Newlyweds Melvin and Jessica Kumar share their blend of Indian, Malaysian, and experimental cooking at every BYU-Hawaii Farmers Market to give students and community members a “taste that fills the soul” with Kumar’s Kitchen. “My mom was the backbone,” Melvin said. “She taught me everything I know.” Now the Kumar’s take his mother’s recipes, add their own twist to them and created the flavor Kumar’s Kitchen’s has today.Melvin is Indian, but grew up in Malaysia and Jessica is from Florida. The couple met at BYUH and have been married for almost a year. The Kumars said they enjoy cooking for each other and wanted to share it with others. Jessica said the food is a mix of Malaysian and Indian styles. It is a unique taste that keeps people coming back. Melvin said, “We both really enjoy cooking and have always cooked good food in the house. We wondered if others ate as well as us?” With this question in mind, the Kumars began to cook for their friends and neighbors. The food was an instant hit with everyone who tasted it, the couple said, so with these favorable reviews, they began setting up at the Farmers Markets on campus. Now the Kumars are at the Farmers Market every other Friday from 10:30 a.m., to 2 p.m. Tyler Wares, a senior in business from California, said of their cooking, “The satayed chicken in peanut sauce was amazing. I also liked the flavorful but clean taste of the Tandoori chicken.” The Kumars’ slogan is “Taste that fills the soul.” Melvin said he prepares and cooks with this idea in his head, that way all the food comes out the best for the customer. Each week the menu changes and they are trying new things. Jessica said, “I love seeing the people enjoy the food. That is what makes it all worth it for me.”

A freshman from the Philippines, Jarome de Leon, who happened to walk into the Old Gym on the night of the competition, was the winner of the Oct. 22 campus Ping-Pong tournament.“I didn’t plan on playing Ping-Pong,” de Leon said. “I had no idea there was a Ping-Pong tournament going on. I was on my way to the gym, and it started raining so I went through the Old Gym. I saw there was Ping-Pong going on, and I asked if I could play.”The tournament was set up with four tables and each round was played until one player reached 21 points. Over the past two semesters, the Ping-Pong tournaments have been extremely competitive, said Intramurals staffer Emily Thompson. Thompson, a senior in graphic design from Arizona, said, “I hope everyone has a great time and can improve their Ping-Pong skills. The winner will have to work hard for their T-shirt. No handouts here.”When asked about how he prepared for this semesters tournament, Andrew Monahan, a senior in business management from Pennsylvania, said, “I bought a new paddle. It’s got a spin rating of 92. I did lots of plyometrics. I run up Laie Falls once a week. Honestly, the biggest part of any preparation is getting your mental game straight.”The first match of the evening was between two previous winners: Andrew Monahan and Tugi Batsaikhan. Batsaikhan said he plays Ping-Pong at least twice a week in the hales. When asked why he likes Ping-Pong, Batsaikhan said, “I like Ping-Pong because it’s good exercise. It keeps me active.”After three hours of play, a winner was announced. De Leon was crowned the champ. The win did not come easy. He battled numerous rounds to get his first-place finish, staffers said.There will be another tournament for students during the Winter Semester. Stop by The Hub to sharpen your Ping-Pong game for next semester.

Businesses from all around the state and the nation came to seek out potential candidates for employment. BYU-Hawaii’s Career Fair on Oct. 23 gave students and community members the opportunity to meet with potential employers, businesses, universities, and career specialists.. The Career Fair is set up for students to connect with businesses and have opportunities to network. The students can talk to business professionals in a low-pressure circumstance and in a comfortable environment. The Aloha Center Ballroom was set up with tables, booths, and chairs to give prospective employees places to roam and talk with the employers and specialists who were gathered.Juan Oranoz, a Career Service staff mentor and senior studying human resources, said, “Our goal is to have students get placed in a career.” Oranoz said even if students are not able to get hired at the Career Fair, they will become familiar with the processes each business uses to hire their employees and can begin preparing for their future careers. “This is a chance to network and figure out how to get hired in the real world,” said Oranoz.Sherwin Williams Paint District Manager David Katsuda said what he is looking for in potential employees. “We just need people to be approachable and have a good personality. We say we are looking for people with business background, but in the end, it’s all about interpersonal skills.” The training and experience comes with time on the job, said Katsuda. “We have so many training programs you will go through to help you acquire the skills you need to be successful in our business.”Businesses came with the intention to find someone to hire that day. Pizza Hut, Urban Outfitters and more had applications they handed out to students. Dario Arias, a senior studying business from Argentina, said, “There were a few opportunities to find jobs. Even Pepsico and H&R Block were hiring. I was able to get a lot of business cards and contact numbers.” Arias said he believes anywhere there is an opportunity students should look into it and the Career Fair is a great place to find those opportunities. “Now I have some cards on the table to choose from,” said Arias. Contact Career Services for more information on the Career Fair, boosting your resume, and other opportunities to get into the career of your dreams.

