After 10 hours, Dr. Ronald Miller, associate professor of psychology, said he and his wife, Patricia, knew they wanted to be married. After 20 years and nine children, Miller said they still feel the same way.Raised as a devout atheist, Miller said he avoided the concept of religion until he met the missionaries in Washington, D.C. He had an experience with the Book of Mormon where he said he gained his own witness of God, Christ and the truthfulness of the LDS Church. He was baptized one week after the experience on Dec. 16, 1990. In December of 1991, in Washington, D.C., Miller accompanied his friend to a renaissance society party where he met Patricia. “When I first saw her, I thought she was married. She was in a silver ball gown, and I was dressed as a prince with a black cape.” After exchanging information, she agreed to go on a date starting at the D.C. Temple. Being a nonmember, she referred to the Temple as “Camelot.” Ronald was 21 and Patricia was 20.They met at 2 p.m., but Miller said, “It was such a great date, we kept on extending it.” They went to the Lincoln Memorial, a fancy restaurant, and danced in the National Gallery of Art. Said Miller, “If you take off your shoes, and you’re just in your socks, you can slide 30 feet. As long as you didn’t come near any of the paintings, the police wouldn’t do anything.”After a full day, they went to the temple and watched temple marriage videos. Patricia told Ronald as a teenager, she prayed asking Heavenly Father if she would ever meet her husband. After her prayer, she realized she would be able to know what she would feel like around her husband. To Miller on that first date she said, “I feel around you like I felt in that dream. I feel as if you’re my husband.” Miller asked, “So what does that mean?” She responded that it meant they should get married. The Millers were engaged on their first date. Miller explained, “When I sat in the car with her going down to D.C., within 15 minutes I started to feel the same Spirit that I felt that converted me to the church. I didn’t know who this woman was, or her last name, but I knew she was going to be my wife.”Miller recounted, “I didn’t tell her I was a member of the church. She went back to Northwestern University in Chicago, took the discussions, and called me saying she was going to get baptized. I told her ‘I’m a member of that church.’ She said it’s so good that you didn’t tell me because I probably would have been baptized because of you, but now I know it’s my own conversion.” Instead of getting married right away, the Millers each decided to serve missions. “As converts, we felt we wanted to be sealed, but also serve missions. My patriarchal blessing, particularly, indicated that I would serve a mission before marriage, while my wife’s said it was her choice to serve.”Ronald was called to serve a mission in Puerto Rico. He said he would write Patricia on preparation day and give recommendations on things to do in D.C. Patricia was called to Rome, Italy.After Ronald and Patricia returned from their missions, they both had a prompting to get married sooner, rather than later. Two weeks after Patricia came home, on Feb. 4, 1995, they eloped to the Dallas Texas Temple. They married jobless, homeless, and with the threat of their families disowning them. After changing the opinion of his angry grandmother (by explaining that she would be a great grandmother), she helped them find a place to live in Texas. They lived there until heading to BYU. Ronald was 24 and Patricia was 23.After recently celebrating their 20-year anniversary on Feb. 4, Ronald shared his insights about marriage. He said, “The most important thing you can do is marry your best friend. When you get married, what you really want is someone who will listen to you, someone who will love to hear your opinions, and spend time with you, and with whom you want to do the same.” He discussed why some people marry for looks and the consequences of such a reason. “If you marry for beauty, you’re buying into something that with every year you will be more disappointed with. If you latch onto things that don’t last, you’re happiness won’t last. If you latch onto things that are eternal, and that person has a testimony, then you have latched onto something that improves every year and you will feel as though your choice to marry him or her is so much better as time goes by.”Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

