Lucy Gorniak, a freshman from Tasmania studying International Cultural Studies, said, “I really want to improve my piano skills. I want to be able to play with my left hand so I’ll try to practice once a week. I’m also going to improve my Spanish. I want to say at least one prayer in Spanish each day, listen to Spanish music, and talk to my roommate in Spanish.”

Imagine an economic system that massively reduces poverty, that generates prosperity so great and so broadly that the vast majority of people consume more calories, live longer and in better health and have vastly more and better jobs and entertainment options than royalty did for countless centuries.

New Year’s Eve is one of the most celebrated occasions in the world where almost everyone in the world gather together to countdown to a new year, as stated by CNN. For students who celebrated New Year’s Eve in Hawaii, the experience proved to be just as exciting as spending it back home.

The Polynesian Cultural Center hosted a celebration of New Year’s Eve with a fireknife street battle, where some of the island’s best young Polynesian fireknife dancers gathered to compete.

I went through a lot of trouble to light some air lanterns, like the ones in the movie “Tangled,” during the Christmas holidays. I was really excited about lighting some lanterns I got as an early Christmas present from my friend, until I found out it's illegal to light air lanterns and set them off in Hawaii.

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Faculty, athletes and coaches said sports teams are unifiers for a multicultural campus like BYU-Hawaii that has students from more than 70 countries, and sports benefits the community and individuals by teaching discipline, teamwork and keeping kids out of trouble .With the university ending its intercollegiate sports program in 2017 and enlarging its intramural program, people on campus have been talking about sports and their influence on people's lives.Dr. Helena Hannonen, of the Business Management Department, said she and her students read BYUH President John Tanner’s 2015 Inauguration talk to see what he emphasized, and they honed in on the idea of a Zion University. She asked her students what they want to see in a Zion University. According to her, “Sports was one thing they said they wanted to see in a Zion University because as everyone can play together, they can get united.” More than 15 years ago, former BYUH rugby Coach Dr. Inoke Funaki said he remembers leading the team of his day to unexpected heights. Playing and winning in Taiwan, Japan and the mainland built a unity among students of different cultures, he said, that had not previously existed to such an extent.Hannonen said such unity through sports is not only for university students, but also for the community, as parents come to watch their children’s games. “Look at some of the issues of people not having anything to do. What invites crime and drug problems? When you have sports, people have something constructive to do all the time,” Hannonen said. Funaki said the local teams at Kahuku High School rally fans from around Oahu. “The Red Raiders bring people together from all over the island because of family and community bonds,” he said.BYUH men’s basketball Coach Ken Wagner also pointed out the community bonding sports provides. He said, “At the 50-year anniversary of BYUH, they showed some of the great things that happened academically. Guess what by far was the thing everybody cheered for? When they showed the highlights of the sports. It is just human nature.” BYUH has never had a football team and has not had a competitive rugby team since 1999 due to the players getting into fights. The with current 10 NCAA II sports teams scheduled to be terminated by Spring 2017, according to BYUH Newsroom, former athlete Mike Tuia and Funaki said they would still like rugby to be a part of BYUH. Funaki said, “We can display here in Hawaii the rugby played in Australia, New Zealand, Wales and England. It has become more and more an international game. Pacific Islanders, and especially Hawaiians, have been playing rugby informally for decades.” The plan to transform the school teams to intramural activities came up mainly because of the high maintenance costs, the university's public relations department stated in April 2014. Coach Wagner dismissed the financial issues. “We spend $1.3 million, whereas the cheapest team in Provo, the women’s golf team, spends already half a million. It’s not equitable.” Having a rugby could bring financial, communal, and cultural benefits for the university, said Tuia, He said Kahuku’s High School's rugby club won major national games this year. “Colleges all over the mainland started to offer full-ride scholarships. If BYUH would get a team back, the [local] kids would have a better chance to attend. Since the school wants to keep a lot of locals home, this would be a driving force.”Hannonen said, “For many countries, sport teams are the way to get out. They obtain scholarships and earn their academic training. They learn discipline in the teams, which makes them disciplined in their studies. It has so many benefits. Besides the physical strengthening, they learn how to play in a team and how to get up when they are down - how to deal with adversity and communicate.”She continued, “Most of the good business people have played sports.” She also talked about how the sports teams attract more LDS Church non-members, evolving to great missionary success. Funaki said his experience supports Hannonen’s claim. “As I travel around the pacific islands," he said, "I run into my former rugby players as bishops and stake presidents. They are leaders.” Tuia said the rugby team would do good internationally and would be a missionary tool as well. “If we had the opportunity to travel again, there would be missionary opportunities because it opens doors. People see that we are different, but rugby could serve almost like an icebreaker. On the field, you are a warrior. Off the field, you are best friends.” Hannonen said she was confident that, ultimately, BYUH would make faithful and courageous decisions to educate the whole individual – physically, academically, and spiritually. Uploaded Jan. 15, 2016

The United States is at a crossroads when it comes to gun control, and BYU-Hawaii students shared their insights about the recurrent episodes of gun violence plaguing the nation. The frequency of attacks have been termed “the gun epidemic” by mainstream media.

The island of Kaho‘olawe was once an island with an abundance of Hawaiian plants and culture, but due to outside influence, it has become an island of harsh red dirt and rocks. Visible from Maui’s west shore and 20 minutes away by boat, Kaho‘olawe is inaccessible due to the presence of unexploded ordnances that cover the island.