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Volume 102: Issue 6 THE LEADER February 21, 2013 Ke Alaka i BYUHSA Presidential Election: Who will be your next president? 4 Raising of the Flags: Honoring the prophetic vision 9 Compiling Cultures: Pendleton’s pursuit to find inspiration from around the world 14

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TRAVEL AND EVENTS: BYUHSA Presidential Election: Who will be your next president? Raising of the Flags: Honoring the prophetic vision Noteworthy: Head of Catholic Church Pope Benedict XVI resigns Obama makes his State of the Union Adress Compiling Cultures: Pendleton's pursuit to find inspiration from around the world Due West band visits BYU-Hawaii Mentorship Program

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: February 21, 2013 Ke Alaka'i

Volume 102: Issue 6

THE LEADER

February 21, 2013

Ke Alaka i

BYUHSA Presidential Election:Who will be your next president? 4

Raising of the Flags:Honoring the prophetic vision 9

Compiling Cultures:Pendleton’s pursuit to find inspiration

from around the world 14

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2 Ke AlAKA‘i

Ke Alaka iFebruary 21, 2013 • Volume 102: Issue 6

CONTACT

Editor ial , photo submissions & distr ibu-t ion inquir ies: [email protected]. To subscr ibe to the RSS FEED or to view addit ional ar t icles, go to kealakai.byuh.edu.

BOx 1920 BYUHLaIE, HI 96762

PubLISHER

Pr int Services

NEWS CENTER

E-mail: [email protected] Information: [email protected]: (808) 675-3694Fax: (808) 675-3491Office: Campus, aloha Center 134

ON THE COVER

Photo of the Week

[page 4]

[page 14]

[page 10]

[page 18]

bYuHSa Presidential Candidates

Photo of the week: Residents of TVA celebrate the Chinese New Year with decorations and food from many different countries. Photo by Mei Yin

Kiele Young, a BYU-Hawaii freshman from Kauai, seeks to travel the world. Photo by Emily Waddell

Taylor Pendleton’s big Idea

Chinese New Year Celebration

Men & Women basketball updates

Share with us your photo of the week and we may feature it in our next issue. e-mail us at [email protected]

Table of Contents

Marissa Elder

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF aDVISOR

Leeann Lambert

Mei Yin Michael Gulden

HEaD PHOTOGRaPHER aRT DIRECTOR

COPY EDITORS

Martin Mil iusJef f McLeod

VIDEO PRODuCTION

AJ Eddyallie GardinerLindsay bancroft

PHOTOGRaPHERS

Matt McDonaldEmily WaddellKyoko Hasegawa

aRT & GRaPHICS

becca HawsStephanie TseMakenzie HeadWhitney YunTer ina Chr isty

MuLTIMEDIa JOuRNaLISTS

Lisa Tuttle, Jeff McLeod, Terina Christy, Sydney Odell, Clover Cheng, Stephany France, Dylan-Sage Wilcox, alec barney, Ethan Toledo, Robinia Tan, Jennifer Herrera, Matt bledsoe, Martin Milius, Tucker Grimshaw, Megan Tiritilli, Hailey Gardiner

Mei YinMa Vis Taguba

INTERNS aD MaNaGER

Matthew bledsoe

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NOTE WORTHYnews headlines

Clover Cheng

Free movie showing of “Here Comes the Boom” at 7 p.m. in the McKay Building Little Theater. Food and drink are allowed.

BYUH Fine Arts Department presents the first night of the three nights of the musical “Little Women” in the Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Gen-eral admission costs $5 per person. Faculty/Staff/Dependents is $3 and students with current BYUH ID is only $2.

CaLENDaR

FEB

FEB

FEB

23

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The YSA 1st & 2nd Stake two-day dance features a D.J. dance, games, raffle prizes, food and fun from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. The activity will be behind the Old Gym, next to the sand volleyball court. You can wear T-shirts and shorts. Standards are enforced. Bring a date.

Pope Benedict XVI resigns being too old to serve

“After weeks of lashing rain, snow, sleet and black ice, Monday evening was finally as good as it gets in late winter in Belgium. Crisp, cold air meant dry roads for a perfect getaway, and winter’s early darkness was a blessing for those needing stealth.”-- Raf Casert from the Associated Press reports of

the perfect conditions for the $50 million diamond

heist in Belgium.

‘‘‘

QUOTESthe week in

FebruAry 21, 2013

The 85-year-old head of the Catholic Church Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world when

he decided to leave a job normally held for life. Benedict said he is too old to continue his job and will resign on Feb. 28, making him the first pope to step down in nearly 600 years. Benedict explained the job called for “both strength of mind and body” and said his retirement is “for the good of the church.” While the successor for Benedict is still an open question, there are a lot of voices to call for a Latin American pope since Latin America is a home to the world’s largest Roman Catholic population. The election for a new pope is sched-uled before Easter this year. During his years of service in the Catholic Church, Benedict is well-known by ob-jecting “calls for a debate on the issue of clerical celibacy and reaffirmed the ban on Communion for divorced Catholics who remarry. He has also said the Church’s strict positions on abortion, euthanasia, and gay partnerships were ‘not nego-tiable,’” says BBC News. Although it does not directly affect the LDS Church, ten out of ten BYU-Hawaii students said they have heard about the news about Bene-dict’s resignation. “If it was our President Monson, all Mormons would have been shocked,” said Lily Durose, an exercise science senior from California. “It wouldn’t shake my faith though, but it would be a surprise.”

Ellen Lo, an accounting senior from Hong Kong, said, “It is understandable that the pope wants to retire. 85 is pretty old. It makes me appreciate President Monson more. He is almost the same age, but he is still strong and serving in the church.” Elizabeth Davis, an international cul-tural studies senior from Arkansas, also expressed her surprise about the news. “I didn’t know he could [resign]. I think it is good the pope realized he is old and won’t able to fulfill the job. It is better to have other people take care of his duty.”

