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E ola olelo Hawaii
The Hawaiian language continues to be revitalized
through state initiatives and within BYUH
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My first camera
After getting her first camera,
a BYUH student turns a long-time
admiration for photography
into a passion for storytelling
and cultural preservation
of her Samoan heritage
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The healing lens
Three BYUH students share photography serves as a therapeutic outlet for self-expression, emotional processing and personal growth
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When words fail and pictures fade
BYUH student writers
and photographers ponder
the limitations of literature
and photography saying
by combining them, they
can tell compelling stories
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An authentic experience with film photography
Perfect imperfection, unique lighting
and the suspense of waiting to see
what gets developed, are why
photographers say they use film
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Putting things into perspective
Framing an image and a narrative
calls for a specific choice of perspective,
say student photographers and writer
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The art of finding balance
Graduation speaker, Rosalind Pedron says her success is rooted in the balance she found between academics, faith, family, community and motherhood
Fun and inexpensive things to do for under $10
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace$1 for 11 years and upalohastadium.hawaii.gov/events/aloha-stadium-swap-meetThe Aloha Stadium Swap Meet in Aiea is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tenders in the marketplace sell imported, handmade and vintage items. Popular local snacks are served as well as other products made in Hawaii. Price ranges vary, but according to multiple reviews on its website, they are reasonable.Hilo Hattie “The Store of Hawaii” Free10 A.M. to 4 P.M.hilohattie.com (808) 535 6500The Hilo Hattie store in Honolulu provides free workshops and activities centered on the Hawaiian culture. Daily activities include hula and ukulele lessons, lei making, ti-leaf art, Lauhala weaving, etc. Times for these workshops are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the last session starting at 2:30 P.M.Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM)FreeTuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.sfca.hawaii.govThe Hawaii State Art Museum is a state-sponsored museum. The HiSAM was established to “promote, perpetuate, preserve and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawaii.” Be sure to check out the exhibits and other free events sponsored by the museum on its website.Whale Watching on Ka‘ena PointFreeSeason: November through Mayhawaiistateparks.orgThe Hawaiian Islands are graced with the presence of over 1,000 Humpback whales during the season of November until May. Ka‘ena Point is home to trails along the coast, as well as towards the center of the island. Avid whale watchers suggest the five-mile hike on South Ka‘ena Point.Kahuku High School Red Raiders Sports$7.00 General Admissionkahukuhigh.org/Now in their fall sports season, Kahuku High School is renowned state and nationwide for their stellar sports programs. Schedules for Red Raider games can be found on its athletics page. If you aren’t able to make a game, all sports are reported via live tweet @KahukuSports on Twitter.
Trick-or-treat traditions
Halloween is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year. The Harris Poll reported that in 2011, Halloween was the third most popular holiday in the United States, behind only Christmas and Thanksgiving. It’s not just Americans who get excited about Halloween, every continent, (except for Antarctica) have holiday traditions on Oct. 31.In the United States, people dress up in costumes to go around town and receive candy from their neighbors. Ranging from ghosts, ghouls, witches and wizards, to superheroes and princesses, children walk around on Oct. 31 asking for candy saying, “Trick or treat?” While these traditions are largely celebrated only in the United States and Canada, they are beginning to catch on around the world.PJ Belbin, a freshman from Texas studying biology, said he trick-or-treated when growing up in New Zealand. “In my family we have a tradition where we dress up in a gorilla suit and wait next to the candy and grab their arms to scare them. Halloween’s a time for us to get together, and spend time together to enjoy yourself.”Halloween, as it is celebrated in the United States, is rooted in Irish and Scottish traditions. In the olden days, Irish and Scottish children would dress up as ghosts and evil spirits to ward off unwanted spirits. This tradition continues in Scotland and Ireland, though these days adults and children dress up as creatures of the underworld like zombies, witches, goblins and ghosts. Bonfires are lit, and party games, such