Nutrition scientists at Purdue University are concerned that additional vitamins put into drinks on supermarket shelves are not only unnecessary, but also potentially harmful, according to the New York Times.“I never pay attention to what they say in the labels. I don’t care about what vitamins they added in the drinks; I just like the tastes. I think those added nutrients are good, but not natural. I agree with the idea that those vitamins are unnecessary for our body,” said Rachel Cottle, a sophomore in business finance from Utah.Mridul Datta, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University, said to New York Times, “You have vitamins and minerals that occur naturally in foods, and then you have people taking supplements, and then you have all these fortified foods, it adds up to quite an excess. There’s the potential for people to get a lot more of these vitamins than they need.” A study published by Datta and M.Z. Vitolins in July also found, today more than ever, people’s nutrient intakes are beyond the safe limits set by the Institute of Medicine. Experts say antioxidants, which are artificially put in commercial drinks, are used by the body to eliminate free radicals that can damage cells. However, the body also relies on free radicals to resist infections and cancerous cells. Excessive amounts of antioxidants make the body unbalanced. Taylor Long, a junior from Idaho majoring in business finance, shared her opinion about this phenomenon: “I think vitamin drinks are a good concept, but we should keep in balance in drinks or eating. Too much of anything will not be good.”A study from the University of Toronto published Feb. 2015 analyzed 46 beverages sold in supermarkets. They found most of them contained vitamin B6, B12, niacin and vitamin C, in amounts well past the average daily requirements for young adults. Valerie Tarasuk, the lead author of this study, said, “It’s very hard to figure out the logic the manufacturers are using to do this fortification. There’s no way that the things that are being added are things that anybody needs or stands to benefit from.” People can absorb most of their daily nutrients through their diet, she said. However, added vitamins undoubtedly may aid some people, including women who are pregnant or lactating, and those who lack nutrients. “I don’t think those added vitamins are necessary for the people who have a healthy diet, but not everyone always eats healthy, especially the students here on campus,” said Bechy Demartini, a Reference Librarian of eight years in the BYUH library. She continued, “Yes, it must be much better to absorb natural nutrients from an average diet. For those who have problems to do this, the vitamin drinks may be helpful.” Demartini said she was uncertain of the studies’ findings. “I am wondering about this research. So far, they couldn’t affect me too much. I need do more of my own researching in order to make sure about it,” Demartini said. Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

After having a bumpy start to their 2015 season, the Lady Seasiders got their first wins of the season, sweeping visiting Pacific (Oregon) in a doubleheader, 4-3 and 3-1. Freshman Courtney Hiruko led the Lady Seasiders with an impressive offensive display going 4-for-5 with two runs, two walks, and a steal. Sophomore outfielder Josey Walker also came up big for the Lady Seasiders, finishing with a .333 batting average and two RBIs. “I’m really happy for the girls,” said Head Coach Alexandra Shamo. “Our team came out ready to play today and we finally put the pieces together.” Pitchers Chelsie Childs and Brittany Vasquez each recorded their first wins.The Lady Seasiders got two runs in the fifth inning off of hits from both Walker and Vasquez that put the game level at 3-3. At the top of the 6th inning, a double by Pacific put a runner in scoring position with two outs. However, Childs was clutch getting the next batter to hit a fly out to left, bringing the inning to a close.The teams would continue going back and forth until the bottom of the ninth inning when Hiruko led off with a single. After a bunt by Kalynn Latu put Hiruko into scoring position, Vasquez hit a single up the middle that the Pacific centerfielder struggled to grab, allowing Hiruko to score the game-winning run.In the second game, the Lady Seasiders grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning to take control of the game. Pacific scored a run in the fourth, to which the Lady Seasiders responded with a run of their own to keep the 2-run lead at 3-1. BYUH’s defense held Pacific from mounting any comeback as the Lady Seasiders closed out their second win and the doubleheader sweep.The two wins come as a huge boost of momentum for the Lady Seasiders who were 0-6 leading up to the game. Just a few days earlier, the Lady Seasiders suffered a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Simon Fraser. There were, however, a few bright spots that the Lady Seasiders took away from the double header against Simon Fraser. In the second game, the Lady Seasiders almost made a comeback after finding themselves down 5-0 at the bottom of the second. The Lady Seasiders responded with a comeback to tie the game 5-5. However, Simon Fraser had a two-run sixth and three-run seventh to put the Lady Seasiders away 10-6. The six runs scored in the second game of the doubleheader were the most scored by the Lady Seasiders in a game so far this season. “This game was proof that we are capable of putting the runs on the board,” said sophomore 3rd baseman and right fielder Tiffany Smith, an exercise science major from Torrance, Calif. Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

