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BYU–Hawaii’s Enactus team took home top honors being named the U.S. National Champions and receiving a $10,000 prize on April 16 at the annual competition held this year in St. Louis, Missouri. After being among the national finalists the last several years, coming in first place this year BYUH team will move on to compete along with 35 other countries at the World Cup Competition Oct. 14-16 in Johannesburg, South Africa.BYUH’s Enactus team “created projects empowering residents of the Ivory Coast, the home country of Sery Kone, one of its members,” says a press release about the win. “The team inspired women to become entrepreneurs through micro-financing and taught cacao farmers to pollinate crops through beekeeping to increase their production and income.”It continues, “Top executives from America’s most well-known companies including The Hershey Company, The Coca Cola Company, The Schwan Food Company and Unilever, local notables Edward Jones, Enterprise Holdings, KPMG and Walmart, and nearly 100 more gathered to judge entrepreneurial outreach projects created and implemented by Enactus teams from 178 colleges and universities, as well as network and engage with the more than 2,400 students attending from around the country.”Enactus is “part of an international non-profit organization that brings together student, academic and business leaders who are committed to improving the world through entrepreneurial action,” it says. “Guided by business experts and academic advisors at 1,700 universities in 36 countries, the 70,500 student leaders of Enactus create and implement entrepreneurial projects each year impacting more than 1,950,000 people.”Mike Moore, EVP and president, Small Formats Walmart U.S., Walmart Stores, Inc. and chairman of Enactus United States National Advisory Board, said, “Our commitment to Enactus teams worldwide underscores our belief that these talented and dedicated students are making a significant impact on the livelihoods of people in communities around the world. Not only are they doing the right thing for their communities, [but also] they are gaining highly sought-after skills and attitudes that shape our next generation of great leaders.”BYUH’s Enactus team took part in the three-day competition making live multimedia presentations describing its projects “to panels of business leaders in an effort to convince them that they have created a sustainable impact economically, socially or environmentally,” the information says. Students also “interviewed for jobs and internships at a two-day Career Fair where recruiters competed aggressively from this extraordinary pool of talent and in many cases offered jobs on the spot.”Alex Perwich, the president of Enactus United States, said, “The accomplishments of the Brigham Young University–Hawaii team, the 177 other teams that competed this week, and hundreds of other active Enactus teams around the country underscore the fact that participation in Enactus provides university students with the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in their communities, while gaining the experience, skills and contacts necessary to build a successful career.” The other teams placing in the top four were:2nd: La Sierra University (Riverside, Calif.)3rd: John Brown University (Siloam Springs, Ark.)4th: Belmont University (Nashville, Tenn.)

It is normal for universities around the country to offer a wide variety of classes that are unique to that campus, and BYU-Hawaii is no exception. Due to its unique location and staff, the university offers a variety of courses that might not be found in other universities. These classes, however, sometimes fall beyond the radar of some students, making them hidden gems. Here are just a few of the unique classes offered on this campus, classes that are unique, interesting and fun.Exercise and sports classes:The university offers a wide variety of fun exercise and sport classes. This includes some of the usual team sports such as: soccer, basketball, and volleyball, but there are also some classes for individual sports such as: golf, racquetball, and tennis. But then there are also a few classes that one might not find on another campus, such as: surfing and touch rugby. Senior exercise and sports science major McKenzie Evans, from Utah, took the touch rugby class because she “thought it would be fun to play rugby with some Polynesians who knew the game.” At the end