Aotearoa Association members presented a set of dances and songs written by students, leaving a performance on the stage that was an unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience for participants and audience members alike.Before taking stage on Saturday evening, Tivarn Tipoki, Pacific Island studies major from New Zealand, told the association, “The songs you are all performing today will only be performed once.” All of the songs performed by the Aotearoa Association were written and choreographed by Maori students in the chapter. The haka, as explained by Tipoki, “begins off by telling about our great ancestor Kupe who left Hawaii to begin a new journey in life in Aotearoa. Now we as students too have left behind our comfort of our own homes, our families and our country (ies) to begin our new journey in life in these beautiful islands of Hawaii, by increasing our knowledge through education and through the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Tipoki continued, “We acknowledge the people of these islands for allowing us to be here, explaining the reason why we implemented kahiko movements into our haka. Just as Kupe did, we will eventually return to our homeland, and to succeed in all things. It was a haka that told of our story today.” Though Culture Night has proved itself to be a successful display of BYU-Hawaii campus diversity, “This year, something was different. I’m not sure if it was the students or just the overwhelming spirit of celebration and pride, but this year blew my expectations out of the water,” said community member Alan Kauraka. Sherelle Piwari, a junior EXS major from New Zealand, spoke on preparations for this unique performance, and said, “My role - I have a big mouth - was just to tell everyone what to do.” Piwari spoke about the entire performance being a culmination of student talent, music composition and otherwise, and explained, “Because we had a lot of talent within the New Zealanders that were here, my goal was to utilize that talent and put them to work.” Piwari said she has never performed before.“You’ve got three months of work put into 10 minutes, so it better have looked good,” added Piwari. She explains it was such an emotional journey up to the point of stepping n stage that her main priority was that everyone felt comfortable and felt good about leaving this once-in-a-lifetime performance onthe stage. Piwari finished off by saying, “I grilled the group only because I wanted them to show up and do their best, to feel like they represented themselves with pride - and they did just that.”The Cannon Activities Center was filled to the brim Friday and Saturday nights, March 27 and 28, with people in every available space to partake of the weekend’s festivities. Culture Night was also streamed online for those who were unable to come to the CAC.Uploaded April 2, 2015

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day, or Prince Kuhio Day, is a time for celebration of someone who timeanddate.com says is one of Hawaii’s greatest leaders. On Thursday, March 26th, school was cancelled statewide for a day in honor of the life and deeds of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole. When 25 students were asked if they knew who Prince Kuhio was, only three responded that they did. Others were only aware that he was a Hawaiian prince who gave students a day off. Brittany Wilcox, a senior from Alaska studying English, said “It is really disappointing” that not many people who attend this university know who he was. “We need to promote state pride,” said Wilcox.Born in 1872 in Kauai, Prince Kuhio was, according to princekuhio.net, “a cultural hybrid. Hawaiian in appearance, name and loyalties, his overall attitude was a makeup of his education.” Kuhio received his primary education in California and England, and spent a year abroad in Japan. Prince Kuhio was an exemplary leader and would have been king were it not for the fact that “all of his chances for ascending to the throne were dashed with the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893,” as stated by princekuhio.net.In 1895 the prince, “a royalist, was arrested for treason for plotting a counterrevolutionary attempt.” As a result, he was in jail for two years as a political prisoner. After Kuhio was released, “he and his wife traveled extensively throughout Europe and were treated as visiting royalty,” according to princekuhio.net.Kuhio then returned back to Hawaii and was the elected Republican delegate to the United States Congress representing the territory of Hawaii. During his time as a congressman, Kuhio sponsored a bill in 1919 “calling for Hawaiian statehood, a full forty years before it became a reality,” according to princekuhio.net. He went to Congress again in 1921 and “stirred the emotions of Congress” when he spoke of the great decline in the Native Hawaiian population, states princekuhio.net. Prince Kuhio was truly a “son of the islands,” and wasn’t just some prince that provided the state of Hawaii with another holiday. April 2, 2015.