Navy Seal and sniper Chris Kyle’s alleged murderer, Eddie Ray Routh, will use the insanity defense to combat his murder charge in the trail that started Feb. 11, 2015 in Erath County, Texas, said AP. Routh, a former Marine, allegedly murdered Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, Feb. 2, 2013 at a shooting range in Glen Rose, Texas. The trial comes just a week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott named Feb. 2 “Chris Kyle Day” in honor of the late U.S. serviceman. “It was super sad learning of his death,” said Nate Rhoades, sophomore business major from Modesto, Calif. “He lived an incredible life and it’s just sad how it ended.”Kyle and Littlefield took Routh to a shooting range at Rough Creek Lodge as part of the FITCO Cares Heroes Project. Kyle frequently took veterans struggling to reacclimate to citizen life to shooting ranges as a mode of psychological therapy. While there, Routh allegedly shot and killed both Kyle and Littlefield before stealing Kyle’s truck and fleeing the scene.Kyle and Littlefield’s bodies were found later by Justin Nabours, who arrived to introduce a client’s son to Kyle. Routh had returned home and planned to flee to Oklahoma but was arrested and brought into custody after leading police on a chase. The trial has received international and national attention due to the recent release of the movie “American Sniper.” The movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, is based on Kyle’s book, which describes his four tours of service in Iraq. In those four tours, Kyle became the most lethal sniper in American history, with 160 confirmed kills. The book was on The New York Times bestseller list for 37 weeks. The movie came out in January 2015 and has earned around $300 million in ticket sales. “He is an amazing symbol of American patriotism and he demonstrated the respect that all men and women of the military should be treated with,” said Leena Kilpelainen, a social studies education major from Nipomo, Calif.The trial began with opening statements from the defense and a testimony by Kyle’s wife, Taya. Taya reportedly fought through tears as she explained the events that transpired the morning of her husband’s murder, according to AP. “We just said we loved each other and gave each other a hug and kiss, like we always did,” said Taya in her testimony.Routh and the defense will plead not guilty by reason of insanity. As defense attorney Tim Moore put it, Routh was “in the grip of a psychosis.” Routh has had a history of psychiatric problems, including PTSD, and received psychiatric treatment twice before the shooting. Chris Kyle is survived by his widow, Taya, and two children: an 8-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

Whether you’ve heard of it or not, the Museum of Natural History on the BYU-Hawaii campus is considered an “undiscovered jewel of BYUH,” according to Kerstin Orgill, sophomore biology major from Colorado.The museum is under the direction of Dr. Phillip L. Bruner, associate professor at BYUH, and is located right across from Hale 2 and next to the Security office by the biology classrooms. The museum was dedicated in 1978, and inside one can find the articulated and disarticulated skeletons of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, and liquid-preserved fish and invertebrates. The mission statement of the Museum of Natural History claims to support educational instruction at BYUH through interactive tours and lectures. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.