“It’s also an issue of the kinds of communities that we’re building, and for that we all share responsibility as citizens to fix it. We all share a respon-sibility to move this country closer to our founding vision, that no matter who you were or where you come from, here in America, you can decide your own destiny.””-President Barack Obama tells a Chicago audience

the true roots behind recent tragic mass shootings. Above: Pope Benedict XVI gives address. Below: Devotees gather in the Vatican City to express their love for the Pope.

Photos by AP

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Ke AlAKA‘i4

OuR VISIONGreg and Sephra are running for the 2013 BYUHSA presidency and their campaign motto is “BYUH is Ohana.” As a university, we are a family endeavoring towards the same goal; to enter to learn and go forth to serve. Brigham Young University-Hawaii is a special place with a unique student body. Greg and Sephra are committed to represent-ing and serving the university, its students, and the community of Laie. Their goals in-clude enhancing the communication between students and the administration, striving for higher-quality student activities, and working alongside with the city of Laie to strengthen the community through meaningful service.

aCTIVITIESEvery activity BYUHSA puts on should aim to draw as many students as possible from all walks of life. By working together with the BYUHSA Social Activities, Special Events, and Clubs and Organizations, we should be able to provide more activities at a higher quality. With a diverse set of events, students will not be “bored,” but will instead have plenty of options. The activities we will focus on are: dances, club activities open to campus, uni-versity firesides, off campus events, and more.

COMMuNICaTIONWe want to enhance the communication throughout the school. We desire that the decisions made by the school administration be transparent and communicated clearly and effectively to each student. Likewise, we want the school administration to understand the student population needs and concerns as well. If the communication is improved, then there will be more understanding. On top of the greater emphasis put on student and administration communication, we also want to work on better advertising events taking place around campus. Focusing on BYUHSA publicity, University Communications, and social media, we hope to improve the student awareness on campus.

SERVICESAs part of the mission of Brigham Young University-Hawaii, we will go forth and serve others. The community of Laie is part of the BYUH ohana and plays a vital role in the aspects of its day-to-day operations. As a university full of talented and service-oriented students, we have a lot to offer the commu-nity. When elected, a major focus will be put on community outreach. More activities will be based off campus and in the neighbor-hoods surrounding us. Service projects will become a staple of the student associations’ vision.

GREG ERICKSONGreg Erickson is a senior studying political science and minoring in Spanish. He was raised in the Los Angeles area with his two older sisters and younger brother. He served in the Texas Dallas Spanish mission.After school, he hopes to attend law school. As a current VP in BYUHSA, he has the experience to pick up where the current presidency has left off and lead the school during this important time of expansion.

“BYUH is OHANA”

GregEriçksonSephraKinikini

Jeff HansenTrenton REHAK

“Define Unity Through Diversity”

SEPHRA KINIKINI Sephra Kinikini is a senior studying history and minoring in biology. Born and raised in Laie, she is a Kahuku High Red Raider for life. She has two brothers and one sister. She served in the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission. As one of the two females in the campaign, she hopes to represent the female popula-tion on campus and use her community ties to serve Laie. Sephra wants to become a pediatrician.

OuR VISIONIn this unique learning environment, we have a rare opportunity to interact with diverse cultures and nationalities. Though we come as single students, we form a collective body. Like puzzle pieces, every individual has his or place where they connect. Together we form a masterpiece, but if one piece is missing, we will remain forever incomplete. It is our purpose to ensure that every gap is closed so we may stand united. “Define Unity Through Diversity.” Diversity is where we’re from, Unity is how we succeed, and Definition is who we are.

JEFF HANSENJeff Hansen is a junior majoring in business management-marketing track from Gilbert, Ariz. He served an LDS Church mission in San Pablo, Philippines from 2009-2011.Hansen said what motivates him is “my fam-ily, and being among supportive friends who push me to achieve my goals.”He came to BYU-Hawaii “because of the amazing international student body, uplifting spiritual environment, and because Hawaii is SUPER LEGIT.” His future plans include attending Thunderbird School of Global Management for a master’s degree in global marketing.

aDVaNCEOur goal is to take it to the next level by hosting a monthly meeting with chapter presidencies regarding questions, concerns, and ideas with how to help the student body enjoy attending BYUH. It is in these sessions where we will be able to more fully understand our students and what we can do best to cater to their needs. These steps will develop an even higher platform for future students to feel welcome and appreciated.

BYUHSA 2013 Presidential Election Candidates Information

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5FebruAry 21, 2013

Jeff HansenTrenton REHAK

“Define Unity Through Diversity”

ENHANCEThe focus is to implement more programs concentrated on enhancing the spirit of unity we already feel here at BYUH. We plan to use activities such as campus-wide Olympic games, and Jr. Olympic for young families to include all the students as well as TVA. We plan to combine the students and then make teams based on colors rather than chapters. This program will give students an oppor-tunity to enjoy different cultural sports and activities and involve a deeper respect and understanding of who we are collectively.

TRENTON REHAKTrentono Rehak is a junior majoring in business management-marketing track from Monterey, Calif. He served an LDS Church mission in Auckland, New Zealand (Tongan Program) from July 2010-2012.Rehak said what motivates him is “eternal progression, always having that goal in sight and doing whatever is necessary to obtain it.He came to BYU-Hawaii because of its “cultural diversity, rich spirit that is felt on campus and in the community, and friends and family who live here.” His goals are to get married in the temple and start a family.

CONTINuEWe as candidates know that BYUH has a rich heritage of success. Our plan is to build off of what has been already established by former BYUHSA, and to establish an even greater sense of harmony and cross-cultural support.