as bobbing for apples, are played. Trick-or-treating is popular as well. “I hated it when I was a kid. It scared me as a kid, so I didn’t like it at first, but later on I really started to love it. I feel like I missed out in my childhood so now I love trick-or-treating,” said Joe Maas, a freshman from Idaho. “I love the candy. Candy is really good. And kids going around trick-or-treating. I think, is really cute.”Halloween is not celebrated with trick-or-treating everywhere. Oct. 31, the “Day of the Dead,” is celebrated in some countries along with Nov. 1, or “All Saint’s Day.” It is set aside to remember deceased loved ones and ancestors. All Saint’s Day is predominantly celebrated in countries where the Catholic Church has a large presence, such as most of Europe, the Philippines and Mexico. However other churches also observe All Saint’s Day including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Lutheran and Methodist churches.On Oct. 31 in Mexico, people gather to honor and remember their deceased relatives with parades and large parties. In much of Europe there is a tradition of taking candles to the graves of deceased family members on All Saint’s Day. It is not uncommon for families to travel far and stay with other family and friends to visit the graveyards where their loved ones are buried. In the Philippines, people also gather together at the grave sites of family members and ancestors, offering prayers, flowers, candles and even food.Other parts of Asia besides the Philippines celebrate Oct. 31 as well. “In Hong Kong it’s more a time when people have big events,” said Keith Tung, a sophomore from Hong Kong studying social work. “We’ve got all the theme parks that do the same thing the whole week [of Halloween]... We don’t go trick-or-treating, that’s not a thing in Hong Kong. I guess you can’t because we all live in buildings, and it’s kind of awkward to go from door to door.”
Gunstock Ranch's Zombie hayride back again
Half-dead, bloodthirsty, crazed zombies can be found terrorizing Gunstock Ranch visitors at the second annual Gunstock Zombie Hayride. From the creators of the Haunted Plantation in Waipahu, the 6th most haunted attraction in the U.S. by Matador Network magazine in 2010, comes their newest attraction, a zombie-themed hayride. Angelina Khan, originally from Germany and now living in Honolulu, is one the head creators of the hayride. Khan said, “We came up with the idea of a haunted hayride because we wanted to branch out and try something a little different. Haunted Plantation is heavily based on ghosts and the supernatural. Gunstock Zombie Hayride has a recurring theme of zombies.” Khan said she felt there was a need to provide a haunted attraction based on the North Shore. According to Khan, Gunstock Ranch was the perfect location for this next project. “Gunstock Ranch has a Walking Dead type feel to it and the setting naturally scary at night. Being at the ranch really influences the haunt in a big way by giving it a sense of atmosphere that you couldn’t get anywhere else.” Noa Laporga, commonly known as “The Scare Master” and cofounder of the hayride, said, “I think that it’s a perfect theme for where the location is at. We are the only hayride in Hawaii that I know of. It’s a 25-minute-long ride through dark woods and twisted fields, and there’s only zombies!”Visitors to the zombie hayride last year said they were delightfully horrified with their experience. Rhett Dalley, a senior from Utah studying molecular biology, attended last year and said, “The haunted hayride is a great opportunity to put a little something creepy into your Halloween since the Polynesian Cultural Center killed the Haunted Lagoon last year. Probably the most intense part was when a chained zombie came running at us full speed till his chain ran out. The zombie stopped suddenly just inches from our faces. It reminded me of something out of ‘28 Days Later’ or ‘World War Z’.” Laporga said preparation is a year-long process, “Angelina and I start working on public relations and production work around the year. We actually even make all of our masks and prosthetics which takes a couple of months alone,” said Laporga. Khan added the preparation is to provide quality, originality and realism. Khan said, “All of our actors have to go to ‘scare school,’ where they are taught how to walk, act and sound like zombies. We work year-round fabricating our own silicone masks, prosthetics, costumes and more. What you see at the Gunstock Zombie Hayride you won’t see anywhere else.”This year the hayride will open the evening of Oct. 24, 25 and 27. Tickets are $20 and rides will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. Children must be accompanied by an adult. information can be found at www.gunstockzombiehayride.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gunstockzombiehayride. Khan said, “This is what we love doing. We love scaring people. We get in costume to scare people any chance we get because we just love it so much. It’s our favorite thing to do.”