The American Library Association (ALA) and libraries throughout the United States sponsor National Library Week every April. Here at BYU-Hawaii, the library celebrates it two weeks earlier so they don’t conflict with finals week. The purpose of National Library Week is to promote library resources. Reference Paraprofessional Zoia Z. Falevai encouraged students to “not be hesitant or shy. Don’t be scared to ask for help.”Upon walking up to the library, one can see large posters strung around trees and pillars, indicating that this week, the school will be celebrating National Library week. Inside, one is confronted with large posters describing the events that are being held. March 30th - April 2nd, the Joseph F. Smith Library will be celebrating with food, games, and prizes. Schedule of EventsMonday• 11am: Opening with Brownies and ice cream in the lobby• 11-2pm: GamesTuesday• 12-3pm: Activities/games in the lobby• 9-11pm: Spelling BeeWednesday• 11-2pm: Games in lobby• 9-11pm: Spelling BeeThursday• 11-2pm: Games/ Activities• All day: “If I could change the world, I would…”• 7-9pm: The Amazing Library Race Award presentation and nachos servedThe library has a plethora of resources for the homework laden student. There are books for just about every topic, and online articles for even more. There are computers on the first floor and a whole separate room dedicated to Pacific Island studies. Study rooms and stations are scattered throughout the large building, and several willing and ready to help librarians are always available for any need. Not only is the library full of amazing resources, it is a nice, quiet place to study. Michael Goedel, secondary education major from Rancho Kukumonga, Calif., said the library “is a place where I can focus better. I live with sister and five kids.” Falevai asked to remind students that there are tons of resources out there such as “the library website, different online tools to help with research, and librarians” to personally provide help along the way.Uploaded April 2

After what has become a typical month of March Madness, full of upsets and intense games, the Final Four is set. Three of the teams in the Final Four (Wisconsin, Duke and Kentucky) are all No. 1 seeds and come as no surprise to anyone. The fourth team, Michigan State, has been this year’s Cinderella team. Coming into the tournament as a fourth seed, Michigan State has shocked the nation, and the team’s coach, by making the Final Four. “I’d like to tell you that I thought this year we were good enough to get to a Final Four, but I’d be lying to you,” said Michigan State head coachTom Izzo. “This year has been a great year for March Madness,” said David Urbina, a senior business major from Gilbert, Ariz. “As per usual,the tournament has been full of intense games and upsets.” The road to the Final Four has not been easy for Michigan State. They upset the No. 2 seed University of Virginia and No. 3 seed Oklahoma, before facing No. 4 seed Louisville in the Elite Eight. Against Louisville, Michigan State needed an overtime in order to pull of the upset and send themselves into the Final Four. “Everybody doubted us. Everybody had us down and out. We just kept strong. We believe in ourselves,” said Michigan State junior guard Denzel Valentine.Beside the Cinderella story of the Michigan State Spartans, there are some other interesting stories going into the Final Four matchups. The Wisconsin Badgers look to avenge their Final Four loss last year to Kentucky by spoiling the Wildcats’ undefeated season. After their narrow victory over Notre Dame, the Wildcats improved their record to 38-0. Kentucky now finds themselves at the brink of making history by becoming the first undefeated NCAA champion in 39 years, according to ESPN. They will, however, have to get through Wisconsin, who will be looking to upset the Wildcats’ undefeated season.With Duke’s victory over Gonzaga in the Elite Eight, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski reached the Final Four for the 12th time, tying coaching legend John Legend for the most in NCAA Basketball Division I history. Duke will now have to face the upstart and upset-minded Michigan State.Uploaded April 2, 2015

Leading the box office sales its opening weekend of March 20, “Insurgent,” the second movie in the Divergent series, left BYU Hawaii students with mixed reviews about being engaged by the action, but disappointed in comparison to the book. Caleb Earnshaw, a junior studying business marketing from New Hampshire said, “It did a good job at keeping the audience entertained that they didn’t realize how long of a movie it was, but comparing it to what happened in the books was disappointing. Key action scenes were left out as well as key plot twists.”The first movie, “Divergent,” set the scene of a dystopian society of Chicago divided in five factions based on the virtues of a person. Tris (Shailene Woodley), the main character discovers she is divergent, meaning she doesn’t fit into one faction. Being a threat to the system, Tris and her love interest Four (Theo James) combat the faction called Erudite that plans to take over their society and destroy divergents. “Insurgent” begins with Tris and Four on the run from the leader