of the semester Evans found herself more than satisfied with her experience and spoke highly of the class, “I would for sure recommend this class to others. Brother Mahoni is a great teacher. You get to learn and play rugby every morning, and most importantly it is way fun.”History of Surfing:The class, history of surfing, taught by Doctor Isaiah Walker during the summer semester, is not your regular history class. “It was informal but informative. We watched surf flicks and went surfing, but we also read about Hawaiian legends and places and events in Hawaiian history,” said senior English major Alyssa Walhood, from Oregon. “It was an amazing class that more people should take in order to learn about Hawaii, understand the history of their white privilege, and gain more respect for the people and spirit of Hawaii.”Terrorism:Taught by Doctor Brian Houghton usually during the winter semester, this class is for sure a different class from the other political science classes. The class teaches the history and types of terrorism and the conflicts surrounding it. Probably the most exciting and unique thing about the class is that as a final project, students are grouped together and assigned to create and plan a terrorist attack of their own. For those of you hoping to expand your knowledge and take a different sort of class, this one is a great option.Uploaded April 3, 2015

Being engaged for three years may seem like a challenge, but for Lee Phillips, a senior in Pacific Island studies from New Zealand, the wait has been worth it because it has allowed her to complete her education. She will graduate in June and on Aug. 8 she will marry her sweetheart and fiancé of three years in the New Zealand Temple. Speaking of their time apart, Phillips said, “I just needed to do this to be able to live a good life. I was thinking of all of us. It was for my fiancé, me, and my family.” For Phillips and her family, education is atop priority. “It was always just my mom, my older sister and I, and neither of them had the opportunity to go to college. They always knew that I would be the one who could get an education at the university,” said Phillips.Phillips met her fiancé, Donny Ngwun, in New Zealand after she finished high school. They dated for some time while she was attending a university in New Zealand. She said things were going well, but she always felt BYU-Hawaii was where she belonged. She said her sister constantly reminded her of that. After Phillips’ older sister had visited the BYUH campus, she knew that was where Lee needed to go. Phillips said, “She came home and just had a feeling that I needed to go to BYUH. So after we got engaged it was difficult for her. She thought I was hurting myself and the opportunities I could have at BYUH.” Phillips, her fiancé, and her sister made a compromise. She would go to BYUH, but only after she was engaged. So, Phillips was engaged in August and left for Hawaii that same month. Phillips said coming to a new country and school was very difficult, especially atthe beginning. She said she and her fiancé called each other on Skype and the phone, and she said having a common purpose and goal made it work. They have seen each other in person only three times since she has come to Hawaii. She said, “The love that we have for each other has bloomed into something so strong nothing could break it, and nothing ever has. The love that we have is a diamond in the rough – rare, unheard of in days like these – but it’s there. You just have to look for it.”Lily Tarawa, one of Phillips’ best friends who helped her along her journey, said, “I feel that her experience has helped her realize the great amount of potential that she has as a future advocate, teacher and leader. Lee is headstrong, determined, vivacious and empowering and I am grateful for our friendship. I feel she made the right decision because she followed the basic steps of prayer, fasting and seeking guidance from the Lord. Because the Lord was involved in this decision for her to come to school and be away from her family and fiancé for three years, she excelled in both areas of education and eternal perspective.”Phillips said, “I wouldn’t change it. Being by yourself here you learn a lot about who you are and I was able to grow so much independently. I have had both temporal and spiritual blessing from being here and it has helped me to mature. These experiences will prepare me to better help my family.”Uploaded April 2, 2015.

