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BYU-Hawaii has created an environment for people to interact, play and enjoy each other’s cultures through sports. Every Saturday in March and April there are “free play” intramural soccer games for students to enjoy. The soccer field at BYUH is a place where passion for the sport and cultures from around the world mix to create the beauty of soccer. “Soccer sees no race, religion, socioeconomic status and prejudice. Maybe that’s why everyone likes playing together. On the field we’re all equals,” said Ezra Tupou a junior from Australia. Nathan McKinney, the intramural student lead, and junior from California studying hospitality and tourism management, said, “Soccer is a popular sport here on campus. We get a really good mix of people from all over the world who just love the sport.”“Ever since I was little, soccer was one of my favorite things to do,” said Max Hannemann, a sophomore studying business from Oahu. “I come back and play every Saturday because scoring a goal is the best feeling I have felt in sports. And with all the stress of school, it’s good to run around and get out all that energy.” For some, playing soccer on Saturdays helps students from the same country and region to unite and enjoy the sport they love. Tupou said, “It’s like the World Cup. Every four years the world’s countries gather in unison for a sport they love. Without knowing, the implications caused are unity through sport. Every Saturday we have the chance of replicating that same spirit with different cultures. Many students come to play who are from all around the world. They are coming together playing on the same team and building school, community and global cohesion.”Intramural soccer runs Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. to noon. The tournament will start on April 11 at 9 a.m. Check in with the intramural staff to pick up a roster. 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

Acting students performed plays with student directors in the McKay Auditorium as their final assignment for Dr. Craig Ferre’s drama class during a two-night event the week of March 23. Though attendance was surprisingly low, audience members expressed great enjoyment during each performance. Ferre announced at the beginning of both evenings that this year’s One Act play event would be the last to come in the foreseeable future. Aliya Qureshi, a freshman international relations major from Santa Barbara, Calif., performed in the one act play series as a student participant. “The great thing about Shakespeare is that he had an amazing sense of humor that is timeless,” said Qureshi, “so audiences past present and future are able to connect and understand his messages.” “I love doing modernized (and I’ve done some future-ized) Shakespearean plays because of this, and the Shakespearean language adds to the beauty or humor of the show,’she said. Students from all walks of life came together in their drama class and chose plays to memorize and perform for their final project. Since there were 10 women and one man, the students had to find plays with a majority female cast. “I love seeing a majority women in plays. It give me a sense of empowerment,” said Gina Velasquez, a sophomore accounting major from Santa Clara, Calif. “It wasn’t really anything fancy for rehearsals. It’s in class so we had class time to work on it. We memorized our scripts, came to class, prayed a bunch, and then kind of just hoped it would work,” said participant Taimi Kennerley, a freshmen from Orem, Utah. The BYU-Hawaii Theatre program requires its students to participate in plays and such in each classroom setting as part of a larger curriculum of growing in self-awareness, confidence, and animated and persuasive expression. According to the department’s website, “the Theatre Department produces four plays each year that are open to all students. The plays are a variety of comedy and serious, classical and modern. One of these is always a musical produced with the Music Department.” For those interested in these productions, there are talent awards given at the end of each prospective production. “It was a night to remember. I loved seeing all the student talent on stage,” said Keturah Costello, freshman exercise and sports science major from Nikiski, Alaska. For more information on the music and Theatre Department, visit music and theatre.byuh.edu and explore its event calendar. The next department-sponsored event will be the Concert Choir performance on April 3 in the auditorium from 7:30 to 9 p.m.Uploaded April 2, 2015

Culture Night 2015 opened March 27 with a chant by Ipo Pule, continued by Dawn Wasson, a kupuna in the community. The Hawaiian Association featured the “kahiko style of dancing” as a way to commemorate and celebrate ancient tradition of hula, said Makana Rapozo, one of the student kumu for this year’s presentation. She said this specific style is hard to learn in the time allotted, but gauging by audience response, the Hawaiian Association opened Culture Night 2015 with a bang. Taiwan continued the thread of more ancient tradition, with members using drums and bamboo poles in their performance. Taylor Yim, a junior in psychology from Indiana danced for Taiwan. He said,“I think the goal was to celebrate the culture of Taiwan and represent it and share with our friends here in Hawaii. A lot of hard work went into practicing and planning for it, but all of it was done with a spirit of ohana and unity, never leaving anyone without support. Out of the performances I was involved with this year, I definitely learned the most from my friends in Taiwan chapter.”Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Cook Islands, and Latin America followed. The dancers of Latin America took the stage in black and red. Dancer Kelly Stevens, a sophomore in computer science from Oregon, said, “It was fun to learn more about their culture. They told us the moods of the different dances: The tango is more serious and bachata was more fun.” They had some costume problems they overcame, said Stevens. “We ordered dresses, but they didn’t come, so we just wore black dresses. Everything came together.” The Africa performance came next, followed by India, China and Europe.The European Association performed the waltz, and Hungarian folk dances. European Association President Bettina Fekete, a senior in business management from Hungary, said, “I was very proud of our dancers. They did a great job and we had fun performing at Culture Night. Our group wasn’t as large as other associations, but I think our performance still looked good. The night was awesome! A little nerve-wracking because we had to go on stage sooner than originally planned, but it all worked out! I loved how the audience got involved and clapped along with us during the folk dance.” The next performance, Malaysia and Singapore, also did a folk dance. They were followed by the Native American Association, which featured hoop dancers and a stern chief at the head of a tribe. But the tribe members humorously played around when he wasn’t looking.The night closed with the Samoan performance, but only after the crowd expressed its excitement through cheers and shouts. “Everyone always looks forward to Samoa, even though it’s not the host culture,” commented Ana Urie, a community member of Laie. “This year there were so many people participating and it as amazing to see the raw fluidity of the entire set.” Culture Night kicked off the first night with a “different energy,” as described by Lela Taurean, a junior HTM major from Texas. “The pride and vigor of each group was so apparent and everything felt fresh and like it had never done before. At the same time, the ancestors were definitely present and performing with this kind of approval is unreal.”