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Students and faculty at BYU-Hawaii, are joining with Fight the New Drug organization (FTND) to inform people of the harmfulness of pornography through social media, events, and surveys. John Hales, a senior majoring in business marketing from California, will be holding a forum to raise awareness.“Other than sharing [FTND] articles and repping my Porn Kills Love shirt, I am putting on a ‘Myths of Pornography’ forum on November 11th,” said Hales, who got involved through his friendship with Robbie Tripp, manager of social media at FTND. The forum will have a therapist from counseling services as well as a married couple who have overcome pornography who will answer questions at the forum.“Fight the New Drug exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects using science, facts, and personal accounts,” the FTND mission statements says.“We’re trying to spread awareness and increase the discussion about porn addiction, as well as advertise the many services provided to help,” Hales continued. Hales is also preparing to release an anonymous survey for BYUH students to see how they feel about pornography as an addiction.Brother Harris, who works in the Counseling Center as a marriage and family therapist, said, “Pornography is one of our top ‘presenting’ issues here at Counseling Services. All of our counselors are trained in treating pornography addiction. Our next Out-reach Day is on November 20 is on this topic.”Fight the New Drug began in 2009, when Clay Olsen and three of his friends wanted to make a difference after they graduated from college. With new science and research coming out about the harmful effects of pornography, Olsen knew that it was time to make a difference.“Most people were arguing about pornography from moral and religious standpoint, but we thought that science and facts would be more effective. People usually respond to cold, hard facts a lot quicker,” said Tripp. FTND was then established as a non-profit organization with the goal of making pornography a public issue.Today, the Salt Lake City based organization is utilizing social media to get people involved with the campaign. FTND can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with the hashtag #pornkillslove.“We are pro-love and pro-healthy sexuality. We want people to understand that pornography kills relationships, and we encourage healthy ones. That’s why we use the hash tag, #pornkillslove,” Tripp explained.“We are a non-religious, non-political, and non-profit organization. We want to end the pornographic culture through informing people with the facts. Porn kills love,” he continued.The Counseling Center has student support groups that meet on Wed. at 7 P.M. in the BYUH Counseling Services office and Thurs. at 7:30 P.M. in the Laie Stake Center in the high counsel room.There will also be an event sponsored by the Peace Building program and Counseling Services the week of November 10, focused on pornography.To get involved with FTND and get more information, visit fightthenewdrug.org, or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Tumblr.

Intense and vigorous workouts pull the North Shore community to the CrossFit Ko’olau program located in Kahuku on weekdays and Saturdays. CrossFit is a physical exercise program that incorporates elements from high-intensity interval training, Olympic weight lifting, power lifting, gymnastics, and other exercises, says CrossFit.com. Anue Santiago, a graduate of BYU-Hawaii, received her bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2006. Santiago, a member of the CrossFit Ko’olau team, stated, “I wanted to try something that I haven’t done. Seeing the physical results women were getting got me curious. I’ve met some awesome people there and we feed off one another’s energy.” Santiago added she became hooked to CrossFit after the first day and now attends five days out of the week. Even though she is getting older, she said she feels stronger and can see physical changes in her body. According to crossfitkoolau.com, a variation of workouts and exercises are performed every day in the classes like jump roping, swinging kettle bells, throwing medicine balls, practicing pull ups, ring dips, pushups, and hand-stand push ups. Nicole Fiu, an undeclared freshman from Kahuku, has been a member of CrossFit Ko’olau since the beginning of summer. Fiu said CrossFit is different than working out on your own. “CrossFit challenges your limits.” Fiu added, “Everyone’s always trying to bring the best out of you, there’s so much energy in the gym and it’s nice because there is always someone there, doing the workout with you even if you’re the last one to finish off.”Redmond Mahe, a local from Laie, has recently started CrossFit this year. Mahe called joining CrossFit an easy decision because of the promising results he witnessed from his family and friends who are also apart of CrossFit. Mahe said, “CrossFit has helped me to discover the strength I never knew I had and has pushed me beyond limits I never thought I could endure.” Coach Greg Classman is the founder of CrossFit. Classman created this fitness program to optimize healthy living within high intensity workouts done through a communal environment, CrossFit.com states.CrossFit Ko’olau offers one trial class for free. Membership prices can be found at crossfitkoolau.com. The fee for students with a valid school ID is $100 a month, for unlimited classes.