Outdoor clothing company Patagonia and Kina‘ole Capital Partners, LLC, a local solar finance company, are working together to create a fund to purchase more than 1,000 roof-top solar energy systems in Hawaii. The partnership with the California-based clothier and Kina‘ole was announced on Oct. 15. They want to help out Hawaii solar businesses and help residents reduce energy bills. Patagonia will contribute $13 million to this investment to the fund that totals $27 million. Kina‘ole will then make the funds available to all qualified local solar installation companies in Hawaii. According to a press release issued by Patagonia, “Kina‘ole Capital Partners is a financial services company that offers customers the option of enjoying a solar energy system at no up-front cost.” Customers agree to purchase solar electricity generated by the solar energy system that is less than the local utility’s rate. This lower electricity cost provides immediate savings to the customer and serves to reduce the amount of electricity that is purchased from the utility grid.Patagonia and its affiliates are encouraging other companies like themselves to invest in local solutions for a better planet. According to Patagonia’s CEO, Rose Marcario, “Business is in a unique position to accelerate the creation of renewable energy infrastructure.” In Hawaii, renewable energy only accounts for 10 percent of the statewide consumption, says fund information. Patagonia and Kina‘ole predict because of their efforts greenhouse gas emissions will decrease by 153, 000 tons of CO2, the equivalent to 323, 000 barrels of oil, 75,000 tons of coal or taking 29, 000 passenger vehicles off the road. Installation of the rooftop solar panels will subsequently create hundreds of jobs for Hawaii’s solar industry workers, according to fund information. One such benefactor of the Patagonia and Kina‘ole $27 million fund is Kohl Christensen’s solar installation company based on Oahu. Kina‘ole founders Blair Herbert and Andrew Yani said they are excited for this project in collaboration with Patagonia “as its leadership in the area of environmental responsibility aligns perfectly with our business model of displacing expensive, dirty electricity.”More information about Kina‘ole is available at www.kinaolecapital.com. For information about the fund go to: http://www.thecleanestline.com/2013/05/introducing-20-million-change-and-patagonia-works-a-holding-company-for-the-environment.html.

It was business as usual when Hurricane Ana downgraded to a tropical storm on Oct. 20 as it passed south of Honolulu and left only heavy rain and wind in her wake. However, even though Ana passed by Oahu, her power was heavily felt in the Northwestern Islands of Hawaii, and the storm was predicted to cause erosion and changes in marine life habitats. Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, of the Associated Press, reported, “A hurricane watch remained in effect Monday for portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world, located about 1,200 miles from Honolulu.”Most people forget about a storm once it passes inhabited islands, and according the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Deputy Superintendent Randall Kosaki, a hurricane hit from Ana could pulverize coral reef and sandbars where green sea turtles and monk seals nurture their young. If this were to happen, the only way the coral could grow back is if humans build protective infrastructure for the reef. In terms of Ana, Kosaki said, “Workers earlier [in the week] moved some Nihoa Miller birds from Nihoa island to Laysan island as a precaution…there are some plants and animals on Nihoa that aren’t found anywhere else in the world.” "It was a fortuitous track," said Chris Brenchley, a Laie resident and meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Honolulu, about Ana turning away from the inhabited Hawaiian islands.Although Ana passed by the North Shore, BYUH students were worried about their dorms being flooded while also hoping for class cancellations. The only damages from Ana were minor flooding the McKay classroom buildings as well as some overflow of drainage canals throughout campus. Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. reported the outer islands of Nihau and Kauai fared well, thanked everybody in disaster preventative efforts, but cautioned everyone to stay prepared. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides guidelines and tips for preparing a 72-hour kit or otherwise with money, ample food and water on its website: https://www.lds.org/topics/food-storage/frequently-asked-questions?lang=eng#10In terms of preserving the wildlife from tropical storms and hurricanes like Ana, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument calls to action volunteers who have excellent communication skills and have an interest in the Monument and marine ecosystems and environmental issues. The Monument’s website includes other ways of getting involved in volunteer preservation work and can be found here at http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/involved/involved.html

