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While connecting students to their friends and family in the virtual world, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are disconnecting students from the real world. Rani Anandan, a senior and international cultural studies major from American Samoa said she sometimes feels social media sites like Facebook, can make comunication easier even with people she doesn’t know well. But she also thinks it makes people less inclined to reach out and make friends in everyday life. “It sometimes feels like people have more confidence in their online persona than in real life. Our identities these days are just so closely linked with technology, and the line between what is real and what is virtual is constantly being blurred with all of these technological advancements,” said Anandan. Another student, McKae Joyner, a senior and ICS major from Washington, agreed with Anandan. “As great as being connected is, I think technology somewhat hinders our communication with those around us. We are on our devices so much that we sometimes miss out on real life in the moment,” Joyner said. The everyday use of technology can also affect our concentration on other important aspects of our lives. “Technology can be very distracting when it comes to doing school assignments, so I limit my time on the computer and try to avoid nonessential social media sites like Twitter,” said Brandon Johnson, a junior and business management major from New Jersey. Johnson, a newly baptized member of the LDS faith, is also weary of the effects technology has on his budding testimony. “Since technology is a tool, it can also be used as a tool of Satan in drawing us away from spiritual things, such as people choosing to be on their cell phones during church and not opening up room for the spirit during that sacred church time,” said Johnson. For some plugged in students at BYUH, their digital presence proves an asset towards future career paths in cultivating a professional network. “Being a musician, I also see the great potential people have in using the Internet to promote themselves and get noticed,” Johnson said, referencing to artist Justin Beiber’s YouTube success. “The Internet allows us to promote ourselves in a variety of different formats and is a great tool for marketing. Technology can be used for good or for bad,” said Johnson.

The movement to stop the construction of a 18-story, $1.4 billion telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea has grown in momentum as protestors in Hawaii and around the world have made #WeAreMaunaKea a trending topic on social media. Hawaii Gov. David Ige extended a construction moratorium for the telescope and on April 27 members of the opposition groups Mauna Kea Hui and Mauna Kea Ohana delivered to his office a thumb drive filled with “53,000 signatures against building the Thirty Meter Telescope on a mountain held sacred by Native Hawaiians,” reported AP. The day before on April 26, hackers disrupted the telescope’s website as well as the Hawaii state government’s website, says AP. “At no time was data comprised or were services at risk,” said Jodi Leong, the governor’s deputy director of communications. “The website was brought back up on a back-up server at 2 p.m. and full site availability was restored by 4:40 p.m.”Thirty Meter Telescope spokeswoman Sandra Dawson said its website was overwhelmed by hackers trying to attack the website, reported AP. She said the attacks are coming from people outside of Hawaii but there have been no breaches of the company’s secure files.Mauna Kea on the Big Island is the tallest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit, reports to BBC News. This telescope would allow astronomers and scientists to see up to 13 billion light years away, going back to the origins of the universe. People have gathered together to protest the placement of the telescope on Hawaiian sacred land, Mauna Kea. BYU-Hawaii History Professor Isaiah Walker explained the place Mauna Kea has in Hawaiian history. He said, “Mauna Kea is sacred for many reasons. First, it is a wahi pana, or sacred space. In Hawaiian mo‘olelo (oral histories), Mauna Kea was home to Wakea, Sky Father, and was the place he connected with Papa, Earth Mother (where the sky and earth meet). Together, Papa and Wakea created the islands, other forms of life, and eventually man. In regard to Hawaiian views of creation, I suppose Mauna Kea was a kind of Garden of Eden in the Kumulipo (Hawaiian creation story). Many Hawaiians see it as sacred in the same ways that others would look at church or temple grounds… “Second, the land is sacred because it is national conservation land, which is supposed to preserve it from over-development. Yet, this observatory, if built, will be the 14th observatory on the mountain.”Walker continued, “Third, Mauna Kea is on ceded land. Ceded lands are lands that belonged to the Hawaiian Kingdom, the Hawaiian government, the Hawaiian public before the Hawaiian nation became occupied in 1898. The University of Hawaii is managing the land of Mauna Kea and subleasing it to other countries to use for their various observatories.”Local Hawaiians and opponents of the telescope from all over the world have petitioned to stop the construction of the telescope. This controversy has also sparked a wave of social media support shown by photos of people with the words “We are Mauna Kea,” written on them or held up signs with the comment on them, reported BBC News. Celebrities such as “Game of Thrones” star Jason Momoa, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and San Francisco Giants’ pitcher Madison Bumgarner have all used #WeAreMaunaKea.The increase of members on the Facebook page “Stand for Mauna Kea” matches the increase in support and awareness of the issue around the world. Joshua Lanakila Mangauil, one of the administrators of the page, said, “I launched this page in October, shortly after the ground-breaking ceremony at the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) site. Until a few weeks ago, the group had only a couple hundred members and it was a place to communicate about the issues relating to the mountain and the planned construction of the TMT. In just a few short weeks, the group has grown to be 15,000 strong.” Mangauil continued, “The use of social media allows us to communicate about events happening all over the globe in support of halting the construction of the TMT. Having that global support and the ability to share information freely has surely been a big part of the visibility of our efforts. We will continue to work together to bring attention to this proposed desecration of our sacred mountain.” Attorney David Kimo Frankel, of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, said the cultural heritage of the land gives it legal rights, and telescope isn’t consistent with criteria in Hawaii’s state administrative rules. “If it is a sacred site, if it’s an important cultural resource, and the project would degrade that cultural resource, then it’s inconsistent with the law,” he said to Hawaii News Now.University of Hawaii professor and land use attorney David Callies disagreed with the protestors, arguing that the telescope’s developer “met all demands and are on solid legal footing,” according to Hawaii News Now. Callies said, “It’s the state’s land. It’s the university’s land. It’s for a scientific purpose. It’s for a purpose that fits the mission of the university. And it’s for one of the purposes that conservation land has been used in the past.” Protestor Isa Center said of the land, “Our ancestors believed that there were numerous gods and goddesses and Mauna Kea was their temple. They feel strongly that this will disrupt their temple,” wrote BBC News. She continued, “In Hawaii, the land is precious to our people. It’s a very strong cultural protest.” Accurate up to April 30, 2015

