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The No. 23 BYU-Hawaii men’s basketball team won the PacWest Championship title, beating No. 19 California Baptist, 84-79, on Saturday, March 7, in Irvine, Calif. Along with the championship, the Seasiders clinched a birth to the NCAA Regional tournament. This is first time since 2011 the Seasiders have played in the NCAA Regional tournament. The Seasiders were led by senior point guard Robbie Mitchell, who scored 18 points along with four steals and four rebounds. Senior guard Pablo Coro scored 14 points, while Danny Berger and Scott Friel each added 11 points apiece. Despite being down by one at half, the Seasiders went on a 17-0 point run, led by nine points by Berger. With a 53-39 lead the Seasiders had to battle to maintain their lead, as Cal. Baptist tried their best to regain the lead. Clutch free throwing would prove to be the difference for the Seasiders, as they went 17 of 18 from the free throw line down the stretch to get the victory. Prior to the championship game, the Seasiders avenged two of their regular season loses against Point Loma and Dixie State. Against Dixie State, junior forward Friel had a dominating performance scoring a career-high 31 points, to lead the Seasiders to a definitive 98-75 victory. “I love the way our guys played,” said Head Coach Ken Wagner in an interview with BYUH Athletics. “I always tell Scott he’s our MVP because he’s just a tough, hard-nosed player.” Along with Friel, the Seasiders got big contributions from Ian Harward, Justin Yamzon, Cory Lange, and Jordan Stone; all who finished with double-digit scoring. In the first round of the tournament, the Seasiders faced Point Loma Nazarene University. The Seasiders went into the half up by nine 37-28, but after a big second half, including a 14-2 run, the Seasiders pushed their lead to 26 points. Taking the opportunity to rest their starters, BYUH’s bench cruised to a 74-49 win. After the tournament, Friel was named tournament MVP, while Berger and Harward were named to the all-tournament team. The Seasiders were selected to the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Regional tournament and will face Seattle Pacific on March 13 in California. The Seasiders faced Seattle Pacific in preseason and won easily 87-61.Uploaded March 12, 2015

With a love of beekeeping and surfing, BYU-Hawaii seniors Andrew Monahan and Lewis Wearne are pursuing their dream of creating a eco-friendly business with a product called Stinger Surf Wax. The surf wax is made from all natural beeswax, organic coconut oil and wrapped with recycled paper, and made into the iconic shape of a hexagon, to represent the honeycomb.Both Monahan and Wearne have entered the annual BYUH Empower Your Dreams competition. On their Kickstarter page, they tell about their surf wax and their plan to build beehives. On the page, there are links to videos, which explain the current problem of dying bees. “A lot of people don’t know right now there is a problem in the world where there is a decolonization of beehives, and they are disappearing and dying,” said Monahan, a business supply chain major originally from Pennsylvania. They also hope to build hives to counteract the problem. “On a world scale, I don’t see it making a huge difference immediately. It’s small steps and they count. The worst thing you could do is nothing,” Monahan added.“Honey bees, wild and domestic, perform about 80 percent of pollination worldwide. Seventy out of the top 100 human food crops are pollinated by bees,” according to Greenpeace, USA. “We need bees to survive,” said Karsten Griffin, a senior studying biomedical science from California and Monahan’s housemate at friend. “One way to maintain their population is to cultivate new hives, which is the social entrepreneurship side of the project.” Wearne and Monahan said they were inspired to create the surf wax when Monahan, a self-proclaimed honey addict, brought some beeswax back from volunteering from the beehives behind the school. Using leftover wax that his boss Les Harper gave him, he experimented making candles, until Griffin suggested creating surf wax. “Honestly, it just sounded like a good idea – surf wax made on the North Shore made from North Shore bees for North Shore surfers,” said Griffin.Wearne, a business finance major from Arizona with a passion for surfing, got together with Monahan and created the surf wax. After trial and error, Wearne said, “Now we’re getting it down.” The two encourage people to participate in their Kickstarter so they can create organic, quality wax and build beehives.The duo has spread the word on social media such as Instagram and Twitter (@stingersurf) and have gotten responses from all over the world. “We already have people up on Instagram and social media who want to buy it,” said Monahan with a smile. He added, “Some people are finding us and offering their services.” “We’ve sold to a couple friends here without even trying, but we got our first large distributor in England, and they’re going to buy 50 bars a month,” said Monahan. “If you count Kickstarter, we’ve sold over $5,000 worth of stuff,” said Monahan. “It’s kind of cool because we started it with five bars, just trying them out for ourselves, not really planning on making them until after our Kickstarter...Now we can’t start making them fast enough,” said Wearne with a grin.The friends hope this project is only the beginning of their journey. “I feel like a lot of people enter into the competition for the money aspect just to get some free money,” said Wearne. “We really want to start a business and regardless of if we win, we’re still going to pursue Stinger Surf and try to start a business.”The two hope to expand their business into an innovative surf brand with other products for snowboarding and skating, and a natural clothing line. But before that, they have to do well and finish school. “Even if they just back a dollar, we will give them a shout out in a video on the Point, and then we’ll jump off the Point,” said Monahan. “If we get 1,000 backers with one dollar, we plan to do this wearing bee suits, and if we get 3,000 total backers, we’re going to make ourselves a human catapult and we’re going to launch ourselves wearing bee costumes.”Wearne added, “Stay tuned.”Uploaded March 12, 2015