The BYU-Hawaii music department put on a “Concert of the Keiki” for elementary students from Laie Elementary School in the McKay Auditorium on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Eliza Elkington, Vice Principal of the Laie Elementary School, said, “The concert was absolutely fantastic! The kids were dancing around during the songs and absolutely enjoying it. It really shows the great partnership we have between the local public schools and BYU-Hawaii. We’re just so grateful that they’d do something like this for our kids.”Dr. Daniel Bradshaw, department chair of music and theatre arts, said that his trip to the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute in 2007 inspired the idea children’s concert. “They showed us one of their children’s concerts where they bussed in around 2,000 kids from all over and performed for them in the concert hall. I just thought, ‘That’s something that needs to happen. Our kids need that!’” Dr. Bradshaw’s two sons attend Laie elementary and attended the concert.Dr. Bradshaw said that he feels the concert is a valuable experience for the kids. “Especially here in Laie where they’re kind of isolated and often their only exposure to music is what they hear in the backyard party or Luau. They often don’t realize that it has to be played by live instruments; they just think it’s something that comes out of the iPod or radio.”The ensembles that performed included the Brass Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Salsa Orchestra and Shaka Steel Band. Each performed two songs and educated the kids on the types of instruments being played and the genres of music. Dr. Bradshaw said, “I talked to my daughter who is in eighth grade now and she remembers all three concerts she attended. It’s a memorable experience for the kids and it’s really fun for us too because you can feel the enthusiasm of your audience. They get dancing in their chairs in without even thinking about it to the beat of the music sometimes.”Kids were encouraged to participate with the ensembles. “We like to get them involved in one way or another and let them have a good time with music. We hope to inspire them to play an instrument and to love music more. We want them to get involved with it more by listening to it actively rather than passively like when you listen to background music,” said Dr. Bradshaw.During the Chamber Orchestra’s performance, Dr. Bradshaw had the kids put their hands up in a V-shape to the side if they thought the melody was being played by the violins, a V-shape above their heads if they thought it was the violas and then a “C” if it was in the cellos.This was the first year where the Salsa Orchestra played according to Dr. Bradshaw. The group had the kids guess which songs they did as they performed “I Wanna Be like You” from “The Jungle Book” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from “Toy Story”.Beau Kapeliela, a sophomore from Wash. studying psychology and music, plays the bass in the Chamber Orchestra, Salsa Orchestra and Shaka Steel Band. Kapeliela said, “Playing for some elementary school kids meant that it was a tough crowd, a tough crowd indeed. We played some Disney songs that are some of my favorites. The kids’ reactions were great. Some of them were dancing to the Shaka Steel’s song that’s called ‘Bum Shaker’ and they were shaking it.”Kapeliela said, “There were a lot less people than the concerts exclusively for elementary kids so that was kind of a bummer. But we love performing for people so it was great still.”

As midterms wind down, or wind up depending on your class load, it’s always a good idea to be organized and on top of things. Matt Mayberry, CEO of Matt Mayberry Enterprises and BYUH students shared their tips to help students in and after school.

