawaiian spirit through dancing, singing Chinese flags ran across the stage. With each performance separated and live music. by the flag bearers, the crowd began to cheer loudly as a man and a Taiwan followed after the Hawaiian Chapter as about 25 woman began to dance and fight with swords. The routine ended as women wearing bright red tunics and big, yellow headpieces came dancing on the stage. The dancers stayed on beat with the music and nine women came out on stage dancing to upbeat Chinese music. Members from the Indian Chapter wore traditional Indian the crowd began to grow increasingly louder as the men then came clothing and played Indian instruments as the music grew to a faster on stage to perform with traditional bamboo sticks. pace. Three women came on stage, dancing to an upbeat Indian song, The Fijian Chapter involved the crowd as a little child and they were then followed by three more men who joined them on patrolled the stage equipped with a stick and in Fijian attire. The men chanted a song as the women danced in the front stage, and the stage. The concluding performance of the first night of Culture chapter ended the segment with a battle led by the child. “I loved Night featured a man dressed as a Samoan warrior who entered the the little boy running around,” said Mark Christiansen, a sophomore stage and began chanting to the crowd. He yelled and began running studying business from California. “It was cool how they picked up up and down the stage connecting with the crowd. Wearing paint the energy and really got the crowd into it.” The Mongolian Chapter began with four men skipping and and Samoan attire, members of one of the largest groups of the night dancing across the stage and eight women followed their lead joined began to dance and chant as a dancer representing the Samoan high chief’s daughter was escorted onto the stage. Members of the audience in the dance. quickly ran on stage to give money to her, which is a Samoan tradi Men from the Cook Islands Chapter stationed themselves on stage with an array of drums that filled the air with a loud, pulsat- tion. “It was by far my favorite performance,” said Brooke Michelle, a ing rhythm. The chapter donned outfits with bright colors and ended senior studying English from Florida. “It was amazing how much the crowd was involved, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the performers.” the performance with a member chanting into the crowd. -BEN HAl ve rson The Latino Club performed a couples salsa dance, which was well organized and in sync. The tempo sped up as another group of couples took over the stage. The women wore colorful dresses and the men wore sombreros.
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april 3, 2014
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second night
he second and final night of Culture Night showcased the remaining chapters at BYU-Hawaii. Participants brought down the house with their performances to the theme of Ohana. “I mean, how could you not like guys with their shirts off dancing,” said Liz Loveland, a freshman in hospitality and tourism management from Idaho. “I just think it’s really cool that we can go to an event and have so many cultures represented. I think it’s two nights that really represent what our school is and what it’s for,” she said. The Korean Chapter kicked-started the night dancing to Psy’s well-known song “Gentleman” and got the audience clapping along keeping rhythm to the K-pop drum beats. Another performance that got the crowd roaring was by the New Zealand Chapter, who took the stage with war paint and wide eyes. Thomas Tuifou, a freshman in political science from California,
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said he enjoyed the Maori men’s dance. “I like it because they are fierce and it just seems powerful.” Another fan-favorite was the Filipino Chapter’s performance, said to Tuifou. “I really liked the Filipino Club because their fiesta was just super fun. It just seemed like I was at a party.” Judging from the noise level, the audience seemed to agree with Tuifou. The crowd cheered and clapped along to the chapter’s dance that featured an array of brightly-colored costumes. One of the top costumes of the night, however, was the dragon costume featured by the Hong Kong Chapter. Two performers danced around, mimicking the movement of a dragon. The Hong Kong Chapter, along with the Japanese, Indonesian, and Thailand chapters, also performed a variety of fight scenes. The Indonesian fight scenes stood out when the performers mixed in cultural martial arts to break wooden boards with their hands, feet and arms. The night would not have been the same were it not for Fotu Misa Jr. and Tonga Lauaki Sablan, the emcees for the night,
Clockwise from bottom left: New Zealand chapter performs a dance with poi balls; Cheng-Yuan Mao performs a traditional Taiwan dance; Japanese Chapter provides live music with a group of drummers. For more photos from Culture Night, go to Ke Alakai’s Facebook page. Photos by Monica Rubalcava and Kelsie Carlson
