In December 2014, CT scans revealed what’s inside an ancient Buddha statue: the mummy of an ancient Buddhist master. The 900-year-old statue perfectly encases a skeleton that rests in the lotus position, said Reuters. Some students at BYU-Hawaii were startled to learn about the monk in the statue. Danna Usevitch, a freshman studying math education from Arizona, said after learning about the practice of self-mummification, “It seems more significant. It's not just some grotesque thing where there’s a dead person inside a statue. It's more for a purpose.”According to CNET, self-mummification was a process for only the most religious of monks. It was believed by a few that mummification was actually a state of higher enlightenment or a highly advanced spiritual state. Vincent van Vilsteren, the curator of archaeology at the Drents Museum informed the Ke Alaka'i, this particular monk may have practiced self-mummification, but "there is a very small chance that he has praced this. There is an even smaller chance that the research can demonstrate that he practiced self-mummification. But the research is still ongoing and we are awaiting results." van Vilsteren said "the statue was made 200 years after the monk died. In those 200 years, he was just worshipped as a mummy without a statue around him." Monika Kiss-Stefan spokeswoman for the Budapest Museum, where the statue is currently on display, said "the monk had prepared for his death meticulously. Monks who choose self-mummification ate only seeds for a long time and then roots of a poisonous plant to prevent maggots eating their flesh," as reported by Reuters. "They spent their last days in a pit, meditating, and when they died, their bodies were left until they became mummified. The mummified body was covered with clay around 200 to 300 years after the monk's death, followed by several layers of enamel and finally golden paint, to make the statue," says the Reuters article.Van Vilsteren said the process of self-mummification using fasting and toxic tea may be true, "But if we may prove all this, is very doubtful."Yonathan Dogi, a sophomore studying hospitality and tourism management from Indonesia, admired that someone could do that. “Some people don’t really care about their religion until they realize how important it is for their life,” said Dogi. “They devote all their time to do meditation and prayer.” Sydney McCarrey, a vocal performance junior from Laie commented, “It sounds like they’ve achieved their highest state, which can be paralleled with us.”The monk found inside this particular statue is believed to be the Buddhist master named Liu Quan of the Chinese Meditation School. His name is written on the cloth the skeleton sits on. He died around 1100 AD. The scan also revealed scraps of paper with ancient Chinese characters in the cavity where his organs used to be, according to CNET. Original upload on March 6, 2015 corrected March 27, 2015.

Harvard University has issued a new policy of banning sexual or romantic relationships between professors and undergraduate students, joining a small but growing quantity of universities banning such relationships, reports the New York Times.“I totally agree with this policy. If the professors want to date a young-age person, they should look somewhere else besides the colleges,” said Bobby Eggleston, a senior in bio-medical sciences from California. However, Alanna Norwood, a junior in biochemistry from California, said she thinks such a rule is irrelevant for BYU-Hawaii. “I don’t think it is necessary for all the BYU schools to have this kind of policy, as most of the professors on campus are married,” she said. Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Committee on Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures recommended this change. “Our rule is that if you are supervising, evaluating or grading someone, you should not have a sexual relationship with that person,” said Alison Johnson, a history professor who led the committee. According to that rule, the sexual harassment policy has been revised to not only ban sexual and romantic relationships between professors and all undergraduates, but also “between teaching staff, such as graduate students, and the students who fall under their supervision or evaluation,” wrote the New York Times.Sachi Dono, a sophomore from Japan majoring in psychology, said, “It is better for universities to have this policy. In Japan, there are no definite rules to say whether it is okay or not for teachers and students to have special relationships. Once a teacher goes beyond the normal relations with students, he may get fired or transferred to another school.” The American Association of University Professors does not support universities banning such relationships. However, the organization has admitted that with the unequal power dynamic, it is hard to determine consent about the intimate relationships between students and professors; therefore, college employees can easily have allegations of sexual harassment. Yao Lingwen, a sophomore in elementary education from China shared her opinion: “I don’t think universities having this policy can totally avoid sexual harassment. It is a different thing than dating. I just treat the relations between professors and students as normal as other dating situations.” Alanna Norwood, a junior in biochemistry from California, said, “If I know my friend is dating with a professor, I will still treat her as equal to others. Nothing special.” However, other students disagree. Bobby Eggleston said, “In the case a student in my class is dating the professor for that class, I would feel weird in some way.”Uploaded March 5, 2015