John Fisihetau

Raife Campbell

Being asked to describe themselves, John and Raife decided to describe each other. Raife feels that John David Fisihetau is honest, accomplishes his goals with diligence, and is someone who will give you the shirt off his back. In return, John stated that Raife Ferguson Campbell is a sincere listener and friend, who constantly has ready hands and a willing heart to serve. He said Campbell is someone who chooses to see everyone as his equal. Their passion and commitment to unite BYU-Hawaii is defined as: One Love, One

Heart, One Ohana, meaning that students from over 75 countries can join together to create a better future today. In accomplish-ing this, we will LEARN and love the needs and concerns of our student body. LEAD our ohana, through a positive example and a desire to improve. BUILD each student to become their unique potential in order to strengthen their sphere of influence We are driven to serve, empowered by you, our peers to bring about positive change, and value each student’s important role in being a member of BYU-Hawaii’s Ohana.

OuR VISION Mission StatementOur mission statement is discovering student potential through seeking their needs, build-ing genuine relationships of trust, imple-menting spiritual and temporal learning and leadership opportunities and engaging them with faculty and staff in transparency through active representation by their desired student leaders at BYUH.

Platform: The What, the Why, the How

Learn- Streamline BYU-Hawaii processes for students - Understand and be transparent about school regulations and methods- Meet with each department and student job training- Consistency of policies from academic advi-sors (particularly I-Work students)- Creation of a personal line of communica-tion between students and leaders of the school- President’s Newsletter- BYUHSA Presidency Meeting with clubs and organizations- Mix and Mingle BBQ with the President’s Council in conjunction with NSO - Constant feedback and communication to students from staff and vice versa

Lead- Every student should have an internship. Find out the percentage of students partici-pating in internships.- Provide world class seminar for students to learn to hold effective meetings.- Continued unification of student body - Support Sport Teams by having each cul-tural club sponsor events- Student Olympics - Hale/Off-campus student housing condi-tions and regulations (Quiet House)- One BYU-Hawaii Housing Rep & One Lo-cal Government Official - BYU-Hawaii Approval - Monitor monthly each street (10 houses) to check living standard

build- Job creation through new ventures- School Radio Station - On Campus Dry Cleaner - Day-care System (office campus as a LLC independent of the school)- Statisticians for school records- www.byuh.edu reconstruction to make it consistent and user friendly- Cafeteria- Survey with President’s Council to eat at the Cafeteria

“The What, The Why, The How”

JOHN FISIHETAU & RAIFE CAMPBELL

BYUHSA 2013 Presidential Election Candidates Information

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Ke AlAKA‘i6

JOSHUA RIBOLDIJoshua Riboldi is a fan of chill guitar music and hip hop. He loves to surf and play the guitar. His favorite color is red and his fa-vorite food is burritos “hands down.” Riboldi said he has a weird talent as well: “I’m pretty good at the belly dance.” He also would like to travel to Indonesia.Riboldi said he came “to Hawaii my fresh-man year and fell in love with it. It’s kind of like reading the Book of Mormon, it just feels right.” His most embarrassing moment was “one time my fifth-grade teacher caught me pass-ing a love note to a girl during class and read it out loud in front of the whole class.”Recently, he read the Steve Jobs’ book and loved it. “The guy was crazy but amazing,” he said.Riboldi’s favorite quote is from President Thomas S. Monson: “Your future is as bright as your faith.”

Joshua RiboldiSam Som

SAM SOMSamantha Som was born and raised in Bos-ton, Mass. Her parents however, emigrated from Cambodia to the United States in 1982 to survive the nation’s devastating war and mass genocide, she said. “It is partly because of their journey that I have been inspired to currently pursue my passion in international cultural studies and peacebuilding here at Brigham Young University-Hawaii.” Som added, “If I’m not studying, I am either actively engaging myself in nature’s beautiful environment, or spending my time loving and learning about others.” Her favorite novel would be “One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” because “it gave me a greater perspective of the world.“I can be a goofball at times, a dreamer, and also the weirdest person I know,” she said.

WONKI LEEWonki Lee is a sophomore majoring in English from South Korea. He served an LDS Church mission in Daejeon, Korea. He is married and lives in TVA. He works on campus at BYU-Hawaii Security.

OuR VISION

ListenWe believe in listening to the needs of all the different students on campus.

HOW: - Attending different club meetings- Observing needs around the school- Working with administration

CollaborateWe believe in collaborating the vision of the school and the needs and wants of the students.

HOW: - Posters - Through Events- E-mail

ServeWe believe in serving the student body and helping them enjoy their time at BYUH and assist them to achieve their full potential.

HOW:- Promoting Meaningful Programs- Activities- Service Projects

OuR VISIONAs the prophetic vision by David O. McKay states, “the world needs men who cannot be bought or sold, men who will scorn to violate truth, genu-ine gold.” And the school vision states the school “exists to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life and in their efforts to influence the establishment of peace internation-ally.” We believe that past prophets and leaders of the church have given us the reason. Our vision is to assist in carrying out the same vision that the school and President David O. McKay have for the students of Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

PlatformWe believe that since we are running for the students, we serve the students in their needs and their concerns plus enhance student learning by listening to their needs.

applicationsThe school has set the applications by which we believe all leaders should follow so that the leaders and the school work in sync.

LearnAs the school tries to “integrate spiritual and secu-lar learning to provide a foundation for a lifetime of learning” for its students, we believe students face certain problems, and we believe that at least

WONKI LEEJOSAIA mOIMOI

“Listen Serve”

Collaborate

BYUHSA 2013 Presidential Election Candidates Information

“Serve with Passion and Sincerity”

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7FebruAry 21, 2013

someone needs to adhere to the problems that students face. Every student on this campus is here for a learning experience and we believe we can assist in motivating and carrying on the learning application as stated by the school.