Making Family Home Evenings entertaining and creative in college gives students something to look forward to on Monday nights. Justin Cardiff, a senior from Georgia studying business finance, said he tries to magnify his calling of FHE Committee president. “The activities are number one to making a good FHE. It’s all about planning. It is one of the few callings where your job is to have fun.” Cardiff said the secret is making it simple and fun, with a quick preparation time. Here is a list compiled from BYU-Hawaii students and Pinterest to spice up FHE. 1. Simultaneously launch towards the middle of the gym around four people lying on their stomachs on skateboards with a rope attached. Their goal is to capture as many balls/balloons as possible with a laundry basket. Continue launching, until all the balls/balloons are gone. Materials: skateboards, laundry baskets, balls/balloons.2. Slip 'N’ Slide Kickball. It’s just like kickball, but instead of running to the bases, you have slip 'n' slides connecting them. The bases are kiddy pools. Materials: stakes, tarp, soap, hose, kiddy pools. 3. Photo scavenger hunt. Split into teams. Include a list of odd/ funny/ nearly impossible tasks to photograph with your group. At the end, create a slideshow and laugh.4. Reserve the Little Circle for $35 dollars for your ward and they will turn the lights on. Play volleyball, soccer, capture the flag, LARP (Live action role play) sword fighting, and anything else. 5. Pudding Pictionary. Instead of drawing with pens, draw with your fingers using pudding.6. Human Foosball. Get long PVC pipes and assign 3 to 4 people to each pole. Have 4-6 rows of people alternating the team. No one can use their hands and they can only move side to side to try to kick a soccer ball into their goal.7. Whose secret is it? Everyone writes something that no one in the room knows about them on an index card. All the cards are gathered and three people are called up at a time. One of three person’s card is chosen and all three of them see it. Their goal is to convince the audience that it is their card by coming up with a story to explain the card. The audience then votes.8. Muggle Quidditch. Materials: 6 hula-hoops attached to pvc pipes (goals), 15 players (one player is the snitch and has a sock with a small ball in it, 14 brooms, 1 foam soccer ball (quaffle), 4 foam balls (bludgers), 1 referee. The snitch is allowed to go outside the limits of the playing field as the two seekers try to find him.Other Ideas with less explanation:1. Blind date activity 2. Speed Dating3. Scripture Chase4. Movie Making Competition 5. Dance lessons at FHE 6. Non-talent, talent show 7. Minute to win it games8. BonFire 9. Go fishing or Crabbing 10. Pig Roast11. Music Night 12. Egg drop competition13. Catapult Competition14. Games from different cultures 15. Water Balloon fight/ toss16. Service activities 17. Glow in the Dark Dodgeball 18. Beach day19. Kissing Rugby 20. Paper Airplane competition21. Art Night22. Bachelor23. Karaoke24. Lip sync battle25. Murder in the dark26. Sardines27. Adult “Don’t touch the lava”28. Color Chalk fight29. Take personality tests30. Three legged dance offUploaded March 12, 2015

In response to student surveys regarding the format of the upcoming Brigham Young University-Hawaii Service Association elections, the current BYUHSA presidency has launched a new election system. During a Q&A session on March 5, current President Marc Gardner, said, “We’re going with a hybrid system.” This year’s BYUHSA Presidential elections will be in two parts, he said. First, all applicants will be screened and interviewed. From there the top two to four contestants will go on to campaign and be voted on by the student body. A campaigning event will be held in the Aloha Center during elections where candidates will have booths. This will give students the opportunity to meet their future leader. In the last six months, the BYUHSA Presidency has been creating, distributing, and evaluating a survey, asking students how they would want the next election to be run, said Gardner. A total of 627 students took the survey, reported Vice President Sery Kone. The surveys found 29 percent of students wanted to elect the president by strictly voting for them, 11 percent felt the presidency should just be appointed, 54 percent wanted to see both strategies implemented. Gardner said, “We want to see students more involved in the process...we’re trying to give power to the students to be leaders within themselves.” According to BYUHSA, about 500 students vote in each election. Gardner said he hopes the new change in the election process will produce greater student turnout on voting day. Once the president is elected, two vice presidents will be appointed for their roles, he said. Unlike the president, the vice presidents are not elected into office. Gardner said BYUHSA decided to appoint the vice presidents rather than elect them because the vice president positions are tough and require candidates to have enough experience to accomplish what needs to be done. Appointing them helps ensure the best qualified candidates are selected for the position.If you’re interested in running for BYUHSA president, applications are available at the front desk of the Aloha Center. Some qualifications to run are: • Maintain good honor code standing • 3.0 GPA each semester • Must be an enrolled student • Extensive leadership experience