said Trent Hansen, a freshman from Wyoming. “They kept you entertained, that’s what I liked about it. They made it enjoyable and I thought they were funny.” Misa and Sablan introduced each culture as they came out to perform, as well as playing a game of “gimmegimme” with the audience and singing to all of the “March babies” in the audience who were celebrating birthdays. The emcees saved a few groups, such as the Papua New Guinea and Kiribati chapters, from some technical difficulties. Although the groups were smaller in number, they didn’t to forget smile while dancing. But the chapter perhaps best known for their hip-shaking is the Tahitian Chapter, who also experience some minor technical difficulties. When Chapter President Terai nui Johnston, a junior in social work from Tahiti, lost her hip band during the performance, she continued dancing and made the audience go crazy. The Dance Club and the American Sign Language Club were the surprise performances of the night, as the dancers of the Dance Club faced-off in an all-out dance battle featuring pre-recorded narrations. The American Sign Language Club signed the lyrics of a medley of popular songs sung by the Pentatonix. The biggest group of the night was the Tongan Chapter who brought the focus back to the theme of ohana to end the night. The chapter members began their performance in two separate dancing groups, but merged into one, bringing the ohana back together. The audience erupted with a variety of “Chee-hoos!” as the Tongan Chapter concluded Culture Night. After Culture Night Tuifou said, “I think it’s just important to learn about all of the different cultures since we’re here at BYU-Hawaii, to bring everyone together as one big group and just have everyone feel a part of something. So it’s nice that we all get to watch other cultures perform and just have fun with it.” -Ma k a i l a Berg eso n
Wushu F
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Kung Fu Fighting; Chinese Chapter stages fight with real swords
or Culture Night, the Chinese Chapter staged a fight with real swords with the help of two seasoned martial arts enthusiasts, Jian Wei Tandric Bench and Kelsy Simmons. “The sword is an extension of one’s self,” said Bench, a sophomore from Indonesia studying business management. “It’s like a paint brush. It is an expression of one’s self in defense and art,” said Bench. He performed with the Chinese Chapter at Culture Night, and staged an impressive dual with his partner, Simmons, a freshman studying exercise sports science from St. George, Utah. Together they showcased the martial art form known as Wushu, which in the United States is referred to as Kung Fu. What made this performance so special, however, is that they used real swords during the show, which helped bring the act to life. “You want to hear a funny story? Two days before the actual performance we were practicing and we made a pact: ‘I won’t cut you if you don’t cut me.’ The next day at dress rehearsal we both drew blood,” said Simmons. She said, “We used real swords in the dress rehearsal, but before then we used Bokans. Those are wooden swords.” Simmons also said using real swords during their staged fight didn’t concern them because, “They aren’t that sharp.” “There is a great demonstration of trust when you do these things whether it be with staves or swords,” she said. Simmons said she wasn’t concerned because she has been a martial arts performer for most of her life. “I used to do demonstration teams back in Utah, and you just learn Ke Alaka‘i
to accept that you are going to get hit and break things. If that doesn’t happen you’re lucky.” Simmons first learned the Korean martial art Tang Soo Do at age 6. She used to take ballet lessons, but once her teacher became pregnant and took maternity leave, Simmons tried out martial arts and never left. She has her second degree black belt, and earned her first when she was only 12. In addition, she was also region black belt champion two years in a row (a region being comprised of five states). She said, “Being able to do Culture Night with the Chinese Club was a real treat and helped to resurrect those skills.” Bench said he started learning Wushu at age 5 because his mother who is Chinese wanted him to preserve the tradition. He became heavily invested in the art in junior high, where it became his profession because people started to sponsor him. “I am the city champ, province champ, island champ, and nation of Indonesia champion of Wushu. I placed third in the United States and was sponsored to go to the world competition but decided to serve a mission instead,” said Bench. After his mission in Arcadia California, Bench came back to Hawaii and missed Wushu so much he took it up again with the Chinese Chapter. “Bench helped me when I would start to go back to Korean moves instead of Chinese. It was tons of fun,” said Simmons. Bench said, “Wushu is not about brute force or attacking someone. It is more about finding and then expressing yourself.” - Brad en Wo o d
Above: Kelsy Simmons and dric Bench battle with sword performs Kung Fu with the Ch during Culture Night. Photos by and Mon
d Jian Wei Tands. Right: Bench hinese Chapter Becca Gulden nica Rubalcava.