of the Erudites, Jeanine (Kate Winslet). Trying to discover who their true allies are as well as the truth behind the mystery of what her parents were protecting, Tris and Four jump from fight to fight. Analise Arnold, a freshman from Kailua studying business who also read the books, had mixed feelings about the movie. “I liked the girl-power theme. If you noticed, the majority of the leaders were female and the lead role was a scrawny girl that kicked butt, so it was a solid message to all the women of the world. I didn't like how cheesy it was. The overall theme of being an enemy of yourself was portrayed really poorly. It was just too much shoving of a social message down your throat about loving yourself.” Peri Cook, a freshman from Arizona studying graphic design, said she only read the first book, but enjoyed the movie. “I would say that it definitely topped Hunger Games in the category of movies about dystopian societies!” She said her friend hadn’t seen “Divergent” when she went to see it, but told her that it wasn't hard to understand because they did a good job making the storyline very clear, “unlike some movies that they turn into books.”Alex Krohnfeldt, a senior from California studying EXS, said, “I really liked the movie! I didn't read the books so I didn't have any biased feelings going into it. I liked how it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I wasn't sure what was going to happen and was experiencing slight anxiety throughout the movie because I never knew if they were safe or were going to undergo another attack. It was a little cheesy but it's kind of impossible to have a love story and it not be cheesy. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes the action-adventure-Hunger-Games-type feel.”According to RottenTomatoes.com, “Insurgent” grossed $52.3 million its opening weekend. The rating from the critics was 33 percent, whereas the audience rating was higher at 69 percent.Uploaded April 2, 2015

Meet the candidates on Thursday and Friday, April 2 and 3, at booths in the Aloha Center Mall. Voting will be done online on Monday and Tuesday, April 6 and 7.Candidate- Dallin Jared Leota"My name Is Dallin Jared Leota, I was born in NZ and moved to Australia when I was about 4 yrs old and grew up in Sydney. I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and love to serve within the Lord's kingdom. I served my mission in New Zealand Wellington Mission between 2008 - 2010 and loved serving the people in those areas. I was sealed to my beautiful wife in the Brisbane temple in 2013 and soon after we had a handsome baby boy in 2014. I love the Lord and pray that we may be instruments in his hands to do his work and achieve his purposes."My vocational leadership positions have been the following: Operations Manager for a Master Franchise company in Australia, then moving on to be a call center manager within the same company. I seized the opportunity to be a Projects Manager for an Electrical Wholesaler where we dealt a lot with major electrical projects for new buildings and estates all around Sydney. In the church I have served as the Young Mens President (and loved serving the young men), A ward mission leader and Stake Mission Preparation adviser. I currently serve now as the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric for the Laie Married Student 3rd Ward with Bishop Michael Murdock. I strive to serve like the Savior and emulate his light through my actions"For behold, this is my work and glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" Moses 1:39. The Lord's purposes should be our purposes. May we strive to bring about God's purposes through our service to him, Harrah for Israel!" Candidate- Kayla Helm"Much Aloha! I am Kayla Helm from the Las Vegas Valley and I am studying Intercultural Peacebuilding and Communications. I know from my time here we have the ability to take part in something great. We have the ability to take part in creating a home, experiences, and an ohana that will be meaningful to us for a long time to come."I learned early on that value of our endeavors are based on the character that is demonstrated both inwardly and outwardly. It is about learning humility, hard work, cooperation, and accountability under pressure. Value comes by sacrifices and leadership comes through courage and integrity. The values I have learned early on I have carried with me into my dealings here. I have learned a lot about the campus and different departments through my time on the Student Advisory Council (SAC) and projects through the McKay Center. I have also been involved with NSO and participated in President Council’s Q & A sessions. My involvement has given me great appreciation and a passion for this school. "A servant leader is one who is committed to bringing the best to the students by bring out the best in everyone. All those involved in this process is what I see as the BYUH community; a community which I love with great devotion. It is my goal to see this very community unified by including, improving, and arising in ways that will leave us walking away from here with qualities, experiences, and relationships we can cherish. There is no better place to strive and thrive then here and now."It