To ease the process of adoption, LDS Family Services has partnered with Adoption.com, one of the world’s largest online adoption agencies, says lds.org. LDS Family Services has agreed to pay the fees from adoption.com for members who meet the qualifying criteria. Members from around the world said they are feeling more optimistic about adoption.In June of last year, the church announced it would no longer operate a full-scale adoption agency, according to Deseret News. But the announcement made on March 2 offered much hope to families looking for a trusted and reliable agency to help them through the adoption process. “The Church has agreed to help them to transition to Adoption.com, the world’s largest adoption-related web site, where their exposure to women who might want to place a baby for adoption will be multiples of what we’ve ever been able to give them,” said David McConkie, adoption group manager for LDS Family Services.Elder Jerry Harris, the BYU-Hawaii Counseling Services director, who has more than 20 years of experience working with family services, said, “This will be greatly beneficial to all the LDS families out there looking to adopt. Adoption.com is one of the biggest online matching systems for adoptions around the world, and I think our LDS families will be a premium match for women looking to put their children up for adoption.”In a Church News interview, McConkie said a profile listing for couples hoping to adopt normally costs $199 a month. But the Church has offered to cover the cost for eligible adoptive parents through February 2016. To be eligible, families must submit a bishop’s recommend, be sealed in the temple, and be available to conduct and pass a home inspection and study. Once those are complete, Family Services and Adoption.com can move forward with a couple’s profile and listing. Harris said, “Adoption is expensive and a lengthy process. So to have these fees paid can be a huge help to these families. It will open doors for people who would not have been able to use these resources.”Harris continued, “This indicates how much the church wants to help couples who are desiring to adopt. It’s great to see all this coming together. What a blessing for the children and families alike. The church is focused on families and this is one more testament of that and is landmark for the church.”Uploaded March 11, 2015

Whether you’re graduating soon, looking for a career, or still trying to figure out your major, the Career Fair offered students opportunities to check out their options and make some networking connections. “I’m not really sure what jobs are out there,” said Alison Reece, a sophomore in hospitality and tourism management from Utah. “Coming to the Career Fair gives me a good focus on my studies and that way I can have an end goal or idea of what I want to do with my major. I think the school should have more career fairs to give us more of an opportunity to see what’s out there and more employers could come.”Reece wandered through the Ballroom, stopping at booths with other students interested in the various fields and futures they are pursuing. Most booths touted big banners, Famous Amos cookies, and free pens to get students’ attention, but it was the recruiters and experts who had the most to offer students with their advice for the future. Matt Alex, Willamette University recruiter and admission counselor, told students about graduate schools, “I always say it’s all about their career goals – if a student’s career goals will be aided by going straight into grad school, then great. Let’s do it. If they want to explore for a while? Figure it out, then work for a little while.” Alex said more schooling is an investment in time and money for students and their wallets: “While undergrad is generally something still for everybody and is good for career investment, grad school is a big investment, and you want to be sure it’s going to aid you in your career pursuits.” As a plug for Willamette University, he added, “We don’t require work experience, so it’s totally fine if a student wants to come right from undergrad.” He continued, “We really want good students academically, obviously. We want students who have been involved in some aspect. We do want to see students with team experience, leadership experience, maybe an internship, and something that’s going to show they are going to be working well on a team. Our students are going to be working with real clients on real projects and we want to know they can handle it.” Employers also flocked to the Ballroom to recruit and inform students about their opportunities outside of academics. Places like the National Security Agency and Starwood Hotels and Resorts gave students an opportunity to chat, pass out business cards, and take home information for future job opportunities. The State of Hawaii was represented with a booth covered in pamphlets, stickers, and pens, but it was its environmental conservation volunteer program that caught the eye of Ike Smith, an undeclared freshman from Singapore. “Can people just sign up to volunteer for helping out?” he asked. The representative behind the booth smile and passed Smith a flier. “Yes. We send kids out with employees into the field to get experience in the ocean and on the land cleaning and preserving it. Sometimes you’ll be in an office but not much.” Opportunities like the Career Fair give students a chance to find experience, volunteer work, internships, jobs, or just see what the world has to offer.Uploaded March 11, 2015