Farkhunda was beaten to death by a Kabul, Afghanistan, mob on March 19. She had been arguing with a mullah about his practice of selling charms to women at a shrine. In the course of the argument, she was accused of burning the Quran and a crowd overheard and beat her to death. Thousands marched through the Afghan capital March 24, demanding justice for the woman who was beaten to death by a mob after being falsely accused of burning the Quran.Men and women of all ages carried banners bearing the bloodied face of Farkhunda, a 27-year-old religious scholar killed by the mob. Farkhunda, who went by one name like many Afghans, was beaten, run over with a car and burned before her body was thrown into the Kabul River.Catherine Zant, a senior from Boston, Mass., studying psychology and peacebuilding, said, “Oppression against women throughout the third world is devastating. Incidents like the one in the article occur all the time but receive no media attention. So, the fact that the story of Farkhunda’s death is being publicized and investigated is wonderful.”Amrullah Saleh, a political leader in Afghanistan and former director of the intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security, said the demonstrators sought to make Farkhunda an icon of the struggle against “injustice, mob court, street violence, violence against women, lawlessness, extremism,” and especially the injustice suffered by women.“She is an example of probably what has happened silently to many,” Saleh told the Associated Press. “She drew a line with her blood between those who want justice, rule of law, and those who are extreme in their views and who breed in lawlessness.”Zant said, “I think there are two things that can do a lot to eradicate the injustices against women throughout the world. Simply put, it is education and empowerment. The word empowerment is used so often it has become somewhat cliché, but truly as women stand up for themselves and tell the world that they will no longer accept maltreatment, traditions and cultures that perpetuate these injustices, things will change. The Afghan women who rallied after Farkhunda’s death are an excellent example of this.”The Interior Ministry said 28 people have been arrested and 13 police officers suspended as part of investigations. Also, the spokesman for the Kabul police, Hashmat Stanikzai, was fired over comments he made on social media supporting Farkhunda’s killers. Stanikzai could not be reached for comment.Madison Hardisty, a junior from California studying peacebuilding, took an Arbinger approach in analyzing the incident. “In cases of abuse, one party is seeing the other as an object. Generally, we’d like to think that we’re good people, so when we do something that is contrary to that idea, we start to feel really guilty. In order to get rid of that feeling of guilt, we convince ourselves that the other party deserves it and we start to see them as an object. I think that this is something that happens amongst all people, but I think it’s very common in gender inequality, with women being seen as objects.”“The problem is many women don’t even realize they are worth more,” said Zant. “Culturally, in areas of the world, gender roles put women far below men. It is so widely accepted that women won’t question their husbands beating them. Women will be burned in the street and life will go on as usual. This is why education is so vital.”Uploaded April 2, 2015

the New York Times recently reported various studies and researches done by medical centers in the United States showing the benefits of practicing Tai Chi Quan.Tai chi is a gentle form of traditional Chinese martial arts that combines elements of kong fu, traditional Chinese medicine, and art. Its practicing pose looks like slow dancing. The most significant feature of tai chi is to require participants to use diaphragmatic breathing.Will Kongaika, a sophomore majoring in finance from California, said, “I have done tai chi before. I think it is relaxing like yoga.”Zachary Kenneth, a senior from England, shared his experiences with tai chi: “I was involved with tai chi before coming to BYU-Hawaii. My family also participated in martial arts including kong fu and tai chi. I had a good experience with practicing tai chi and kong fu. It made me more stronger and flexible. I would love to do more.”Tsz Ki Ng, a freshman from Hong Kong, shared what she knows about tai chi: “My father is a tai chi participant. Several times, he joined the national tai chi competitions and achieved the ranks. He kept practicing it everyday for more than three years. At the beginning, he decided to learn because he read from a book that practicing tai chi can improve your brain and breathing. Later he took a few classes and then started to learn following a DVD all by himself.”A study from last year published in National Center for Biotechnology Information showed tai chi participants’ brains had greater development in connectivity, decision-making, and attention than the people who had never done tai chi.The study also found practicing tai chi can improve practitioners’ “balance, leg strength, cardiovascular endurance, pulse rate, muscular flexibility, sleep habits, immune system response, happiness, sense of self-worth, and ability to concentrate and multitask during cognitive tests,” reports the New York Times. It’s an effective workout for people of any age.Ng said her father always encouraged her and her brother to learn