is my expectation of myself to move forward with integrity by assuming stewardship for the BYUH community. It is something I pledge to do by striving to maintain a presences on campus through the associations and projects of BYUHSA, class, church, and other school related endeavors. I hold myself accountable to maintaining a diligent effort to develop channels that are conducive to unity through the resources of BYUHSA. We are a place that is to be mindful of the needs of our diverse university through compassion. Let us be the leaders who’s, 'influence will be felt for good,' let us be gold- genuine gold!"Candidate- Nathaniel Breedlove"Aloha, my name is Nathaniel Breedlove. Yep, Breedlove. Just like the verb. And spreading the love is exactly what I plan to do as BYUHSA President."I was privileged to serve a mission in Moscow. While serving, my president suffered from a severe blood clot that resulted in his temporary departure to the U.S. In his absence my companion and I conducted all of the mission’s affairs including a mission-wide training meeting. "Once I moved here to Hawaii, I got a job at American Savings Bank where I was able to meet so many of you. While working as a teller, I later started a cleaning company. This led to my experience removing and stacking over half a million dollars’ worth of granite on the temple here in Laie. "I am positive that my mission experiences and my successes in entrepreneurship have prepared me for this opportunity to serve. As student body president I will represent the students, the school, and the church with the utmost integrity and professionalism"As the ninth of twelfth kids, I get what it's like to come from a big family. Ours here at BYUH is just a little bit bigger, and both have taught me how to work as a team and love others without reserve. "I've lived across the world from Costa Rica to Russia. As I continue my adventure here on the island, I'm excited to be a part of the important work we do."Uploaded April 2, 2015

Released on March 26, Periscope, the live-stream app, already has people raving, and according to Yahoo Tech, “people are already streaming everything from lunches to commutes to breaking news... it’s sure got people’s attention.” From the people who brought you Twitter, Periscope is a free iOS and Android app that, “lets you watch and broadcast live video from around the world,” reports Yahoo Tech. From your smartphone, you can live-stream anything that is happening anywhere at any given time. Periscope can be viewed on your phone, tablet or computer and allows you to see anything that is currently happening on the app. Raena Lopez, freshman elementary education major from Texas, said, “My mom would love it if I used this all the time, but I think I would use the app as an interactive way to see what’s up with my friends’ lives. They could live vicariously through me in Hawaii and I could live vicariously where and whatever my friends are doing. Seems kinda funny, but could be really cool.”Even if you don’t have anything interesting to stream, “that’s part of the charm of an app like Periscope,” says Yahoo Tech. “Sometimes you’re going to be able to watch something amazing or historic; other times you’re going to watch someone eat ramen. It’s a crapshoot. And as more people join, the stuff to watch will certainly get better.” Whether it’s just a fad or in for the long run, perhaps Periscope could just be your new favorite way to see what is going on all around or in the next classroom. Even BYU-Hawaii students seem excited to try out the new app.As a new instant and interactive way to stay in-touch, students said they are excited for a new way to see what’s going on back home.Nesha Brown, a sophomore ICS major from Texas, said, “Seeing a breaking news story live would be epic. I think though it would be a cooler way than Snapchat to see what my family and friends are up to.” Along the same note, Aaron Belliston, a junior in exercise and sports science from Utah, agreed with Brown and said, “Sounds like another Snapchat. I’ll wait till my interesting friends download it so I can actually see something cool.”Uploaded April 2, 2015

BYU-Hawaii students said they thought donating $1.8 million of the proceeds of the film “Meet the Mormons” to the American Red Cross shows the world who the people of the LDS Church really are. “Because of this long-standing relationship [with the American Red Cross] it was decided that when ‘Meet the Mormons’ was released we would take the new proceeds of the movie and give it to the American Red Cross,” said Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson, who presented the check as a representative of LDS Charities to Cliff Holts, president of Humanitarian Services of the American Red Cross on March 19. Clair Beutler, from California and a sophomore in elementary education, said, “I loved the movie and it is great to see our church continuing to show the media who we really are. I know the movie broke a lot of bad Mormon stereotypes and I hope that this just backs it up.”According to Mormon Newsroom, CEO and president of the American Red Cross, Gail J. McGrovern said the church has responded with a great deal of people to help in the aftermath of many disasters all