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On September 2, 2014 the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) released a video that claims to show the grotesque murder of American freelance journalist Steven Sotloff, who wrote for various news organizations including Time magazine.The horrifying news came only a few days after Sotloff’s mother made a public plea to the terrorists holding her son hostage. Shirley Sotloff spoke directly to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a video broadcast on Al Arabiya Network, the Associated Press reports.“This was the first thing I woke up to. It’s sad to know that there is no mercy for families,” said Ethan Secrist, a sophomore from Idaho studying political science.Her son appeared last week in an ISIS video showing the decapitation of another American journalist James Foley. The executor in the video warns that Steven Sotloff’s fate was dependent upon what U.S. President Barack Obama does next in Iraq.ISIS is an al Qaeda splinter group that has gained notoriety for it’s public executions, crucifixions, and other violent acts. They are currently occupying large areas of territory in northern and western Iraq. Their mission is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria.A day after the video was released, Obama vowed that the U.S. would be “relentless” in striking back against ISIS.“It’s good to know that Obama is taking care of business, this is a serious issue to national security,” said Cajun Hainsworth, a freshman from Wash. studying psychology.Steven Sotloff disappeared while reporting from Syria in August 2013, but his family kept the news secret, fearing harm to him if they went public. However, various government agencies have been trying to gain Sotloff’s release for the past year.This summer, several dozen of the most elite U.S. commandos flew into Syria, but couldn’t find the hostages, including Sotloff and fellow journalist James Foley, a U.S. government official told CNN last month.“At least there is something being done, all we can do is just hope that no other hostages are executed,” said Oakley Tullis, a sophomore from Calif. studying psychology.ISIS has declared that their next victim would be a British national. A public memorial service was scheduled for Sotloff on Friday, September 5, in his hometown of Miami.

The United States government has been shutdown for almost two weeks as the debate between Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the White House continues to rage. Logan Anderson, a junior in business from West Jordan, Utah, said, “It’s too complicated and confusing to understand with all the social media rumors and false accusations to even care.” Here is what is happening:According to the Constitution, every year Congress must pass a budget, outlining the spending and income of the Government for that year. The last time the government actually made a budget was in 1997. Since that time, they have merely just been passing “resolutions.” Resolutions give the government the freedom to continue spending money for a predetermined time limit, Business Professor Cary Wasden explained.Why the shutdown now? Neither Republicans or Democrats can come to a mutual agreement regarding budget and spending. Republicans are in control of the House of Representative and the Democrats are in charge of the Senate and the White House. The Democrats are hoping to continue the current trend by passing a resolution and increasing the debt ceiling, or the amount of debt the country can have, so that they can fund all the government programs. Such programs include the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as it is more commonly known. Republicans have no desire to fund Obamacare allowing President Obama to continue spending more money, according to Wasden.What does this mean? The Republicans in the House of Representatives are not willing to pass a resolution that includes funding for Obamacare, and the Democrats in the Senate and White House aren’t willing to approve any resolution that doesn’t fund Obamacare and raising the debt ceiling. With both sides being very reluctant to negotiate, the government has had to shutdown. Wasden said, “You are not getting the true story from either side and neither party comes out of this looking good. It shows us just how absolutely dysfunctional our government is right now. It’s a complicated issue with a simple solution. Just pass a budget.”What happens with a government shutdown? With the government shutdown, many government-funded programs have been shutdown as well. For example, all national parks, museums, and zoos have been closed. Most federal employees are temporarily out of work. Obtaining a passport or gun permit will also be unavailable until the debate is resolved. Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first time that this has happened. In 1996, a similar government shutdown lasted 21 days. Conner Dunlap, a sophomore studying marine biology from Sitka, Alaska, said, “I think the government just needs to learn how to work together and not in opposition. They are just not getting the job done.” Recently, there have been signs of progress but no real signs of a resolution. If Congress does not reach an agreement by Oct. 17, it will have the possibility of defaulting on the national debt. If that were to happen, the national credit score would be worsened and would cause some long-term problems. “There is no way that a budget gets passed when there is so much animosity between the two parties. They will just pass another resolution,” said Wasden.Source: CNN

In a meeting with student-athletes and coaches held on March 28, BYU-Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright announced the university’s plans to phase out all intercollegiate athletic programs over the next three years. All of the school’s 11 athletic programs will be disbanded including; men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s softball, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s golf, and men’s and women’s tennis. In an official statement from the university, President Wheelwright publicly announced the reasoning behind the decision. “In recent years, trends have emerged in collegiate athletics that are continuing in a direction that will be challenging for an institution the size of BYU–Hawaii.” But the main factor for discontinuing athletics is rooted in finances. “The money being spent on athletics programs will be used to provide educational opportunities for the increasing number of students from around the world who can be served by the university,” says the official statement. The statement continues, “Plans to increase enrollment to 3,200 students are already in progress with the construction of new on-campus housing facilities. The university administration feels that the top priority is to serve more students, especially those 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.

As the majority of the students at BYU-Hawaii are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they share a common bond with other members of the church worldwide. It seems as though they can spot one another by their smiles, the way they dress, or even by someone’s name.Yet how familiar are members with each other in a not-so-casual or obvious setting? Most members know Mitt Romney, but how about Grant Hill? No, not the former member of the Canadian Parliament for Macleod, but a another member nonetheless. Members claim the Osmond family as one of their own, but did you know Ryan Raddon, also known as Kaskade, the Grammy Award winning DJ is a member of the Church? When asked which “famous Mormons” first come to mind, Brooke Rohner, an exercise science major and junior from California, named a few of her favorite famous Mormons, “Mitt Romney, Steve Young, the Osmonds, and a younger Ryan Gosling.” Hannah Higginson, a sophomore from Huntington Beach, Calif., said, “Let’s just say I’m kind of in to ‘The Mitt.’” There are certain indicators that make famous members of the church stick out like a sore thumb. Athletes like Shawn Bradley and Mark Madsen put their athletic careers on hold to serve a two-year mission for the Church. Others, like Jimmer Fredette, Steve Young and Bryce Harper chose not to serve missions, deciding that representing the church in the media would be their “mission” for the church. “What I say is, ‘I try to be the best walking Book of Mormon as I can,’” said Bryce Harper. Bryce Harper was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2012 with the Washington Nationals. Although he isn’t one of the more advertised members of the church, he is still a practicing member.Whether it is sports, popular entertainment, or social media outlets, members of the church are in the spotlight and representing the church in new ways.