Students and friends living in the “V.I.P House” are hoping to make a documentary called “Mormon Connection” by traveling through Europe this summer and staying with members they meet on the road. The movie is meant to demonstrate how small the Mormon world can be. V.I.P House resident Cody Myers, a junior from Texas studying business, explained the “Mormon Connection” video is going to be “half adventure film, half missionary tool in order to spread the gospel. In a nutshell, it is going to be a documentary of the global Mormon Church. It will spotlight how there are members of the church in every part of the world.” Myers said six of his friends from BYU-Hawaii, including three from the V.I.P House, are going to travel around Europe and use their connections to stay at members’ homes while and recording their hosts’ stories.Clayton Kearl, another V.I.P resident and Utah senior in business, said, “How many times do you hear people say ‘Oh, it’s such a small world in the Mormon world.’ You’re always making connections everywhere you go. We want to highlight that and show you can make friends in the church wherever you go.” Myers talked about some of the inspiration for the project. He said, “This summer, I went on a road trip with my younger brother for five weeks. I was planning on camping every night, but because of our membership in the church and going to BYU, we only had to camp two nights out of the 35.” Myers continued, “The first two weeks we didn’t even buy any food. We were just amazed by how awesome our membership in the church is. There are families and friends everywhere. We wanted to show that to the world because it was such a cool experience, and show it in a larger scale in Europe.”Myers said they just launched their idea on Kickstarter, a platform for funding creative projects. He said they have raised over $1,400 out of their goal of $7,500.Lindsay Kelley, a senior in EXS from Oregon, said she loves the idea. “It sounds really cool because they are going to be able to connect to people all over the world and understand different cultures with the LDS faith. I love their house because there are a lot of different personalities that make it entertaining. Kelley said, “I love how genuine everyone is, there. They are all in my ward and they bring such a sweet spirit.” Kearl said their house is trying to bring people together. “You’re only alone until you talk to the person next to you. That is how our house is. We make people feel welcome.” He said they want to make people feel like a V.I.P. when they come to their house. The V.I.P House, located off the cul-de-sac on the Point, is full of color. A person going down the stairs enters and sees red and green flashes from the disco ball light, and an art wall full of eclectic paintings to the right. There is an open deck with a piano, an ukelele, a drum set, harmonicas, couch sectionals, hammocks, a television, an art station, and a hanging bed called the “Magic Carpet,” for guests’ entertainment.Rachel Jenson, a freshman from Utah studying elementary education, shared her favorite part of the house. “It is definitely the deck, the lights, and the vibes of the house. All the boys at the house are really upbeat and happy. They just want to have a good time. They don’t care who you are. Everyone is welcome and I like that.”Uploaded March 5, 2015

Various malls in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada are stepping up their security after a siege at a Kenyan mall ended with more than 60 fatalities, according to CNN.The attack, carried out by Somalian-based al-Shabaab militants, took place in the upscale Westgate Mall two years ago in Nairobi where shoppers were held hostage for four days, BBC reported.Now, two years later, the same terror group has threatened the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, calling for attacks similar to those that took place at Westgate Mall. “Threats like these shouldn’t be taken lightly,” said Alex Leek, a junior from Indiana studying biology. “Hopefully this gets settled before something bigger happens.”The terror group al-Shabaab released the threats via video on Saturday, Feb. 21. However, the U.S. government does not have any clear information regarding attacks in the U.S.A., U.K. and Canada, CNN also reported.Although the specifics of the attacks were not identified, Homeland Security and the FBI have begun making improvements in security since the attack in Kenya.Within the last year, the FBI has teamed up with select malls nationwide with aims to increase preparedness. Amongst those exercises were staged mall attacks that tested the readiness of SWAT teams.