April 3, 2014
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K i r i b at i ’ s P r e s i d e n t visits BYU-Hawaii President Anote Tong speaks on climate change
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note Tong, the president of Kiribati, traveled to BYU-Hawaii to speak about the affects of climate change in Kiribati. Tong urged students and members of the community to get an education and prepare for migration and possibilities to work in the government. According to the Office of the President Republic of Kiribati, global warming has caused temperatures to rise and rainfall to increase in Kiribati, causing sea levels to rise and shorelines to decrease. Tong spoke of this subject at BYUH so students would be aware of their future in Kiribati. Eera Teakai, senior in political science from Kiribati, said President Tong told students what to do to survive. “Kiribati will one day vanish because of climate change,” said Teakai. According to Teakai, the president said, “Instead of debating things, just help them [people of Kiribati] move to another country--not by the debate process, but by getting knowledge with education, so when we are able to go to some other country, we will be able to help lead.” Obtaining an education at BYUH will also prepare Kiribati students to hold positions in government offices, President Tong said. Harry Tong Jr., a senior in biochemistry from Kiribati, and nephew to the president, said they want to replace government workers with graduate students. “They will create a graduate program to be able to employ all the graduate students,” said Tong, Jr. The program will allow for the younger generation of Kiribati to gain experience for successful and dignified relocation. 14
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Kiribati President Anote Tong, red shirt, visits with left, Academic Vice President Max Checketts and others during his visit at BYUHawaii. Photo by Monique Saenz
“One of the things that he [President Tong] is trying to avoid is his people being held as refugees, because when you’re holding people as refugees you’re holding them without identity or without dignity at all,” said Tereua Kainitoka, a junior in peace building from Kiribati. Tong Jr. said, “For the younger generation, they [Kiribati government officials] want to focus on giving them the op-
portunity to be qualified and employable to wherever they may migrate to -- to migrate with dignity and with pride. “What he wants is to remind everyone to keep their head up high; and to the younger generation, to study hard, because that’s the only way they can be blessed in working hard toward their future,” said Tong Jr. - Rebe cca Sabalone s
Pac-West Preparation Tennis women rule, men look to bounce back Despite rain seeming to follow the No. 3 women’s tennis team wherever it goes, the Seasiders defeated No. 33 Fresno Pacific on April 1 in California. The Seasiders improved to 17-0 with a win over the Sunbirds. BYU-Hawaii’s only blemish was in No. 1 doubles where the No. 4 ranked duo of Min (Karen) Liu and Nannan Zhang fell 8-5. Both rebounded with individual points winning No. 1 and No. 2 singles. No. 16 Liu won 6-3, 6-4 in No. 1 and No. 18 Zhang 6-2, 6-2 in the second position. Ranked No. 7, Marietta Tuionetoa and Marika Kobayashi won No. 2 doubles 8-4 and Jin Jin (Leah) Han and Sasha Ulbrichtova won No. 3’s 8-1. Sweeping the rest of the singles, No. 20 Kobayashi won No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-1 and No. 23 Tuionetoa was victorious at No. 4 with a 6-1, 6-0 win. In No. 5 singles, Ulbrichtova won 6-0, 6-1 and in the six spot Han won 6-3, 6-1. The men’s team traveled to Witchita Falls, Texas, on March 28 to take on No. 18 Midwestern State. The No. 22 ranked men were unable to dig themselves out of an early hole in what was a great matchup, as they fell 6-3 that afternoon. The 14th ranked pair, Martin Chojnacki and Yevhen Zakharov, got a doubles point with their upset win over the No. 8 ranked double of Ramon Toyos and Tomas Grejtak for the Mustangs. In singles play, the Seasiders No. 23 ranked Chojnacki beat the Mustangs No. 34 ranked Davidson in straight sets of 6-4, 7-6, 7-2. It was a much needed win for the Seasiders but still would not prove enough to get by the Mustangs. No. 4 singles also gained another point for the Seasiders as Wei-Feng Lee beat Chris Norrie 7-6, 7-3, 6-4, concluding the Seasiders’ two points earned in singles play. The Seasiders look to rebound as they take on Hawaii Pacific at home on Monday, April 7 in preparation for the PacWest Conference Championship in Surprise, Ariz. -B e n H a l v e r s on & S p or t s i n f orm at io n april 3, 2014
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Campus Comment
What are your plans for summer?
Graham Olsen Hailey Page
Chad Davis
“I’m just going to work, take classes, surf the south shore and raise my newborn child!” -Graham Olsen, junior in psychology from California
“I’m headed home to work in door-to-door sales.” -Chad Davis, freshman in finance from Washington
“I’m going to the beach as much as possible and maybe going to Fiji.” -Hailey Page, sophomore in secondary education from California
Briggs Madsen Bonnie Berry
“I’ll be going to school, going on lots of adventures and I’m getting married.” -Briggs Madsen, sophomore in marketing from California
“I’m going to work, fly home and get married. It’s a big summer.” -Bonnie Berry, senior in marketing from California -Re id Crickmore
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