Students from BYU–Hawaii’s chapter of ONE want to be agents of change for the global community in raising public awareness for one of the world’s largest epidemics, HIV/AIDS.

Laie FC, a championship soccer team, is a group comprised of community members from Kapolei and Japanese students from BYU–Hawaii. Students said their bonds with community members have been an exciting and unforgettable part of their experience in Hawaii. Community members said they’re grateful to have students to play with them.

President Barack Obama urged the Federal Communications Commission to keep the Internet “free and open” through heavier regulations of internet providers during an announcement made on Nov. 10. The concept of regulating the Internet is called “net neutrality,” which means that Internet service providers “should not block, slow or manipulate data moving across its networks,” according to AP. Internet content generally loads at the same speed as similar files on other sites, as long as the content isn’t against the law.The announcement came as the FCC struggled with legal complexities as it neared a decision on whether broadband providers should be given permission to cut deals with content providers.The stricter regulation would affect Internet providers like Verizon and AT&T by prohibiting them from charging “data hogs,” like Netflix, to move its content more quickly, the Associated Press reported.“We are stunned the president would abandon the longstanding, bipartisan policy of lightly regulating the Internet and calling for extreme regulation,” said Michael Powell, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, according to AP.This “tectonic shift in national policy, should it be adopted, would create devastating results,” Powell continued.Obama said on Nov. 10 the FCC should “reclassify consumer broadband as a public utility under the 1934 Communications Act so there’s no legal ambiguity,” according to AP. He also suggested the FCC should ban any “paid prioritization” on the Internet.“It is common sense that the same philosophy should guide any service that is based on the transmission of information- whether a phone call, or a packet of data,” Obama said, according to AP.Net Neutrality was informally made a rule in 2010 by the FCC but was overruled in January 2013 after a federal appeals court ruled the FCC didn’t have “legal authority to tell broadband providers how to manage their networks”, according to AP.Obama’s announcement came suddenly, as he was traveling in China at the time. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “the President ‘felt this was an appropriate time’ to make his views known because of the FCC’s regulatory timeline,” AP reported. “There are members of Congress on both sides of this,” Earnest added.The announcement brought mixed reactions, with many Republicans denouncing Obama’s plan as “government overreach.”“‘Net Neutrality’ is Obamacare for the Internet,” Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said on Twitter. “The Internet should not operate at the speed of government.”Democrat Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts disagreed by saying, “When the leader of the free world says the Internet should remain free, that’s a game changer.”

From getting plastic out of the ocean, opening a barbershop and selling affordable goat milk products in the Philippines to fight poverty, BYU–Hawaii students are committed to serving others around the world.

The challenges she faced as an international student in the United States are what fuel her each day, says Gloria Mensah, co-founder and executive director of the GK Folks Foundation, on the foundation’s website.

Halloween is one of the biggest commercial holidays in America with people spending more than $9 billion a year celebrating it, says Statista.com, but its influence spans past the western hemisphere.

200 MILLION roses are produced for Valentine’s Day, according to the Society of American Florists. Most come from Colombia, which sends about 12 percent of its flower output to the U.S. in a span of less than two weeks leading up to V-Day.According to Facebook in Feb. 2012, the top song users listen to when they are entering a new relationship is “Don’t Wanna Go Home” by Jason Derulo.144 MILLION Valentine’s Day cards are given out each year, making it the second largest day for greeting cards, according to Hallmark.$3.4 billion spent on Valentine’s Day dinner, says yumaAZ.govMore than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day. A survey conducted by the Chocolate Manufacturers Association said 50 percent of women will likely give a gift of chocolate to a guy for Valentine’s Day.$123 is the average cost of celebration per person in general, according to National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2010 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey.$4 BILLION is the mount spent on jewelry, according to the NRF (National Retail Federation).Quotes from students about Valentine's Day:“One year, I was sent 100 red roses from a boy I wasn’t even dating on Valentine’s Day.”Stella Jang, a senior in marketing from Hong Kong. “Last Valentine’s Day, my friend wrote me a song on the piano and sang it to me and I felt really special.”Lisa Thompson, a senior in psychology from Texas."One Valentine's night I hadn't had a Valentine and neither did one of my good friends. So we got together and put together gift bags together. I made her chocolate covered strawberries and she got me a big bear, and then we met up at 11 p.m. and exchanged gifts with just enough time to spare!"Tyler Kellis, freshman in biochemistry from Arizona.

Current and former staff members at BYU–Hawaii share their thoughts and express appreciation for Laie and its history. Moved by her experience at the Polynesian Cultural Center as a child, Professor Alohalani Housman said she is just a small part of the millions who have come to Laie and had a seed planted in their hearts. Although a small place, Professor Mason Allred said everywhere you go in Laie “you are stepping on and into layers of inspiration that has been acted on.”

June 4, 1783: French inventors and brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier had their first public demonstration of a hot air balloon flight on June 4, according to todayinsci.com. The balloon took off from Annonay, France, rose to roughly 3,280 feet and traveled for a mile and a half.