Emily Sinkovich to lead Peacebuilding program
Emily Sinkovich’s connection to BYU-Hawaii is what led her back to Laie. “The job itself kind of fell into my lap, but it felt like exactly the right thing to do,” Sinkovich explained. As a visiting faculty member, Sinkovich will teach Intercultural Peacebuilding at BYUH for a year. “I feel so connected to this school that I think I knew I would be coming back in some capacity. I just didn’t know how,” Sinkovich said.Originally from Utah, Sinkovich attended BYUH from 2006- 2010. “I met my husband here, I found my passion for peace building here and a lot of the friends that I have come from here. It changed everything,” Sinkovich said of her time as a student at BYUH.After graduating with a TESOL major, Spanish minor, and peace building certificate, Sinkovich got married and moved to Oregon to attend graduate school at the University of Oregon. At that university, she obtained her master’s degree in cross cultural conflict. Her master’s degree is what allowed her to return to BYUH as a professor. Sinkovich said she holds her time at BYUH in high esteem. “I think my experience as a student here really changed my whole perspective on what I wanted to do,” she explained. “I probably wouldn’t have gone to grad school if it wasn’t for my interest in peace building. I think it shaped every good thing I’ve got going on in my life right now.”Sinkovich used her TESOL major to be an English teacher in Japan for a year. Although she had done short internships teaching English in Thailand, Mongolia, Utah and Hawaii, Sinkovich said Japan was completely different.“It was an eye-opening experience. There were many things that were hard about it, like I didn’t speak Japanese going there, and I still don’t speak it well. That was hard socially, not being able to communicate with people. I always felt like an outsider,” Sinkovich said.Although she experienced hardships in Japan, Sinkovich said she learned valuable lessons that have helped her in future endeavors. “I learned how to love people without being able to communicate perfectly with them, and make friends that way,” Sinkovich explained. “I felt like there was a lot of kindness shown towards me.”Sinkovich believes passion is a key component of receiving a good education. “Find a part of your education that you are passionate about and is really meaningful to you, because otherwise you are just in school for the grades and for the degree, and there’s not meaning to it,” she said. “And don’t only find something that you are passionate about,” she continued, “but find a way to apply that to serving others, whether it be teaching English and helping people take that linguistic journey, or helping people find peace and strengthen their relationships.”Sinkovich said, “It shouldn’t be all about you. It should be about learning so that we can serve other people.”
President Wheelright speaks at Women's luncheon
President Wheelwright gave an update of the progression and world impact of the university when he spoke at the BYU-Hawaii Women’s Organization luncheon on Oct. 16.Wheelwright began his speech by reminding the women of the BYUH mission statement. “The mission is to integrate spiritual and secular learning and integrate those so students will have a single foundation for a lifetime of learning,” he said. Getting a BYUH education will then help them develop the character and integrity so that they can be leaders in their homes, their communities, and in building the kingdom. This is what we’re focused on.”Wheelwright said there are 2,688 current students representing 77 different countries this fall semester. He also said that business management, biology, and exercise science are the top majors at BYUH.“We work directly with the area presidencies in our target areas,” Wheelwright said. He explained BYUH’s target area is Asia, the Philippines, and the Pacific. “That is a great blessing to the university because those area presidents know the young people and know what they need,” Wheelwright continued.Wheelwright said the university has implemented different programs to help students be successful after graduation. He talked about Career Connect, which is a program that takes a group of students and a faculty member to different countries to help them find jobs. “No university in the greater Pacific area takes students directly to the employer,” Wheelwright said. In the 2013-2014 year, there were 15 Career Connect trips with 192 participants who visited 11 countries.He also talked about the School of Education, andits initiative to find teaching positions in the home countries of their graduates. Wheelwright also told the women that during the summer, the university hosted an intensive English class in Tahiti, which better prepared potential students to apply to BYUH.Wheelwright quoted Elder Wilson, a former member of the area presidency in Asia, who said to Wheelwright in a letter, “As I travel throughout the countries in our Asia area, I constantly meet graduates of your fine institution. They are everywhere in our area, and I encounter them with greater frequency than I would have imagined.”Wilson continued, “They are some of our finest leaders and it would be difficult to overstate the contribution BYUH makes to the development of our leadership camaraderie among the states and missions in the Asian area.”Talking about BYUH, Wheelwright said, “We obviously have a great legacy and history. Lots of people are involved in the effort, and it is working.”In her introduction of her husband, Sis. Margaret Wheelwright explained to the women, “A lot of you women are affiliated with the university, whether it be you teaching or your husbands teaching, so it’s important for you to know what’s going on with the school.”The BYUH Women’s Organization strives to better the lives of those in the community through fund raising. Leeann Samsel, a member of the group said, “All the money raised by the society gets donated. We use most of the money to buy books for students. Last year we provided 10 students with books.” Samsel continued, “Right now, we are working on raising money for our Sub for Santa fund raiser, where we help students in TVA with Christmas.”“Each month, we have a luncheon where we get together and get to be enriched by a speaker,” Samsel said. The luncheons are usually held the second or third Thursday of each month.