Almost 50 years out from the BYUH rugby team winning the National Rugby Championship, Seasider rugby makes a comeback. Just last week in the World Fair were sign ups for a co-ed rugby club at BYUH. Even in the midst of phasing out all athletics at BYUH, rugby seems to be resilient in staying. The BYUH rugby club intends to transition into an intramural sport, if there is enough interest in the initial club. Lila Magalei, special events coordinator on campus, reminisced when she was in school here, and rugby was “so important to the students.” She said she is ecstatic about the recent come back of the sport.Rugby is a tackle sport, often described as being the mix between American football and soccer. Although its origins are disputed, rugby is extremely popular in most Pacific Island countries, as well as Europe, and in the United States just in the past 70 years or so. In recent years, our Utahan counterparts at BYU Provo implemented a collegiate men’s and women’s rugby team and have been named National Champions 4 years in a row.Though violence has been a concern in the past, the club will ensure the safety and training of those participating, calling upon experts on campus to lead clinics and informational sessions. The International Rugby Board (IRB) has been adamant about implementing safer tackling and play in order to combat a recent spike in concern for head injuries.This week, Coach Mahoni, a professor at BYUH, as well as coach for the Laie Parkside Men’s team, hosted Brian Evans, the coach for the women’s international team in New Zealand, in his early morning rugby class. Evans led the drills for the class and also spoke on safe tackle technique. The BYUH rugby club will be holding practice on the rugby field by the little circle in the near future.

The BYU-Hawaii Lady Seasiders had a busy week with three games in three days, and emerged victorious with three wins. The string of games included a crucial match against Dixie State University and a dominant win against conference opponent Dixie State University sweeping the Red Storm, (25-13, 25-14, 25-18) in a battle for first place in the PacWest conference. The Lady Seasiders also won against California Baptist University (25-11, 25-23, 25-10) and Point Loma (27-25, 25-16, 26-24). The Lady Seasiders came out quick against Dixie St. building a 13-5 lead. After a kill by Kalistina Takau, BYUH would extend their lead to 20-8. The Lady Seasider defense would continue to stifle any attack by Dixie as they continued to dominate the match 23-9.Though Dixie would make a run late it was not enough as the Lady Seasiders took the first set in controlling fashion 25-13.The second set would have a different start to it as each teams traded points until a block by Elizabeth Solaita would spark a four-point run as the Lady Seasiders took the lead 8-4.Takau would come up with a big solo block as BYU-Hawaii gradually extended their lead 15-7. The teams would trade points until a great defensive save by Ashley Mataele would set up Chen for her second straight kill, as a seven point run would give the Lady Seasiders the commanding 23-10 lead and win the match 25-10.On the BYUH athletics page, head coach Mona Ah Hoy said, “We finally had a quick start. We played steady throughout the match and our blocking really showed up. We worked a lot on our blocking because we knew we were going to go up against some big teams this week.”Senior Stella Chen became the second all-time kill leader at BYUH with 1,618 kills-- 170 kills away from all time BYUH kill leader, Yu Chuang Wang. Friday night the Lady Seasiders played again sweeping the California Baptist University Lancers (25-11, 25-23, 25-10). The Lady Seasiders were once again dominant in the first set against the Lancers, but fell behind in the second set 18-23. The Lady Seasiders were able to rally in dramatic fashion and tie the game 23-23 behind consecutive kills from Chen, and a block each from Noel Pauga Wolman and Takau. A kill from Wolman and an ace from Ariel Hsu gave the Lady Seasiders the victory 25-23.On a stormy Saturday afternoon, the Lady Seasiders completed a trifecta by defeating Point Loma in straight sets, (27-25, 25-16, 26-24). The Lady Seasiders were able to hold off Point Loma with a strong defensive effort with 11 blocks and held Point Loma to .154 hitting percentage. The match had 30 ties and 15 lead changes. After three days of play, Kathleen Collette, junior defensive specialist, said, “We were working hard in practice with our blocking, being more aggressive on defense, and working as a team. I feel we did really well working as a team and working with each others’ weaknesses and strengths.” The Lady Seasiders are fourth in the Division II Women’s Volleyball standings and currently have a 11-game winning streak. They return to play Friday, Oct. 24 against Holy Names at the Cannon Activities Center.