The women’s soccer team struggled last week as it lost to conference opponents Point Loma and Azusa Pacific. After starting off the conference schedule with two wins in northern California, the Lady Seasiders have been unable to duplicate their California success at home with four straight conference losses at home. With the loss against Point Loma and Azusa Pacific, the women’s soccer team fell to a 2-4 record in conference and 3-8 overall and find themselves in the middle of the Pacific West Conference standings. “They were not the results we wanted, but we still have a lot to play for and are going to finish the season with a bang,” said junior Captain Sarah Bodily. The women’s soccer team faced a tough match up on Oct. 9 against Point Loma Nazarene. The Lady Seasiders got off to a hot start as Bodily connected with a cross from McKenzie Evans, but Point Loma’s goalkeeper made the fingertip save. Later on in the half, Tess Hobbs was barely unable to get on the other end of a through ball. The Lady Seasider defense, led by Tiffani Rice and Jana Wall, kept the score tied at 0-0 at the end of the first half. In the second half, Point Loma broke away in the 79th minute when a free kick was headed in to give Point Loma the 0-1 lead. BYUH was unable to respond and lost 0-1 to Point Loma. In a quote from Coach Davis on the BYUH Athletics website, Davis said, “We are a really good team. Our girls are very mentally strong and tough as nails. We are going through some growing pains, but we are going to work it out.” Two days later the women’s soccer team faced Azusa Pacific. Despite strong play by Rice, BYUH fell behind 0-1 in the 30th minute. That proved to be the only goal of the match as both BYUH and Azusa Pacific struggled to find the back of the net in the second half. “I am proud of the girls, they fought hard and gave it their best effort. Unfortunately the ball just didn’t bounce our way,” said Rice, a junior from Roseville, California. The women’s soccer team will face Hawaii Pacific in Kaneohe on Friday, Oct. 17. -

Getting enough sleep – not too much or not too little, said BYU-Hawaii students, is a balancing act but necessary to function well in college. A recent Finnish study supports their comments finding people who sleep less than five hours a night or more than 10 get sick more often.“I sleep eight to nine hours every day in order to feel better and more energetic,” said Emily Thompson, a senior majoring in graphic design from Arizona. “If I don’t get my eight hours, I can’t focus and I feel dead – literally.”According to the Finnish studies, data was collected from more than 3,500 participants by scientists and they found the perfect amount of sleep is approximately eight hours, says information on the Finish government website.Elder Harris, the director of BYUH’s Counseling Office, said about sleep, “One issue that comes up time and time again is lack of sleep leads to an inability often to make decisions, irritability, a greater tendency to get angry and a lesser ability to pay attention or concentrate. So as you can tell from that, a lack of sleep it can debilitate any student’s ability to perform well in school or academic programs.”The Finnish scientists also found women need slightly less sleep then men. Women need 7.6 hours of sleep verses 7.8 for men, they reported. Previous research from the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society found seven hours of sleep is more effective than eight hours.“I need six to seven hours. It’s enough for me,” said Lisa Welker, a sophomore majoring in social work from Oregon. “When I have more sleep, it is easier to focus and stay awake while I study.” She added a lack of sleep negatively affects her academic process.Soram Yun, a junior majoring in psychology and music from South Korea, said the amount of time she sleeps isn’t as necessary as the consistency of the sleep. “The ideal scenario for me would be to go to bed at 10 p.m. and sleep until 2 or 3 a.m.,” said Yun. Because of her schedule, Yun said she sleeps random hours but has gotten used to it.

Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, received a rude awakening when the Supreme Court temporarily blocked their appeals attempting to ban same-sex marriage, paving the way for gays to marry in 30 states as of October 6.Associated Press said that appeals were made by these few states because of their belief that such unions are unconstitutional. Only four out of the nine justices of the Supreme Court need to vote to hear a case and only five justices are needed to make an actual ruling. In the case of these gay marriage appeals, the justices stopped just short of resolving the issue finally nationwide, reported AP. Instead they have pushed their ultimate decision to a later date. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands firm against gay marriage stating in a press release, “The succession of federal court decisions in recent months, culminating in today’s announcement by the Supreme Court, will have no effect on the doctrinal position or practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is that only marriage between a man and a woman is acceptable to God.” Although, church news added that church leaders will continue to encourage their people to avoid persecution of those with different sexual orientations and exert good will to everyone. “Marriage should be between and a woman but that shouldn’t stop someone from loving and living how they please,” Jaden Leafa, a senior from Utah majoring in social work, said. The LDS church encourages all to treat those with homosexual attraction with love and kindness, as they would anyone else. Many members are able to balance kindness while appealing the right to have same-sex marriages because of their belief it will lead to a decline in social values.Irene Yu, a sophomore majoring in business, stated, “If the law allows gay marriage to continue it becomes a way to destroy families.” Layla Orton sees both sides of the same-sex marriage appeals. The undeclared freshman from Laie said, “Things like this are fifty-fifty. There’s always going to be two sides to it. You have the people that want to be with whomever they please to be with and then the people that believe what is right and what is absolutely wrong.”Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, roots for same-sex marriage. Brown is seeking for a constitutional amendment to declare the right of states to define marriage, reported New York Times. Alongside Brown are gay couples still fighting for same-sex marriage by focusing on the “lower equality states,” the states with religion setting a strong value in families and churches.

Eli Henderson, a freshman majoring in computer science from Washington, is defying the common belief that knowledge comes with age. At only 16 years old, Henderson is already well into his freshman year at BYU-Hawaii and has big plans for his future.“I just didn’t feel like I was progressing academically as fast as I wanted to,” Henderson said of his high school years. Halfway through his sophomore year of high school, Henderson decided it was time to move on and tested out of the last two remaining years of high school.Henderson explained, “To get into college at 16, like me, there is a lot of work that has to be done. I actually had to take some extra online courses in addition to standard high school. So I did work very hard, and that allowed me to get a bit of a jump on college.”Henderson chose BYUH to get away from the rain of the Pacific Northwest. “Also, it’s sort of a family thing,” he added. “Both my parents met at BYUH and my two older brothers went here.”Although Henderson is in his first semester of college, he is certain about his major. “Computers have always interested me,” he said when asked why he chose to major in computer science. “I think I grew that love from my father, who is a software engineer, and it’s just always fascinated me.”In his spare time, Henderson likes to analyze video games and rewrite their codes. “I’ve thought about making my own video game, and I’m trying to make one right now,” he added.After he graduates from BYUH, Henderson plans to apply for graduate school. He hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps, and attend graduate school in England. “I’ve thought about BYU in Provo, but I’d like to attend Cambridge or Oxford University,” Henderson said. “I would definitely like to become a software developer, but I’d also like to start my own business one day.”Henderson has had to overcome some obstacles to get where he is today but that has not deterred him from accomplishing his goals. His greatest accomplishment thus far has been completing his Eagle Scout requirements, said Henderson. “One of my greatest weaknesses, in my opinion, is I have a difficult time interacting with other people. I was home schooled for a lot of my life, so when I was younger I didn’t get the social skills I needed to develop myself,” Henderson explained. “So for my Eagle project, I had to do a lot of talking to other people and I overcame that weakness, and that has made a significant difference in me.”Young Henderson has some sage advice that has helped him throughout his life. “Be in the world and not of it,” he said. “Don’t listen to other people. Respect other people’s opinions, but don’t let them change the course of your life. If you have an idea, pursue it, work towards your goals, and don’t let other people criticize you to oblivion.”