“It’s good to know that preparation is taking place for attacks like these,” said Kelly Hess, a sophomore from California who is undeclared. “The last thing we’d need is a lack of preparation.”The threats have come as a surprise for U.S. officials, since al-Shabaab limited their past attacks to only their home country, Kenya and Uganda, according to Houston-based KPRC 2 News.U.S. officials believe that with the rise of other terror groups like ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and their vicious actions, al-Shabaab may be feeling a little left out.“If the terror group is trying to prove themselves to someone then I don’t think these threats are likely to unfold, but that’s just my opinion,” said Victoria Ansarah, a freshman from Washington D.C. studying ICS.The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI believe the video was the terror group’s attempt to compete for attention and recruits with other terrorist groups, KPRC 2 News also added.“Al-Shabaab’s strength is compromised,” A U.S. law enforcement official said to KPRC 2 News. “And while the group has the desire to see a mall attack in the U.S., it probably isn’t able to do so.”Uploaded March 5, 2015

Terrorist Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein fired shots at a free speech forum and Jewish synagogue in Copenhagen on Valentine’s Day, killing two people.Kjestine Tatarata, a senior from Denmark studying business, said, “The police found and shot him right outside my old apartment in Copenhagen.” She continued, explaining how this fits in with the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in France. “Since then, we thought something could happen in Denmark. It seems like there is a growing number of radicalized people.” The Swedish artist Lars Vilks attended the Feb. 14 forum, and told CNN he has gone into hiding after escaping unharmed. “He believes he was likely the target of the attack. Vilks, known for his controversial depictions of the Prophet Mohammed, is on an Al Qaeda hit list,” reported CNN. CNN said the drawings depicted the prophet Muhammad as a dog, which is a very offensive gesture toward Islam.According to the report, “A 55-year-old man, identified as a filmmaker by local media, died in that attack and three police officers were injured. Hours later, the same gunman killed a 37-year-old member of a synagogue and wounded two police officers in a second attack outside a girl’s bat mitzvah celebration in central Copenhagen.”CNN also said El-Hussein posted allegiance to ISIS on Facebook right before he went to the first attack. Native resident of Denmark Louise Andersen said, “Personally, I find these cases more frustrating than ever, as we’ve seen the reactions from Muslim extremists to these drawings countless times before. I find it unnecessary to make the point of our freedom of speech further.” Andersen continued, “But the opposite has seemed to happen. Danish people have emphasized more than ever that our freedom of speech and opinion is vital to our society, and that giving that up would compromise the identity of our country.” Olivia Oquist, a junior from Sweden studying marketing, said these attacks were surprising to her. Oquist said, “Sweden is like a vanilla country. We never are really involved in much and so it’s scary when things happen like this because it is so close to home.”Political Science Professor Brian Houghton, who has been a counterterrorism analyst since 1986, said, “Sending a message through violence for a political cause makes it terrorism. We call guys like El-Hussein ‘homegrown.’ According to CNN, he was a Danish citizen with Palestinian origin and a criminal, gang-related history. This is another thing we see quite often; individuals become more extreme, violent, and radicalized after they go to prison.” Houghton continued, “In Paris and Denmark, you have individuals who have self-radicalized, meaning that these people are not members of a terrorist organization. They didn’t go to training camps. Rather, they have gone online, watched videos, and read literature that they agree with, and they start to commit violent acts.”The Washington Times reported that more than 500 people were in attendance at El-Hussein’s burial in February.Uploaded March 5, 2015