LeadWe share the same vision as the school to “assist young men and young women in developing character and integrity so they can provide leadership in all aspects of their lives.” We see the school is here to help its students presently but most importantly it is here to help its students succeed in the fu-ture. We share the same vision of application with the school, which is to help the students be able to know their potential of becoming leaders in the future.

buildThe school has the application of “providing a significant group of faithful and commit-ted church leaders who will assist in building the kingdom, particularly in the Pacific and Asia.” We would like to assist in this applica-tion by assisting and encouraging students to live by the Honor Code and by allowing them to explore the great perspectives of the church and principles therein.

BYUHSA Election Rules and Information

1. All material, events, clothing, etc., related to the campaign must be in keeping with the BYUH Honor Code and Dress and Grooming Standards.

2. No campaigning in the LIBRARY, CLASS, and VOTING DAYS INSIDE THE ALOHA CENTER.

3. No campaigning on SATURDAY or SUNDAY and before 7 a.m. or after 11 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

4. Campaigning is NOT an approved reason to be excused from classes or tests.5. Not accept any MONEY DONATIONS.

Elections Calendar of Events Primary Elections – Feb. 25 - March 1Feb. 25- March 1 – Begin campaigningFeb. 27: Q & A - BALLROOM 9 p.m.

Feb. 28 - March 1: Voting 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ACR Mall & Online

General Elections March 4 - 7March 5 : Q&A session - BALLROOM 9 p.m.

March 6-7 : Voting 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ACR Mall & Online

JOSAIA MOIMOIJosaia Moimoi is a sophomore majoring in accounting from Fiji. He served an LDS Church mission in the Marshall Islands, Majuro Mission. He works as a dancer in the Polynesian Cultural Center’s night show.

WONKI LEEJOSAIA mOIMOI

BYUHSA 2013 Presidential Election Candidates Information

“Serve with Passion and Sincerity”

Page 8: February 21, 2013 Ke Alaka'i

The band known as Due West took the stage and put its talent on display for students, staff, community, and an Especially For

Youth group on Friday, Feb. 15. Unlike other performances put on by Performance Series, this group brought the country-rock feel to the BYU-Hawaii campus, performing songs such as “I Get That All the Time,” “When the Smoke Clears,” and Due West’s newest single, “Things You Can’t Do in a Car.” They also covered such songs as Lionel Richie’s “Stuck on You” and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ in the Dark.” “I liked all their songs,” said Taylor Bobbitt, a freshman in psychology from California. “They’re pretty good performers, and I liked them all around really. I liked that they took a Lionel Richie song and they made it country.” Bobbitt was impressed by the perfor-mance, especially for never having heard of them before, and she said she really enjoyed the dancing at the concert. Due West is made up of LDS Church members Matt Lopez, from Wyoming; Tim Gates, from Utah; and Brad Hull, from Arizona. They originally got together in Nashville, Tenn., in 2004 and released their first single in 2009. “We’re three completely different personali-ties,” says Lopez on their website, “but it comes together to make this thing that just seems to make an impression on people and we don’t take that for granted.” The band has been to BYUH before, and Performance Series employees believed it was time to bring them back. “It’s something different, and the purpose of Performance Series is to do different types of music. We want to cater to everybody,” said Kei Riggins, a junior in vocal performance from California who is with Performance Series. What really made the concert special was that it had the “vibe” of a country concert. “It was really cool having everybody dance, and everybody just having a good time. That’s what country music is all about,” said Riggins. Throughout the evening, members of the audience made their way from their seats down to the front of the stage to dance along with the music. “It was kind of spontaneous for us,” said Rig-gins. Performance Series employees were told there is usually dancing at a country concert, and what started off as a few people in front of the stage grew into a crowded dance floor by the end of the night. When students like the Performance Series Facebook page, they can see news for upcoming events as well as send in suggestions for performances they would like to see in the future.

- ethan toledo

DUE

Top and middle photos: Due West sings at a concert in the Cannon Activities Center. Second from top: BYUH Dance Company performs in the preshow along with, bottom, Hailey Gardiner of the Gardiner Sisters. Photos by Emily Wadell

Country music brings dancers to the floor

Ke AlAKA‘i8

Page 9: February 21, 2013 Ke Alaka'i

On a windy Saturday morning, students and community members gathered at

the Little Circle to participate in a flag rais-ing ceremony to commemorate 58 years since the founding of the church college in Laie. Students and administrators rec-ognized David O. McKay and his influen-tial and prophetic message that provides a vision for what BYU-Hawaii is today. After the ceremony, the community enjoyed coco rice, a dish that comes from Samoa and was provided by Tita’s Grill in Kahuku. Michael B. Bliss, vice president of Administrative Services, first addressed the crowd. He shared McKay’s prophetic vision. He also gave a blessing. “May I invoke a blessing of our Heavenly Father on you and all of the students here to help you to realize that you are a part of a glorious vision that a prophet of God had,” said Bliss. After Bliss spoke, students from different areas of the world shared their expe-riences and testimonies of the school and its mission. Nowah Afangbedji, a sophomore studying pre-professional biology from Africa, said, “This is a place where we learn to live

- tuCker gr imshaw

together, people coming from different hori-zons, different culture backgrounds, different countries and different beliefs....This is truly a realization of the prophecy of President McKay.” Another student, Aaron Sanders, a senior majoring in pre-professional biology from Oregon, stated, “I believe that when President McKay said that leaders would come from this school, that he meant leaders who would have the full package. People who would be spiritually strong, who would be academically knowledgable, who would be sensitive to social issues of people around them, and this school is perfect to prepare us for that.” Angelo P. Semana, a senior in busi-ness finance from Malaysia, stated, “When we go back home to our country, wherever it may be, we will be leaders in our church. We will radiate the spirit of God to our neighbors and friends.” Suhwee Lee, a junior studying TES-OL from South Korea, said, “I am so grateful to be at BYU-Hawaii, at the Lord’s school, where I can be influenced by the spirit more abundantly than any other place.”