“I really want the students here to know how cool the museum is and to come visit,” said Orgill, who works as the museum curator. In this position Orgill is responsible for museum tours and making sure everything is smooth sailing. The tours are for local schools and community members, but scientists also come to the museum as part of their research studies.Under the direction of Bruner, Orgill makes sure all goes according to plan. Part of the museum is a lab for biology students to do species preparation. This is part of skeletal research. In the back room of the museum, there is a collection of skin, bone, and shell identification and cataloging done by students who work for Dr. Roger Goodwill, a biology professor.Orgill said there is little advertisement for the Museum of Natural History even though she tries her best to encourage friends other people she meets to come visit. She said the main reason some come into the museum is for the cold air conditioning when it’s hot outside.Sara Lecheminant, a senior ICS major from Utah, said, ”I’ve never been to the museum. I didn’t even know about it until one of my roommates went there on a date.”The government and various hunters have donated the animal displays. Some of the displays include a gorilla head from Africa, a Chamois from Germany, a polar bear, a brown bear that stands over 8 feet tall, and a moose from Alaska. There are also several different birds for display, adding to the collection of unique animals not found in the Hawaiian Islands.Animals on display that are native to the islands include the Hawaiian Boar and Spanish Goat from the island of Molokai.Jessica Yuen, an accounting senior from Hong Kong who also works at the museum, said, “When the kids come from the elementary school, some of them have never seen a life-size moose. The kids get so excited that within the next few days they bring their families.” Yuen also said she enjoys working at the museum because there are animals, like the porcupine, she had never seen before.Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

BYU-Hawaii Student Activities, in collaboration with University Communications, celebrated the 60-year anniversary of David O. McKay’s historic campus groundbreaking with a Spirit Week focused on the future and potential of all students.“Spirit Week was something like our homecoming week. It celebrated the 60-year anniversary of the school’s opening,” said Robert Justin Evans, the BYUHSA Student Executive Secretary and senior from Arizona studying accounting.Spirit Week began on Jan. 31 at the Seasider basketball game against California Baptist University where students were given free black T-shirts. As the week progressed, events like the annual flag raising and the Skate Escape dance took place.“I felt proud and homesick while raising the flag,” said Le Sirena Rudolph, a senior from Guam studying psychology. “I hope to do my home and family proud while I am here attending school.” The flag raising ceremony is an annual ceremony, according to BYUHSA, to bring together the more than 70 countries represented here on campus.In addition to the flag raising, students were able to participate in the Skate Escape dance on Feb. 6. The Little Circle was transformed into a roller rink allowing students on boards, skates and blades to show off their talent and socialize. The idea was for students to come together and do something fun and easy at the center of the school’s campus, according to Evans. Finally, as the weekend made way for weekdays, Spirit Week resumed with students in specific types of attire like gold shirts and professional suits. The Spirit Week activities “Genuine Gold Day” and “Dress Red Day” were opportunities for students to express their school spirit. Students received candy and free food if they wore red or gold. “I was able to participate by wearing the appropriate color or outfit,” said Jeffery Whiting, a sophomore from Arizona studying exercise and sport science. “It was nice to actually get involved in school activities. It brings everyone together.”Closing out Spirit Week was the annual David O. McKay Lecture given by Dr. Roger Goodwill entitled “Just One.” The annual lecture, established in 1962, is part of an annual series designed to expand academic insight and teach moral values, according to the BYUH website.Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

BYU-Hawaii students are in agreement with President Barack Obama after he told the private sector it must do more to stop cyber attacks aimed at the United States.“Everybody is online, and everybody is vulnerable,” President Obama stated during a White House cyber security summit at Stanford University. “Cyberspace is the new ‘Wild West.’” The conference held in Palo Alto, Calif. was just miles away from the headquarters of big Internet corporations like Facebook, Google and Intel, where President Obama addressed concerns like privacy and child protection.“This is awesome. It’s exactly what we as students need to hear,” said Mariah Adair, a freshman from Utah studying international cultural studies.In attendance were more than 1,500 business leaders, students, professors and reporters. The president stated that information about threats must be shared and responded to quickly, according to AP. Additionally, he signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for private firms to have access to classified information about cyber attacks.