The doors of the McKay Auditorium opened to an art exhibit the evening of Feb. 28, stocked with pieces mainly from professors on campus, but also a few community members, according to Professor Brandon T. Truscott, art instructor at BYU-Hawaii. “I love this event because it gives us a chance to show that professors, who spend time in the classroom, are good at what they do,” said Dr. David Kammerer, a music teacher at BYUH, who went on to mention it was a good time to dispel the myth that individuals go into teaching because they aren’t that talented at their subject. “We teach because we love it,” Kammerer continued. Upon entering the exhibit, attendees immediately saw a large, string-art piece on canvas that spelled out “Laie.” The white string was stretched over black canvas in an intricate, spider-web-like display. “It’s like you walk in and BOOM- Laie,” said Gavin Nuttall, a biology major from California. He went on to cite “Hibiscus 1” by Japanese professor Katsuhiro Kajiyama. “Teachers and community members are the bomb-diggity,” said Cara Young, a freshman from Colorado. Dozens of other pieces were on display in the small foyer to the auditorium. In the far back right corner, a replica of Princess Kaiulani’s ball gown, created by Daniela Dooley, stood erect. Towards the front of the room, a stoneware creation called “Ocean form 2” by Jacob Jackson rested on a platform.When the clock struck 7:30 p.m., the music, theatre, and audiovisual performances began.A good amount of the musical pieces were originals. Dr. David Bradshaw’s original number, “Passings” brought Lizzy Saylor, a sophomore in education from China, to tears. “It gave me time to think and it moved me,” she said when describing her emotions during the performance. “It was incredible,” said Saylor. “Not what I expected. I was interested the whole time. They were my teachers. It was like supporting my friends.” The fun nature and timbre of “The Hula Blues” had the audience laughing. The call and response between the xylophone and the piano elicited positive reactions from the audience. The last two pieces were fun and jazzy, and “Shower the People” involved the audience. Toward the end of the song, the audience was asked to sing along with the chorus. According to Dr. Kammerer, the solo performers had been working on their selected pieces for about a month, while the last two jazz pieces had only four hours of practice between the two of them. Uploaded March 5, 2015

One of Oahu’s most sought after and illegal hikes, “Stairway to Heaven,” may be in jeopardy of being demolished and closed forever. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply, the agency in charge of the security of the area, has approved a $500,000 budget to study the demolition of the hike, also known as the Haiku Stairs.“I think it is kind of crazy they’re closing it. It isn’t nearly as dangerous as people think,” said Hunter Hancock, a freshmen studying business from Oahu. He continued, “It is published everywhere online as a reason to come to Hawaii and as one of the most amazing hikes in the world. They’re closing it just because it could be a bit dangerous.”According to Hawaii News Now, after a powerful storm on Feb. 14, the stairs became partially damaged and unusable. The article states after the storm damage, five hikers got stuck on the east side of the mountain’s ridge and were trapped overnight. The Honolulu Fire Department rescued them the following morning. A Big Island teen, Daylenn “Moke” Pua, went missing Feb. 27 on his way to climb the stairs. He has not been found.The water board is reportedly wrestling with how to proceed. It could either fix the stairs and make them user-friendly, or it will have to demolish them. Each option requires funding and support from the community and state. According to Hawaii News Now, the water board does not want to be in charge of the stairs anymore and are looking for someone to take over. “No matter what, it’s an awesome experience and gorgeous view. I think that to avoid anyone getting hurt they should maintain it. They should put money into it and avoid the bad publicity from it being illegal. Oahu survives off of its tourism industry. Keep everyone happy and allow them to do the hike,” said Bryan Hardisty, BYU-Hawaii alumni from California living in TVA. Some students said they believe the government is wasting money by making it illegal. They have a guard there full-time and the police often give tickets to hikers.“They are paying loads of money for the guards’ salaries alone who are monitoring for trespassers. If they would allocate their resources better and work to maintain the trail, they could increase tourism and make this beautiful experience available to all,” said Jordan Eror, a senior studying exercise science from Kailua. Chief Engineer Ernie Lau said, “the board spends $160,000 a year to pay for security guards in an effort to deter hikers. It’s money it would rather spend on its mission of safeguarding our water resource,” according to KITV.The trail was originally constructed in 1941 for the U.S. Coast Guard, and allowed access to the LORAN radio antenna at the top of the mountain. The stairs eventually became worn and dangerous, and the state closed the trail to the public in 1987.If no other government agencies come forward, the 3,922-step stairway could be demolished, says Hawaii News Now.The hike is an unique experience, said Eror, unlike anywhere else in the world. “These kinds of things should be maintained so more people can enjoy them safely.”Uploaded March 5,2015.