South Korean-based company Samsung released two new phones during the Mobile World Congress in Spain, according to CNET. The two phones, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge bare a similar resemblance – both run Android 5.0 Lollipop, but the Galaxy S6 Edge brings something unique to the mobile phone world. The S6 Edge’s display cascades slightly over the edge around the long sides of the phone, which allows users to see who is calling them if the phone is face-down through color-coding contacts. “The new phones look awesome. I’m sure Samsung is giving other competitors a run for their money with this unveiling,” said Jeffrey Whiting, a sophomore from Arizona studying exercise and sport science. Samsung plans on using the “edges” for a variety of new features. However, one feature that has been talked a lot about is called “People Edge,” according to Android Authority, an online website devoted to all things Android. People Edge allows you to access five of your favorite contacts from the edge and allows you to call, message, or receive notifications from them without unlocking the phone, Android Authority continued.“I think the Edge brings something unique to the table. It may not be what we need, but people will learn to adjust to it,” said Ethan Secrist, a junior from Idaho studying political science. Additionally, the devices both hold an array of features under the surface. The spec sheets read 64-bit, octa-core Exynos 7420 processors lining up alongside 16-megapixel, OIS-enhanced rear-mounted cameras, and a 5.1 inch, 2k display, according to Samsung. Samsung boasted it would have the “fastest, brightest camera on the market” and showed how it was able to illuminate a night scene, according to ABC News. On top of the already mentioned features, both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge are outfitted with wireless charging, according to ABC News. Samsung says the devices can get enough charge for four hours of everyday use.“Wireless charging is something that Samsung is probably going to lead in. I’m impressed with all the features. Technology never ceases to amaze,” said Lauren Anderson, a sophomore from Arizona who is undeclared. Although a variety of new features were revealed, Samsung also removed some key features that set Samsung phones apart of the rest of the mobile phone world. According to CNET, the S6 and S6 Edge lack a removable battery and additional storage via microSD. The two also lack the waterproofing that the S5 came with. Both phones are Samsung’s newest mobile innovations featuring a gorilla glass build with metal borders, as opposed to the plastic build previous Samsung Galaxy phones used. Both devices will be available on April 10 in 20 countries. Uploaded March 11, 2015

Students at BYU-Hawaii said they appreciate the cultural and ethnic diversity of the student body because it changes their outlook on life and their way of thinking for the better.“It really changes the dynamic of the whole university,” said Dallen Kay, a sophomore majoring in communications from Oregon. “Just today I interacted with people from six different countries. And that’s just in passing. In the classroom is where I am so amazed at the different ideologies and cultural mix.”BYUH’s website states, “Its small campus is a unique laboratory of intercultural leadership development, where a diverse population of 2,500 students representing over 70 countries live, study, and work together.” BYUH is ranked No. 15 in the nation for ethnic diversity, with a student body composition high above the national average, according to collegefactual.com. Tucker Grimshaw, an English 101 instructor from San Diego, Calif., said, “I love teaching students from all over the world… The classroom becomes a vibrant and sacred place because we are actually learning from everyone in the room.” Grimshaw added poignantly, “The students inspire me.” Rachel Leota, a freshman political science major from Australia, reflected on her experiences at home and how the classroom has always been a multicultural experience for her. The diversity at BYUH, “helps me see how different people learn and also how their individual culture affects their education,” added Leota. Kai Hughes, a junior majoring in international cultural studies from American Samoa, said, “It’s really a blessing to be around people who share the same culture as me and with the same goals of furthering our education.” Jeffrey Huang, a senior in international business management from Arizona, said, “I knew nothing about Pacific Rim cultures before coming here, and now I have learned so much regarding values and traditions. Even my perspective on my own culture has changed.”The College Board of Education outlined the benefits of a diverse student population, which include, “promoting cross-racial understanding, breaking down racial stereotypes, and promoting livelier and more enlightening classroom discussion.” Additionally, “a student’s diversity experience overall (including but not limited to racial and ethnic diversity) is associated with higher learning such as enhanced critical thinking skills, more involvement in community service, and a greater likelihood for retention and graduation.”Besides the ethnic diversity of BYUH, the university website reported most students, “speak two or more languages, including a number who have completed missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brought together, they contribute to a vibrant campus community, where warmth and the spirit of aloha prevail.” The prime event embracing the cultural diversity on campus will light up the Cannon Activities Center at 9 p.m. on March 27 and 28. BYUHSA clubs will be highlighting their way of dance, song, and cultural presentation.Uploaded March 11, 2015