overthe world. Chloe Dean, a junior psychology major from California, saw “Meet the Mormons” and said, like the movie, this is a great way for the church to show its positive demeanor in the media. “Our church does a lot of great things of service for this world, and we normally don’t publicize about it,” Dean said. “By using the movie money, which brought a lot of good attention to the church, to donate to a good cause shows the nature of this church andits organization.”Mormon Newsroom said, “Heidi Ruster, chief executive officer of the Utah region of the Red Cross, remarked how the Church has been an active partner not only in Utah but also around the world. She said, ‘A surprise this year from the Church was the donation of the net proceeds… We are so thankful and grateful for that.’”The church’s statement from the beginning of the opening of the documentary said the net box office proceeds would be donated to the American Red Cross, reported Mormon Newsroom. “Meet the Mormons” opened in theaters on Oct. 10, 2014 and “exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Stevenson about the feature-length documentary. The total U.S box office revenue was about $6 million, reported Mormon Newsroom.Justin Kolilis, junior exercise and sports science major from Washington, said, “As members, we believe in being charitable and donating that money to the American Red Cross was a great example to the world of who we are.”For about 100 years the LDS Church and the Red Cross have been working together, reported Mormon Newsroom. “During World War I, the women’s Relief Society of the church joined with the Red Cross as they participated in food production and conservation, fund drives, sanitation, child welfare work and other service. The Relief Society also collaborated with the Red Cross in the early 1900s when more than 10,000 Relief Society sisters completed Red Cross courses in home nursing, first aid and nutrition.” Uploaded April 2, 2015

After eight years of being tried for the death of her former British roommate Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox was finally acquitted by Italy’s Supreme Court on March 27.The New York Times reports, “Italy’s highest court acquitted Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend of murder on Friday, throwing all charges and ending a long-running courtroom drama over the killing of a British student in 2007.” The New York Times shared Knox’s statement she made after hearing the news of her overturned conviction, “I am tremendously relieved and grateful for the decision of the Supreme Court of Italy. The knowledge of my innocence has given me strength in the darkest of times of this ordeal.” Brigham Madsen, junior business major from California, said, “I remember a lot of this in the news. I still cannot believe that this girl has had to suffer the pain of her friend’s death over and over again as the courts have changed their minds over the years. I’m glad she has finally gotten her justice.”Student Erika Hill, a junior ICS major from Utah, also said she thought it was horrible that Knox had to ‘suffer the pain of her friends death over and over again.’ Hill adds, “From every interview I’ve seen, she seemed innocent. I can’t imagine what it would be like to know you didn’t kill your friend and then to go through what Knox did for eight years. That’s horrible. But now I’ sure she has so much relief in her life of being truly free.”In 2007 Amanda Knox and Meredith Kercher were roommates at an Italian University in Perugia, Italy. Kercher was murdered and Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of the murder in Perugia in 2009 after spending two years in custody, reported The World Post. In 2011 both Knox and Sollecito were freed, “after a Perugia appellate court overturned the convictions,” reports The World Post. In 2013, Knox and Sollecito were back in an appellate court when the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation, rejected the acquittals over, according to The World Post, “the Perugia chief appellate judge’s reasoning.” Then in 2014, “an appeals court in Florence convicted the pair, sentencing Knox to 28 and a half years and Sollecito to 25 years.” The World Post continues to report that the ruling was that they both acted with another man, Rudy Guede, who had already been sentenced for part in the murder. Knox and Sollecito, “had always argued that Mr. Guede committed the crime on his own,” reported by The New York Times. BYU-Hawaii students who are familiar with Knox’s years of trial shared what they think about her being acquitted. Chris Toronto, senior business finance major from Utah, said, “The whole ‘Amanda Knox’ trial was drama and dragged way too much out in my opinion… She must feel like a huge weight has finally been lifted off her shoulders.”After spending nearly four years in jail, Knox said, “throughout this ordeal, I have received invaluable support from family, friends, and the strangers. To them, I say: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kindness has sustained me,” reported The New York Times. Sollecito was also acquitted. According to The New York Times, in 90 days, “the reasoning behind the decision is to be made public.”Uploaded April 2, 2015