Rebekah Walker, an anthropology lecturer at BYUH, had a hunger for knowledge that led her to Pacific Island Studies. She said a defining moment in her life is when she read “Coming of Age in Samoa,” by Margaret Meade. “Having read it, I was so angry that it made me want to know more about who wrote this book. What is their authority to tell Samoans what it means to be Samoan?” Walker reflected on this experience, saying it drove her to learn more. As an undergraduate, she was angry at first, but said, “The more I learned, the less angry I was, and the greater my understanding of people and about how knowledge is made. I learned how to see information from different points of view and I could respect and appreciate other people’s perspectives.” This revelation has given Walker perspective on being a student and a teacher. “If your schooling is not fun, then what are you doing?” she commented. “It shouldn’t be painful. It should be something that makes you happy, and something that interests you, and something that the more you learn, it makes you a better person.” Walker explained when you learn about other people, it forces you to reflect on who you are. When you know who you are, you no longer feel challenged by those who do. You respect yourself, and therefore, respect others, she said.When asked what piece of advice she would give to a large group of people if given the platform, Walker quickly replied with, “Be nice. No matter what you think you know about someone, or what you think about a certain topic, or what you think about who you think should be doing what. There is no reason not be nice to someone. Because you never know what you’re being nice could mean to that person.”“Being at a church university, it allows you to have one commonality. We can all be different races, different genders, different ages, from different places, different ethnic groups, different languages, but then I can always bring everybody back to the same page of being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So, when I talk about being nice, it’s basically just being Christ-like. If we practice the Savior’s teachings, we’re not judging others, demeaning others, etc.”Walker said her greatest legacy will be her children. “If they grow up to be kind, caring, nurturing people, then I have done something great.” She said her children have been taught and reinforced the idea of appreciating difference. “As a parent, my job is to try to not break [my children]. It’s to help them be the best of who [they] already are.”

BYU-Hawaii men’s soccer team found its rhythm against rival team Dixie State, resulting in a 5-0 win for the Seasiders on Oct. 4 at home. The team followed that win up with another 2-1 win on Oct. 6 against Cal. Baptist. In the game against Dixie State, Senior mid-fielder Jace Green led the Seasiders with two goals in the first half. Green’s first goal came in the opening two minutes as the center, Pawell Dregan, a sophomore from Germany, delivered the ball to Green in the box for a header goal. From there the Seasiders didn’t look back, scoring two more times in the first half, sending them into half time with a commanding 3-0 lead on Dixie St.Coaches, players and fans cheered throughout the game, ecstatic to see the team dominate at home.BYUH Head Coach Mark Davis said, “Five-nil – that’s what I’m talking about. You could just tell before the game started that we were ready to play.”Senior Sean Hungerford from Laie said, “The boys dominated, it was good to see everything come together for them.” The Seasiders controlled the ball well and played as a team, which was the key to their success.”The Seasiders Bauer and Epplette scored in the second half to seal the win and shut out Dixie State 5-0.Midfielder Garrett Gray, a junior studying business management from California, said, “It felt great to see our teammates who are such talented players score in big numbers. Our defense has been doing really well and I feel like this game was a big breakthrough for us offensively. It was a really fun game.”Talking about the second win against Cal. Baptist, Davis said, in a BYUH press release, “This wasn’t a pretty game. The field conditions were less than ideal. It started pouring in the first 15 minutes of the game and ripped the field to pieces. We fought like crazy and we ended up with three points.”Seasider Chris Pineda was named the PacWest Defender of the Week minutes before game time against Cal Baptist and proved his worth once again with seven saves to help the Seasiders remain undefeated in conference play.The men’s soccer has two conference games at home this week and will be on the road again for the second half of the month.