No-cost education in Germany
Germany’s Lower Saxony was the last region to permanently remove university tuition fees in the country, says CBS News, making all public universities free for German and international students. According to CBS News, tuition was free until 2006 when public schools began charging tuition. However, criticism ultimately resulted in the country phasing out the unpopular policy. Even before the tuition was cut, semester fees were slightly over $600. Dorothee Stapelfeldt, a Hamburg senator, said the changes to tuition were made because fees were “unjust” and “discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up study.” Stapelfeldt continued, “It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high-quality standard free of charge in Germany.
Back in Hawaii after 34 years
Service enthusiasts, Elder and Sister Russell, came to BYU-Hawaii as part of their mission call two months ago.“We are very fortunate to be here,” said Elder Russell. The couple said they wanted to be able to give back in an area they are passionate about and are excited to be at BYU-Hawaii.When the Russells find time in their busy schedule serving, they like volunteering at the Polynesian Cultural Center. “But,” Elder Russell said, “we enjoy going to the beach with our sand chairs and just sitting on the beach, relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the nature around us.”The Russells have actually been to Hawaii before. In 1976, they moved to Hawaii and Elder Russell taught Japanese in the Department of East Asian Languages at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in Honolulu. It was his first full time job after graduate school. The missionary couple work in different areas of the university. Elder Russell works in the ELT Department where he is helping international students learn English. “I enjoy helping international students gain the needed skills to be successful leaders in the church and their community,” said Elder Russell. He added that he loves and respects his colleagues.Sister Russell works in the Security Department in the mornings, tutors students in the afternoons, and assists with Devotionals on Tuesdays. In Security, she helps with administration, finances, and the basic running of the office. “I love my coworkers and the students who work there. I am new, so I am still learning and growing,” said Sister Russell. In the afternoon when she tutors, she helps international students with their English. “I really enjoy getting to know the students,” she said. Sister Russell also assists with getting the assignments for the prayer and devotional on Tuesday mornings.The Russells serve in the YSA 2nd Stake 10th Ward. Elder Russell said he enjoys their ward very much. “We love getting to know the students and watching them learn English, life skills, and gain testimonies,” he said. “We really enjoy their testimonies. They are working hard to learn and improve themselves, and are preparing to go on missions. We feel like we are learning and growing with them.”The Russells are from Orem, Utah. They have 17 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Elder Russell served his mission in Japan in the ‘60s and married Sister Russell in 1967.Elder Russell graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in anthropology and linguistics. After graduation, Elder Russell served in the Air Force as a 238-pilot instructor for four years. After the Air Force, he went to graduate school for a degree in linguistics. During graduate school he was in the Air National Guard. Elder Russell then taught Japanese at BYU in Provo for 30 years, after teaching at UH Manoa.The Russells moved to Orem in the 1980s and had lived there up until two months ago when they moved to Laie to teach at BYUH.The Russells lived in 18 different places during the first 12 years of their marriage. Those places include: Arizona, Utah, Florida, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Egypt. They retired in July of 2011.