Spirit WeekFlag Raising Ceremony honors 58 years

The community gathered with students to raise flags and hear speeches in honor of BYUH’s 58th anniver-

sary. Photos by Monique Saenz

After the speakers, students from all over the world simultaneously raised flags from some of the different nations represented at BYUH. A service project took place next behind the Polynesian Cul-tural Center where students raked up pine needles to help clean up the community.

9FebruAry 21, 2013

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Chinese New Year

Temple View Apartment students and their families rang in Chinese New Year

on Saturday, Feb. 16, with music, food, a lion dance performance done by the Hong Kong Chapter, as well as other activities. “Our take on it was we wanted to celebrate Chinese New Year because we have a large population of Asians. All types of Asians said they celebrated Chinese New Year. But we wanted to bring different cultures together, so we did that through the food,” said Jenna Griffiths, a TVA coordina-tor and BYU-Hawaii alumnus from Millsap, Texas. Community members also pitched in and cooked over 1,000 dumplings and other assortment of foods. It took two nights and six hours of preparation and another four hours of cooking to produce the amount of food it took to feed the 300 people in at-tendance. “This is actually the first activ-ity that we had residents make the food,” Griffiths said. Griffiths also contributed toward the occasion along with a few other coordinators. Eight families were asked to make their culture’s signature dish for the evening. Aushra Ledesma, a BYUH alumnus from Mexico City, said, “They tried to have

mainly Chinese food, but a little bit of the other cultures – Japanese food, Indian food, Mexican just to include the other cultures – not just Chinese.” Ledesma was asked to cook for the Chinese New Year. She made enchiladas and refried beans along with a spread of other cultural favorites. This was also Ledesma’s third Chinese New Year expe-rience in TVA. “I’m loving it because the families can just come, relax, have a good time, enjoy the food, bring their kids, watch the videos and I love the lion dance,” Ledesma said. She said this year was improved from previous years in terms of the amount of people who showed up. “Chinese New Year is like Christ-mas Eve for Chinese. It’s a big celebration,” said Joyce Goh, a junior majoring in psychol-ogy from Malaysia. “I’m surprised we have the lion dance,” Goh said. She explained her family celebrates Chinese New Year every year and was elated to see that TVA was able to showcase traditional food and music – from dumplings to ang pow. “We gave out ang pow. It’s the traditional red pocket that symbolizes a part of Chinese New Year which is about giving,” said Derek Kaye, the Emcee of the event and a junior majoring in international cultural

TVA Residents ring in the Year of the Snake with community building

-dylan-sage w i lCox

studies with an emphasis in intercultural peacebuilding from Washington. He and two other RA coordinators planned the event for TVA residents. Another big event held during the celebration was the lantern-making contest. “The community came together. Kids and adults made lanterns,” Kaye said. TVA families made their own lanterns and event attendees could vote on which one they liked the most. The popular choices will be on display in the housing offices. Stop and serve provided handmade paper snake toys for the kids to represent this year’s zodiac sign. “We wanted to have the kids explain about Chinese New Year, so we made a slide-show asking the kids questions about Chinese New Year,” Kaye said. The presentation was projected on a new screen bought for future TVA movie nights. The slideshow is available on YouTube. “My [favorite] part was, you know, like, putting stickers on the lanterns,” Kiya Rosezell, 6, said. Kiya’s father, CJ Rosezell, a senior majoring in education from Canada said, “The demonstration with the lion dance was my favorite.” “[For] this activity, we wanted the residents to make resolutions as buildings. Some wanted to be the cleanest building, oth-ers wanted to be the building that doesn’t ride bikes on the side walk, or attend the temple twice a month, things like that,” said Griffiths. The resolutions were made to create a better community. “I think our programming is be-ing geared more toward community building so that the residents get involved,” Griffiths added. “To me, [this event] is about a community coming together to celebrate one person’s cultural tradition, but try to gear it towards yourself. That was done through the resolutions and through the food so that it felt like they were celebrating something that is familiar to them,” Griffiths said.

Above left: Lacee Roberts puts a sticker on the hand-made lantern she likes the most. Above right: Stop & serve provided hand made snake toys and residents

and children hang lanterns. Photos by Mei YinKe AlAKA‘i10

Page 11: February 21, 2013 Ke Alaka'i

Students stay connected through global mentorship

To help BYU-Hawaii students fulfill the university’s mission in building leaders around the world, the Alumni Association Office

is ready to help students network with over 30,000 alumni mentors around the world. ‘Get informed, Get connected, Get involved’ is the motto of the BYU-Hawaii student Alumni association. “We travel around the world…and alumni get involved by helping us recruit students and by becoming mentors to students to help them find their desired job. The most beneficial things about this program is students get the chance to network with someone who works in their desired field and even the location they hope to go into when they graduate. The mentor program has been really successful and a great way to network,” said Corbin Thomander, the alumni relations manager of Alumni Services. Jarvis Yau, a senior and business major from Hong Kong, said, “The alumni office first asked for my future career plan. I told them I planned to go to law school so they hooked me up with Jerry, who’s now an attorney in the Bay Area. We talked on the phone for a little more than an hour, giving me advice in what I should consider before I launch myself into the legal field. He also gave me invaluable opinions on choosing a law school to attend, and also the differences between studying in the U.S. and in Hong Kong . . . We kept in touch. Now my application cycle is over and I got accepted to law school. Jerry has been great help to me during the entire process.” The mentorship program does not guarantee a job or a job offer of any kind, but students are getting hired through the program. “One of the surprising things about the mentor program is the percent-age of students that are actually getting job offers. We have over 100 students participating so far and about 17 percent of them have received job offers. That’s actually very successful,” said Thomander. The great incentive about the program is you can join it more than once. “If maybe they get a mentor the first time and it doesn’t result in a job offer, then maybe the next mentor will. We encourage students to not ask directly to their mentor for a job, we just ask stu-dents to be specific with them about their desires and goals our mentors are willing to help. Every semester we connect our alumni network with a graduating student . . . to help them find jobs in their home countries. That is something brand new we are working on now,” said Thomander.