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.

Students said the racial tensions in America continue to rise after another African American was shot outside of Charlotte, North Carolina on Sept. 20.Keith Lamont Scott, 43, and father of seven, was shot and killed by a police officer after reportedly refusing to cooperate with local law enforcement, according to CNN. Peaceful protests turned into riots, which continued through the night and all day Wednesday, according to CNN. Protests have recently calmed down, but there still remains no consensus as to if the right actions were taken during the riots, reported Fox News. According to the Huffington Post, U.S. police officers have killed at least 194 African American citizens this year. These deaths have sparked more conservation about the worldwide movement known as Black Lives Matter.Katie Bak, a senior from North Carolina majoring in peace¬building, said, “From what my family has said, these riots have made havoc in Charlotte.” Bak continued, “I believe that not much is being accomplished from these riots because of how the media covers both sides. You can turn on the news and find a station that tells the narrative of the situation in a way that pleases your perspective.”Junior Walter, a freshman from Hawaii majoring in information technology, said, “Although the BLM movement is well intentioned, it seems to me as something of a mob mentality.”According to CNN, the riots have resulted in thousands of dollars worth of damage to businesses and personal property, as well as a few injuries of police officers and protesters involved. Walter continued, “I don’t totally agree with how they’ve executed their plans because sometimes things seem to get out of hand. Some of the circumstances are easily misinterpreted. We don’t always know the entire story.” Jonathan Comeau, a freshman from Haiti majoring in accounting, said, “The black community has a right to be upset and outraged. It’s a recurring thing that needs to be stopped, but the way that some people are reacting is out of line.”Comeau continued, “Everyone is being labeled negatively because of the reactions of a few people.” Comeau said there are extremists out there who represent each side of the story. Reports from the Charlotte Police Department stated Scott was carrying a gun at the time of his death, which led the police to take lethal action, according to CNN.