“What Obama is doing about cyber security is great,” said Lauren Anderson, an undeclared sophomore from Arizona. “I feel better knowing that the government actually cares about our cyber safety.”Additionally, President Obama stressed there would be oversight to ensure protection for privacy and civil liberties. The administration is requesting Congress to replace existing state laws with a nation-wide standard that would give companies 30 days to notify consumers if their personal information has been at risk or even compromised.However, some companies are not on the same page as the Obama Administration. The director of security solutions at cyber security firm Radware stated other CEOs of companies already believe they were badly burned by the government when Edward Snowden leaked intel.White House officials and business leaders from sectors such as utilities, health care and finance, also believe the threat is getting worse and no single institution can take it on, AP also reported.“It really is going to take a group effort for us to prevent security attacks,” said Foster May, a sophomore from South Africa studying information technology.Cyber attacks have been the cause of security breaches on companies like the mass retailer Target to entertainment companies like Sony Pictures. These attacks have caused companies to suffer costly data and have left nearly 85 million records exposed last year, according to AP.Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

Famous spoken-word poet Sarah Kay visited ‘Iolani School in Honolulu as part of her tour for her book, “No Matter the Wreckage.” Some BYUH students made the journey to town to see the poet perform live and ask her to sign their books. Ryndan and Kayla Riley, sophomores from Nevada, have been fans of Kay’s “for a while.” Ryndan introduced Kayla to Kay’s work when they were dating. The Rileys agreed it was worth it to drive to Honolulu to see her perform.Ryndan said getting to experience her art in person was memorable. “She’s a very talented spoken word artist; unlike most spoken word artists, she focuses on positive things in her poems. That’s what separated her from other artists for me. She’s very talented; she can write about pretty much anything and still make it beautiful and poetic,” Ryndan said. Kayla said she also enjoyed Kay’s performance because Kay made it personal. “She has a great personality. When she was signing my notebook, she drew me as the sunset and she drew Ryndan as an elephant. I just thought that was hilarious. What an awesome person,” Kayla said, laughing. BYUH student Lana Harris-Pitts agreed with Kayla. “Sarah is great! It was just unreal that she was actually here in Hawaii and we met her. I’m used to watching her on YouTube so it was crazy seeing her in person.” The Ke Alaka’i was also fortunate enough to interview Kay over the phone the morning of her performance in Honolulu. Sarah Kay started performing poetry when she was 14, but her passion for it started way before then. Little Kay would run around the house yelling “poem!” at her mom before she knew how to write. Kay would dictate poems and have her mother write them down for her.Kay’s parents fueled her passion for poetry during early elementary school. Everyday, her parents would write a little poem and put them in her lunch. For Kay, it became something that she looked forward to every day, and got her excited about poetry. “It felt like a gift,” Kay said, “Those things carried on to how I feel about poetry now.”Kay said that she learned how to write poetry based on how her father taught her how to take pictures. “When my dad photographs he always says to look for where the light is, find the light and follow the light. He tries to capture specific moments that are full of color, shape and light.” Kay continued to relate those lessons to her poetry. “When I think about poetry I’m often trying to capture a specific moment or specific scenes much in the same way that he tries to capture when he’s photographing.” Kay’s brother has also been the inspiration of some her poems. “I adore my brother. He is my best friend and my hero,” Kay said smiling. “I’m always amazed by him, but he also is my grounding force; he is my anchor and he probably reflects my poetry much more than he would care to admit or know about.” Kay’s brilliance is inspirational and admirable to BYUH students. Her advice to fellow writers of any level was to not let the fear of writing a “bad” poem stop you. Kay said, “It’s going to happen. In varying degrees of badness. So worrying about it is a waste of your energy. It’s okay to write a bad poem, it’s okay to write a mediocre poem, you have to write through bad and mediocre poems to get any better.” Kay continued to give advice to writers when they get stuck. “With writing, it isn’t just some people