Chizuru Bennison, a BYUH employee from Japan and an office supervisor and a professional mentorship program coordinator, said, “I give students an orientation to help the students act professionally with their mentors and helps them give them a boost. We created a worksheet to help students ask the right questions and what things they should [and] you shouldn’t say. We encourage students to build a relationship with their mentors.” “Every semester we have a Professional Mentorship Program Kick-Off Event, and this semester we had Marc De Schweinitzs, a BYU-Hawaii graduate and an Account Executive for Google, be our guest speaker,” said Bennison. “We had an online meeting with [Schweinitzs] and about 40 students showed up. He graduated from BYUH and went to BYU in Provo for his master’s degree in business and now he is in Michigan working for Google. He is in a position he really likes and has had a great career so far,” said Thoman-der. According to Thomander, guest speakers help stu-dents see the realities of real world experience and are highly motivated in mentoring students. Students can apply at alumni.byuh.edu to get matched up with a mentor. - Jen i fer herrera

Mentorship Program

11FebruAry 21, 2013

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S tudy abroad opportunities are available for students seeking adventure, a change

of scenery, or a challenge. Students agreed that spending a semester doing an internship or studying abroad can be a memorable and life-changing experience.

BYU Jerusalem Center:According to the official Website, students enrolled in the program “travel to the Holy Land, and live in the center. Students study a core curriculum that focuses on Old and New Testament, an-cient and modern Near Eastern studies, and language (Hebrew and Arabic).” The majority of the course work centers around field trips throughout the Holy Land. Elder Garr, one of BYUH’s CES missionaries and a religion professor from Utah, taught at the Jerusalem Center 16 years ago. “It’s great because the students get to see over 100 different Old and New Testament sights. There’s something to be said about the spirit of the place,” said Elder Garr. He explained how the center houses

160 students, making for a tight-knit group of classmates, ward members, and friends. “It was the best teaching experience I have ever had,” Elder Garr said. “I’ve tried to describe why, and it’s just because I got to know my students better than any students I’ve ever known. I lived at the center, you attend church there, you have a class with them every day, and then you go on week-long field trips together.” Denise Burnett, a senior majoring in peacebuilding from Washington, said of her experience in Jerusalem, “I never could have fathomed how amazing and life chang-ing it was.” Burnett said the most memorable part of her experience was spending time on the beaches of Galilee. “I know why he loves those shores so much. Not only did I get to learn so much about my Savior during that time, but also got to spend 10 days with 80 of my favorite people and families just having fun together. “I wish everyone could go there be-cause you too will find out why Christ loved this area so much,” she added.

Burnett encouraged any students with a desire to go to not let anything get in their way. “If you have a desire to go, make it happen. I have never met anyone who has ever regretted going, and I know I would go in a heartbeat if I had the option to again,”

Spain: Mary Garbett, a senior majoring in anthropology with a minor in Spanish from Utah, spent a semester in Spain after hearing about her sister’s experience living abroad and discovering BYU Provo’s international study abroad program. Garbett said the highlights of her experience included “the delicious food, living with a Spanish family whom I got to con-verse with on a daily basis, traveling through-out Spain and seeing amazing architecture and the beautiful landscapes.” Garbett recommended taking a look at the BYU International Study Program Website, which is connected to the Kennedy Center. Students should research the require-ments and the deadlines well in advance to apply. “Overall it’s an amazing experience

Gaining experience around the globe Students study abroad and intern with Disney

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where you have the opportunity to grow and learn so much,” Garbett added. Abigail Brammer, a senior majoring in English from New York, is planning on teaching abroad after graduating this April. “Many programs are available to anyone with a bachelor’s degree,” said Brammer. “I’m looking to fill a teaching position in which I would teach English to students who could either be children or adults.” Brammer said she is ready to learn about a new culture by being immersed in it. “I would love to expand my knowledge of a new language and have the chance to practice it every day. I am also looking forward to teaching and gaining some hands-on experi-ence in the career I want to pursue.” Offering advice for students look-ing for similar opportunities, Brammer said, “Make sure that you leave yourself enough time to gather all of your materials before the deadlines pop up.”

Disney Internship:Miguel Medina, a senior majoring in HTM from Honduras, discovered his internship on campus when he saw flyers posted by campus representatives. Medina spent a semester working as a bell captain at The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Disney World and was in charge of supervising and managing his fellow bell service cast members. “I loved the fact that I was always in contact with the guests on the phone or at the lobby, answering all types of questions about The Walt Disney World Resort or responding to service requests,” said Medina. Medina would recommend the experience to students interested in develop-ing customer service skills. “It all depends on your attitude. I went with the idea and the goal of becoming a better professional no matter what it took, and I really feel that my goal was accomplished.” Keryna Monson, a senior majoring in psychology from Texas, also worked at

Disney World as an attractions cast member at the Winnie the Pooh ride and the Mad Hatter Tea Cups. Monson noted the recruiters on campus misled her in a few areas, including the fact that LDS and BYU students are no longer housed together. “They don’t really work to give LDS students Sundays off, so it was really hard for me not to be able to attend church often,” said Monson. Despite the difficulties she en-countered, Monson said, “I loved being able to make magic every day for guests, learn-ing new things, and getting to meet folks from all around the world who came to the states just to come to Disney. I met so many families who had been saving for years just to come.”

Monson’s most memorable experi-ences came from working closely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which provides terminally ill patients opportunities to fulfill their dreams. “Being able to see and interact with these families was truly touching,” she said. For students interested in becoming cast members at one of the Disney Parks, ap-plications are currently open. Contact Miguel Medina, the Disney Campus representative this semester, with any questions.

Left: Denise Burnett visits locals in the Middle East. Photo courtesy of Denise Burnett. Above: A matador fights a bull in Spain, a traditional sport. Photo by AP.