tai chi as it is good for health. “My father said he earns more energy through practicing tai chi, and his brain became more clear and nimble. He also said Tai Chi Quan is part of Chinese traditional culture. Practicing it is also to help continue the culture.”The director of the Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston said tai chi “can improve both physical and psycho-social health.”However, as scientists haven’t done the research that compares the effectiveness of practicing tai chi with other activities, they can’t say yet whether tai chi has better benefits for people than other types of light-to-moderate exercise, like walking, yoga or weight training, said the New York Times. Many low-cost classes for people who are interested in learning tai chi are offered by community centers and YMCAs nationwide in the United States. People can find the a program close to their location by visiting the American Tai Chi and Qigong Association’s website at americantaichi.net.Uploaded April 2, 2015

The Walt Disney Company announced a sequel to “Frozen” and a “Star Wars” spinoff are in the works during its annual shareholder meeting on March 12, reported the New York Times. Disney didn’t provide any details about the release date of the “Frozen” movie, but mentioned that they will keep the same directors and producer of the first film to the second.Cameron Tidwell, a junior majoring in international cultural studies from Arizona said, “I have seen both ‘Frozen’ and ‘Star Wars.’ I think that in many ways both of those films have become classics in society.”McKayla Caress, a sophomore majoring in English from United States said, “‘Frozen’ was a good musical and ‘Star Wars’ were amazing action movies. The most impressive plot would be ‘Star Wars.’ They made six movies along it and people still watch.”In 2013, the animated musical not only created more than $1.3 billion in box-office sales, but the sales of “Frozen” related merchandise also helped Disney reach a $7.5 billion profit. The movie will soon go to Broadway, and a theme park attraction is being built in Florida, according to The New York Times.“Disney is trying to use ‘Frozen’ to drive ticket sales for its next live-action movie, ‘Cinderella,’ which opens on Friday. It will be shown together with a new animated short move called ‘Frozen Fever,’ which finds one of the princesses, Elsa, with a bothersome cold,” wrote The New York Times. The “Star Wars” spinoff move, which be titled “ Rogue One,” will release next year, Disney announced. Additionally, it also mentioned that “Star Wars: Episode VII” and “Star Wars: Episode VIII” will be released in theaters in December 2015 and May 2017, respectively. Tidwell shared his thoughts on some characters in the franchises: “ I like Jar Jar Binks. He was a funny and unusual character. I did like the girl from Frozen, though. I like her sense of adventure and desire to break free of the constraints that were placed on her.”Uploaded April 2, 2015

Members of students associations invited all students to join them, teaching them the significance of dances, making Culture Night unified and showing the unique diversity of BYU-Hawaii. The two-day Culture Night event brought audience members to their feet at the Cannon Activities Center as it concluded on Saturday, March 28. The Korean Association opened the second night with the traditional arirang song and transitioned to a synchronized presentation of tae kwon do, ending with bouncing to a fast-paced pop song. The Korean Association made sure to include those not from Korea and make them feel welcome. “I felt included because they always told instructions in Korean, and they would also translate into English,” said Desiree Moore, a senior from Utah studying elementary education. “They would purposely plan stuff that would help us understand, and instead of being exclusive, they told us to bring our friends.”Each association prepared from the beginning of the semester to have a dance to represent their culture. “It’s what defines us as Fijians. It’s our culture,” said Daniel Ravia, a junior from Fiji studying exercise and sports science, about the dance. “One thing we love to do is share our culture with other people.” Fiji and Hong Kong followed Korea. Members of the Japanese Association shared their culture through a live action Super Smash Brothers battle, highlighting Pokémon, Mario Kart and other games the country is famous for creating. They also worked with each other to make a human tower. “The tower is what we do in elementary school, which is why it was easy for us,” said Sumie Nagatani, a freshman studying hospitality and tourism management from Japan. American Sign Language (ASL) presented the importance of its culture through hand-signing. Natalie DeMartini, a graduate in psychology from California, who danced with ASL, said, “It’s a great culture and we want to show how great deaf people are. The only way for the culture to grow is for hearing people to learn sign language.”Korean, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan, Filipino, American Sign Language, Indonesia, Kiribati, Tahiti, New Zealand, Thailand, Hip-Hop clubs performed on March 28, with Tonga ending the show, drawing screams of excitement from the audience.Mele Fiefa, a junior from Tonga studying elementary education, said about everybody performing, “Even though we are a different color, we are still the same. You learn to respect.”Uploaded April 2, 2015