Two teenagers kills when Halloween Hayrides go wrong
A teenage employee died in an accident at the Incredible Corn Maze in Idaho on Oct. 10. The 18 year old was dressed as a zombie and was run over by a bus of customers with paintball guns. According to International Business Times, the corn maze customers paid to shoot zombie employees with paintball guns on the “Zombie Slayer Bus Ride.” As Jeremy T. McSpadden Jr. ran toward the bus to scare the paintballers, he tripped. Reportedly it was the uneven ground that tripped him. It was the uneven terrain that caused the bus to rock and shake so no one immediately noticed the bus had run over McSpadden. “Many of the patrons believed it was just part of the ride,” the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “It was not until the bus had traveled away from the victim’s location and the role players began to reset for the next bus to come along that anyone realized something was wrong. Sgt. Crawford Ward told the Associated Press, “This looks like it was just a horrific confluence of events.”The attraction’s staff said in a statement all events were canceled for the rest of the weekend. However, some Facebook users in the Idaho community criticized the management for not making a statement to address the tragedy.In a similar tragedy, a hayride loaded with passengers in Maine rolled down a hill and crashed into a tree killing one teen and injuring 20.The crash “threw everyone off the trailer and into each other and into trees,” said Sgt. Joel Davis of the state fire marshals office. He said the SUV pulling the wagon experienced mechanical problems that prevented it from stopping. Several workers assisted the injured riders — including some performing CPR — and likely helped prevent the accident from being even worse, Davis said.The events in Idaho and Maine have caused concern over safety for those attending other haunted activities around the countryThe Polynesian Cultural Center had a yearly Haunted Lagoon, but it will not be happening this year. Students and Laie community members said they have fond and safe memories of the event. “I have been to the Haunted Lagoon and it got my heart pumping being in the dark, especially when the girl sitting next to me got pulled out of the boat kicking and screaming,” said community member Nicole Randall. She said, the girl was perfectly okay other than being scared, and “I never felt like I was in any real harm.”Chloe Dean, a junior in psychology from California, said the Haunted Lagoon was safe, just as Randall said, but pointed out “people are jumping in out at you and sometimes they might get too close.” However, Dean said she enjoyed the Haunted Lagoon and believes the Zombie Hayride on the North Shore “is super safe.”
Summer term to be half tuition at BYUH
Sister Jennifer Lane, Associate Academic Vice President for Curriculum, announced there will be a second summer session in order to make the transition to the new academic calendar. This upcoming summer students will be able to attend a seven week summer term that will be half tuition and won’t count as a semester for the nine semester in residency policy. “In order to have the Fall 2015 semester start in time, the summer ‘semester’ is just a term now. That’s why we’re trying to make some accommodations so that it has the least amount of impact as possible,” said Lane. Students will need to take a minimum of six credit hours to be considered full time, qualify for scholarships and receive federal aid. Nine credit hours is the max. Those who live on campus will be able to keep their housing for Fall. Lane said that with the new academic calendar students will be able to take a leave semester without having to reapply. “We aren’t trying to go with the direction of BYU-Idaho which is saying, ‘We tell you when to come.’ We are in the same situation where we need to offer three semesters year round. For some people, going year round may be great but others may want to go for a few semesters and then take a semester off. We have those pieces in place to have that be an option.” Seniors who were planning on graduating in the summer will have to work change their graduation date or they will have to graduate the following semester. “I would encourage anyone who falls under that category to work with their academic advisor and department chair to see if they can possibly finish everything by this summer term. There may be a few people that it’s just a little painful for which is sort of the price of being able to make a transition at some point. Either we’d have to do it this summer or the next,” Lane said. Aditya Mongan, a junior from Indonesia studying business finance, said, “I think the people it affects a lot are the IWORK students. Most of them are stressing out about it because they don’t know that it doesn’t count towards their nine semesters, so really more people just need to know about it. For me the transition was a pain until I talked with my advisor. Knowing it’s a bonus semester now, students could try to even get an extra minor or major.” “I think going forward it will make life more stable for everybody,” said Lane. “Most departments have made changes when considering which classes will be offered.” Robert Miller, an associate professor in the Psychology department, said, “I think the new academic calendar is great because it will allow more classes to be offered more frequently. I have a PSYC 390R class on Game Theory for example that can only be offered in the summer term but not a lot of students are here to take it. Now, more students will have the option to take those classes.” The summer term will begin on April 27th and end on June 12th. For more information on the summer term and the new academic calendar, visit academics.byuh.edu/calendar.