-ha i ley gardner

When students intern for Disney, they help bring magic to the Disney Resorts, says those who worked there. Ke Alaka’i file photo

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Student Taylor Pendleton hopes to draw from the thoughts of people all around

the world to compile their feelings and ideas in a book. “I’m compiling an anonymous book, not writing, that will, in hopes, be written by you,” said Pendleton, a sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., studying psychology. She came up with an idea and is asking for friends, family and strangers to help her. What she has asked them to do is to record all of their thoughts as they fall asleep without filtering what they’re saying - almost like a stream of consciousness. “Everyone can choose which night they write down their thoughts. I set up a P.O. Box in Las Vegas, Nevada, just for these responses,” said Pendleton. Once Pendleton gets all the re-sponses, she will sort them by date at the

end of the year so they will end up being in chronological order. “Whatever you originally write on is what I want to receive, whether that’s a receipt or a napkin. I want the original hard copy.” The final project is going to be scanned and put into the book she is going to compile. The hope for this idea is it will spread far and wide and to gather informa-tion from people from all over. “I want to hear from youth. I want to hear from the elderly. I want to hear from students. I want to hear from missionaries. I want to hear from the suffering. I want to hear from those who are in love. I want to hear from the innocent. I want to hear from criminals. I want to hear from the rich and the poor. I want to hear from the tainted, and I want to hear from you,” she said.

Pendleton said she doesn’t expect these thoughts to all be something extraor-dinary. In her opinion, once all of these thoughts come together to be compiled, “each

“I’m compiling an anonymous book,

not writing, that will, in hopes, be written by you.”

Words from around the worldBedtime Stories from Beijing to Brooklyn

thought will be so extremely unique and pre-cious, the individuality of each thought will shine through.” Pendleton came up with this idea while living internationally in China last year. “As I was laying in bed at night, I came up

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with my most bizarre yet intelligent ideas and philosophies that I have ever had. I just had floods of thoughts and nobody to share them with.” The next morning she woke up and thought about how special those thoughts were and wished she had written them down. She said she was “left with this idea that people need to write down what they’re thinking when they go to sleep.” “I believe that is when people come to terms with things and get inspiration, and sometimes it’s the only time you have time throughout the day to be alone in your thoughts and think about the unnecessary things,” added Pendleton. Throughout the day people are always thinking about the things that they have to be doing and what is important. At

night, she said, people can think about the things that have quality but aren’t. “My goal is to publish [the book] and spread thought-provoking ideas from people around the world,” she said. Pendleton has made handouts invit-ing people to contribute to this project. “I started handing them out Jan. 1, 2013, and will continue to do so until the end of the year. I’ve handed them out in Times Square and all the subways in New York City; Salt Lake City, Utah; China; and Nevada,” said Pendleton. The point of the handouts is not only to get people to write and send their thoughts, but to keep spreading the idea. Once people write and send their thoughts, they give the handout to someone they don’t know inviting them to do the same.

For this to be possible, sharing her idea is the most important thing, she said. “I need this idea to spread as far and wide as it can. I want this idea to be shared with friends and families back home - whether that be international, in the states, or just here in Laie.” Those who have an interest in help-ing or giving Pendleton their thoughts, they can email her at [email protected]. Her P.O. Box in Las Vegas: is P.O. Box 35034 Las Vegas, Nevada

-megan t ir i t i l l i

Left: Taylor Pendleton poses with flyer. Below: Pendleton gives out these fly-

ers with hopes of compiling stories from around the globe.

Photos by Kyoko Hasegawa

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BYU-Hawaii students were invited the week of Valentine’s Day to learn about sexual violence. A team of vol-

unteers distributed surveys and rape whistles at a booth as part of a McKay Center and an anthropology assignment, serving a two-fold mission of spreading awareness about the reality of sexual violence on campus and gathering data on students’ awareness of its presence. The booth, which was set up in front of Counseling Services, was run each day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to cater to vari-ous students’ schedules. “Sexual violence is a difficult topic for various reasons,” said Taylor Rippy, a senior in peacebuilding from California and co-project lead. “One being that it can be an extremely traumatic experience and therefore is kept a secret.” Rippy and others were nonetheless moved to carry out this project after hearing the stories they had accumulated from friends and peers of instances of sexual violence.

“The issue of sexual violence is so under reported especially here on our BYUH campus, which is extremely dangerous for those victims needing help,” said Amber Cantu, a senior in peacebuilding from Texas and second project lead. “We need to open up dialogue to talk about sexual violence to both prevent future violence and help victims to heal,” added Cantu. Spreading awareness about sexual violence issues was at times controversial through the light-hearted approach many students took when approaching the booth. Jordan Rippy, a senior in commu-nications from California who volunteered at the awareness booth, was vocally frustrated by the humorous tone many students took towards the issue. “Sexual violence is not fun-ny,” Rippy said, “and it is a real issue, even if you don’t know someone who is affected by it.” Cantu said she was also surprised by how many people were incredulous about its presence here at BYUH and treated the issue with casual indifference.

Rippy said another main issue they ran into while carrying out their project has been the disbelief that sexual violence can happen in a predominantly LDS community and at a church school. These misperceptions about sexual violence are some of the main things they were trying to measure by pass-ing out surveys. Ryan Weed, a senior in graphic de-sign from Utah, was one of the students who stopped to take the survey and support the cause. “I think this issue is absolutely impor-tant,” he said. “Girls need to feel comfortable talking about these experiences and feel like there is a space in which they can voice their concerns and heal.” In looking to the future, Taylor Rippy said, “Our goal as a team of students and faculty is to continue reaching out to those that have been affected by sexual vio-lence and to create a space for them to feel safe and supported by their peers.” Weed said he would like to see the reality of sexual violence become more visible here on campus so people can help provide a safe environment for women. “I think they should incorporate this awareness into freshman orientation, letting students know more about the services provided through the Counseling Center, that way this project could make a lasting influence,” said Weed.