A new study reveals that children are less likely to have a peanut allergy if they eat peanuts or peanut-containing food before they turn one, according to the Associated Press. Peanut allergies are one of the top cause of food allergy-related severe reactions and deaths. Being allergic to peanuts affects more than two percent of kids in the US. Usually, allergies are inherited from parents, and they develop throughout an individual’s life. The age of exposure may affect allergic reactions. The study was done in England. It included more than 600 children from four months to 11 months old that had possible signs of having an allergy (not necessarily a peanut allergy), but did not have evidence of one on a skin test. Half were assigned to avoid peanuts completely until they were five years old. The other half were assigned to eat peanuts or foods with peanuts in them weekly. At five years old, peanut allergies had appeared in 3 percent of children who had eaten peanuts and 17 percent appeared in children who had avoided them, according to AP.There are still questions that remain concerning how much peanut protein infants need to consume, how often, and how long, in order to avoid developing an allergy.“The main finding, that early exposure to a problem food may keep it from becoming a long-term problem, should change food guidelines quickly,” said Dr. Rebecca Guchalla, an allergy specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, taken from AP.Mariah Walsh, a sophomore studying English from Minnesota, were surprised to this recent study. Being unable to eat gluten and having a brother allergic to peanuts, she added, “Honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t think it was possible for allergies of any kind to be prevented. It would definitely be great not to worry about allergies in the future.”Food guidelines have a history of change. The American Academy of Pediatrics used to recommend avoiding giving children peanuts before the age of three. This advice was dropped in 2008 because there was no evidence in proving this was true, according to AP.“If my kids had peanut allergies, then I wouldn’t give them peanuts because I didn’t know what would happen,” said Candice Tupou, a BYU-Hawaii faculty member from Kahuku who works as an office manager at the testing center. Carina Aldrich, a senior majoring in political science from Laie, allergic to latex, said in response to the study, “I’m not really surprised if kids are exposed to things, they are more likely to develop immunity to them.” ATTENTION: All the babies who participated in the study were tested to make sure they weren’t already allergic to peanuts beforehand. Small children can also choke on whole peanuts, so smooth peanut butter or other peanut-based foods are safer to use. Parents of babies thought to be at risk for an allergy should not try this on their own, advised AP.Uploaded March 5, 2015

BYU-Hawaii athlete, Lillian Martino, held a seminar on campus Feb. 25 to discuss her non-profit organization, Fahodie for Friends, which focuses on helping the survivors of human trafficking recover and lead a better life. Martino shared that human trafficking is the second largest illegal industry in the world, behind the drug trade, making a profit of approximately $32 billion a year. Martino also stated there are between 14,000 and 17,000 slaves in the United States alone. The audience was also surprised to hear the average slave is sold for around $90. Martino noted the three main divisions of human trafficking are sex, labor and the harvesting of organs.Tonga Sablan, a senior majoring in international cultural studies from Washington, shared his thoughts: “I think this seminar was eye-opening for the university. I think BYUH shelters us and this opens our eyes and gives us motivation to want to do something.”Martino shared her backstory, and the reason why she started this non-profit organization. Martino is from Ghana, where human trafficking is common, and she was adopted at the age of 3 by a young couple in Utah. This illegal activity could have affected her personally, given that she was in the position to be sold herself. Another source of inspiration for Martino that prompted her to start Fahodie for Friends was an experience with a young man named Enoch. She said, “He was the first individual that I found out about who had fallen into being in the human trafficking industry. This started me to help raise funds for him and help him have what he needed to be successful. This started all of my work in West Africa.”Fahodie for Friends has a safe house in Ghana where 20 survivors of human trafficking reside. This safe house gives the survivors a place to live and the education needed to create a better life. The organization is also working on a second safe house to be built in West Africa, said Martino. Fahodie for Friends focuses on prevention, prosecution, protection and partnership, said Martino. Prevention is achieved by bringing awareness about human trafficking and prosecution by making sure the traffickers pay the consequences of their actions. Further, Fahodie for Friends stands for protection by creating safe houses for the survivors and partnership by promoting unity. Kalesita Anitema, a junior majoring in history from Maui, said, “I am shocked at the numbers, especially from the U.S.A. This has given me way more awareness and inspired me to do something. I also have a sense of appreciation for [Martino’s] work.” Martino shared a few of the goals she has in mind for the future of Fahodie for Friends, saying, “It has always been a goal of mine to expand the organization worldwide. I am driven and I want the big picture. But for now, I just want to expand and I want to be able to create different safe houses in West African countries.”“I want to start doing more work in the U.S.,” Martino continued, “I want to grow and move forward with the safe houses and be able to provide the environment necessary for human trafficking survivors to create what they need to be successful.”Martino invites everyone to be involved in this organization. More information on how to be a part of Fahodie for Friends can be found on the Facebook page “Fahodie for Friends- Freedom,” or the organization’s website, www.fahodieforfriends.org. Uploaded March 5, 2015