are born with it and some people are not; I guess sometimes that happens, but more often its you want to get better so you work at it. You write something, you write drafts, you edit, you ask people to look at it. It’s a process. So don’t be scared of writing dead poems. Write them. Then write a little bit better and a little bit better.” When asked how Kay writes her poetry, she said that she keeps track of peculiar moments in a notebook to use when she sits down to work on a poem. “I keep track of moments that are important, titillating, exciting or weird. I keep them in a notebook, then, as I go, I have this collection of thoughts or words that have mattered to me in various degrees and I make time to actually sit down and try writing, and when I sit down to try to write, I have this series of notes that I’ve made for myself so that I’m not trying to fabricate inspiration in the moment. I can follow a Hansel and Gretel bread crumb trail back to moments when I was genuinely, authentically moved by something.” Along with keeping these moments in a notebook, Kay uses poetry as a way to figure things out that she doesn’t quite understand. “When I have something that puzzling over when I have something that I can’t quite wrap my head around I’m having trouble understanding, I use poetry as a way to help me navigate those questions.” An example of this process in Kay’s life goes back to her brother. Kay used her poem “Ghost Ship,” to try and figure out her brother. “Now a days I’ve been watching him trying to figure out what it means to become a young man and the demands and expectations that men and women hold for each other,” Kay continues, “Ghost Ship is my way of both trying to understand those demands that we make on both genders and also specifically my little brother and his maneuvering on how to become a man in this world.” Uploaded Feb. 18, 2015.

BYU-Hawaii’s men’s and women’s tennis teams began their 2015 campaign with a roaring start. The men started things off Feb. 3 against visiting Linfield College with a 9-0 sweep in straight sets. “It’s always nice to start the season out with a win,” said Head Coach David Porter in an interview with BYUH athletics. “This early in the season it’s nice to learn things and still get a win.” Since that opening win, the Seasiders traveled to the Big Island where they went 3-4. The Seasiders sweep both Sonoma State and UH-Hilo 9-0. Their only loss came against UC San Diego, 5-4. The men came into this year ranked 19 nationally. The men’s team features a number of valuable returners, including No. 6 nationally ranked partners seniors Yevhen Zakharav and Martin Chojnacki. The team also returns with an impressive sophomore class: Wei-Feng Lee, Peng Dai, Ibrahim Karmadzhe, Grant Zukeran, and Taylor De Hoyas. The men’s team came into this season with high expectations. “We want to win conference and go on to the national tournament this year,” said sophomore Jake Stevenson, a business major from Logan, Utah. The men will have their hands full as they face a difficult conference, including No. 2 Hawaii Pacific University and No. 12 Azusa Pacific. Regardless of this, the men show optimism in their chances. “We are expecting to continue working hard and focusing on our effort and how we carry ourselves on the court,” said Stevenson. The women’s team started off their season with a doubleheader sweep against Linfield College and conference and inter-state rival Chaminade University on Feb. 4. Since then, the Lady Seasiders have continued to dominate in all their matches going 5-0 on the Big Island, sweeping four other their opponents and only losing one set. In an interview with BYUH athletics, Coach Porter said, “We are a young team and both Linfield and Chaminade fought hard, but despite the wins we have a lot of work to do.”Uploaded Feb. 17, 2015The women came into the season ranked No. 4 in the national polls. The Lady Seasiders feature three players ranked in the ITA National Division II top ten singles rankings: Dallas Zhang at No. 2, Karen Liu at No. 6, and Marietta Tuionetoa at No. 10. Tuionetoa leads the teams as the only senior. However, the team features a number of experienced returners, including Kanela Adamson, Leah Han, Karen Liu, and Dallas Zhang. The women also welcomed two newcomers to the team: JoJo Wu from Taiwan and Hailey Daniels from Utah.The Lady Seasiders came into this year with some unfinished business, as they were upset in the first round of last year’s national tournament. “We are really hungry this year because last year we were not ready and got knocked out the first round,” said junior Kanela Adamson, an elementary education major from Kaysville, Utah. “We have not won the title in a long time and we really want to take it for the upper-classmen on the team.”