-sydney odell

Your story deserves to be heard

Se ual ViolenceAwareness Week

Sexual Assault Awareness was organized by students from the McKay Center. Photo by Emily Waddell

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The State of the Union address allowed the people of America and the world to see what President Barack Obama’s plans are for the next four years.

Erin Akinaka, a sophomore studying history, from Califor-nia, said, “It happens every year, and it’s so our president can address us with what he plans to do for the country and also what he has been doing. It’s really important because he talks about the war in Iraq and how we can either get out of that, or his plans to continue it, or climate change, and many other topics like the national debt.” In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 12, Obama called for increasing the federal minimum wage, spending more to fix the nation’s roads and bridges, and expanding early child-hood education. Obama said his proposals would not increase the deficit “by a single dime.” But with unemployment persistently high and consumer confidence falling, he is pressing a progressive case for Washington’s role in reigniting the economy. “It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country — the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love,” Obama said. “Nothing I’m proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime,” Obama said. “It’s not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth.” The president also focused the annual address on jobs and the deficit. The unemployment rate is still hovering around eight percent and consumer confidence has slipped. Though Obama devoted less time to foreign policy in this year’s speech, he announced that 34,000 U.S. troops — about half the size of the American force — would leave Afghanistan within a year. The drawdown announcement had been highly anticipated and put the nation on pace to formally finish the war by the end of 2014. Additionally, Obama talked about enacting tougher gun con-trol measures in the wake of the horrific massacre of school children in Newtown, Conn. He called on lawmakers to hold votes on his gun proposals. “Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress,” he said. “If you want to vote no, that’s your choice.” The speech can be seen online on any news Website.

STaTEOF THE uNION

Obama makes his

Address

- tuCker gr imshaw and aP

President Barack Obama gives State of the Union address on Feb. 12 in Washington focusing on the economy, education, gun control

and other topics . Photo by AP

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Lady Seasiders lose 3 in a row; players say they need more ‘team chemistry’

BYU-Hawaii women’s basketball team now has a 6-15 overall record and is

5-10 in conference play after their three losses to Point Loma, Cal Baptist and Azusa Pacific. The Lady Seasiders started off lagging against Point Loma, finishing the first half down 43-26. Shayla Washington led the first half with 7 points and Danna Lynn Hooper chipped in with 5. Washing-ton finished the half two-for-two from the three-point line. The lady Seasiders continued to trail as Point Loma took a 27-point lead at one point in the second half. The game ended with a Seasider loss 76-53. The women played Cal Baptist on Valentine’s Day, and even though they played hard, they just couldn’t keep up with their opponent. The final score of this game was 102-61, Cal Baptist taking the win. Washington was the lead scorer of both games. Danna Lynn Hooper, a junior majoring in EXS from Hawaii. said reflecting on the week of play, “Obviously we need to work on defense and more team chemistry on offense. When we have the chance to knock down shots, we need to knock down shots or else we aren’t going to have a good defensive game.” This week the ladies had three tough losses, but there’s no doubt that they discovered exactly what they need to practice for their next games. Coach Akina reflecting on one of the early losses, said, “I just think tonight’s game we didn’t play with the inten-sity that we needed to.…We just need to raise our intensity level and that starts in practice so we can play harder in the game.” The Lady Seasiders hit the road and take on Dixie State on Feb. 23 and Grand Canyon on Feb. 26.

Seasider basketball

Left: Lady Seasider Shayla Washington takes a jump shot. Photo by Mei Yin

-megan t ir i t i l l i

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T he men’s basketball team nets three wins in a row at home to improve to 9-5 in conference and 13-10 overall.

On the shoulders of senior guards Junior Ale and Pablo Coro all-star performances, the men’s basketball team is starting to get hot as the season starts to head into the last several weeks. On Monday, Feb. 18, the Seasiders dismantled Point Loma Nazarene with an impressive 75-49 win. Ale lead all scorers with 26 points going 5-6 from 3-point land. Ale lead a fast-paced scor-ing barrage right out the gate in the second half as BYUH scored 16 unanswered points. Senior Joshua Remington from California, majoring in biology, said, “The three-point shooting the last few games has been amazing. If they can keep it up, they will be a hard team to beat.” On Valentine’s Day, the men’s team continued to assert its dominance over conference foe Cal Baptist. Coro led the charge this night with a career high 24 points. During his amazing scoring run, he went 6-7 from beyond the arch. The men’s team played confident in its game on Feb.18, defeating Azuza Paficic with a 8-point lead. The final score was 77-69, after the men fought to prove their dominance over the Cougars on the court. Highlights of the game included countless steals by Robbie Mitchell and multiple fourth-quarter dunks by DeAndre Medlock. The next home game will be on March 2 against UH-Hilo.

Seasiders improve record after three impressive wins

Seasider DeAndre Medlock goes up for a rebound in a game BYU-Hawaii won over Cal Baptist. Photo by Mei Yin

-matt bledsoe

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“Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been?”

Sarah Christensen, a senior in music from Taiwan, said, “In 2002, I took a family trip to Italy and we had the most amazing pizza. We even got to see them tossing the dough in the air through the store windows.”

Jaque Line, a sophomore in HTM from Japan, said, “In high school, I went with my class to a little village in Canada near Vancouver. The people were so welcoming.”

Masaki Sato, a junior in accounting from Japan, said, “As part of my dad’s job, we got to go as a family to Austria. I absolutely loved the musical history of the country, and going to the opera and orchestras were definitely the highlights of our trip.”

Kate Pearson, a sophomore in communications from England, said, “When I was young, I went with my family to Prague for a family wedding. I remember standing on a really nice bridge and just soaking in all of the artists painting and selling cool souvenirs. It was such a differ-ent place.” -sydney odell

CAMPUSCOMMENT

Photos by Mei Yin