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The popularity of online dating has created a setting for true lovers to unite or embarrassing scams to come to light. BYU-Hawaii students and staff shared their experiences, both good and bad, of online dating and warn people to be cautious while seeking relationships online.Online dating sites such as eHarmony and Zoosk seek to find singles their compatible significant other through compatibility tests. But the truthfulness of one’s online profile is anyone’s guess.Daniel “Manu” Danielson, a junior majoring in psychology from Arizona, had an online relationship with a girl through the social media site MySpace. The woman first expressed interest in Danielson and sought him out online. He viewed the pictures on her profile and said, “She was a really cute girl.” However, he wondered what she looked like in real life. The two kept in contact for a while until they decided to meet in person. Soon after the two met, the relationship ended as the online girlfriend looked for Danielson in another town, going so far as to question his parents on his whereabouts, even going into his house to shut off the power.Danielson said he then met another girl online and wanted to see her in person. “This is how much she changed: [I] walked right past her. [I] had no idea it was her,” he said. “I would not do online dating. From the deceit and also because you don’t know what people are like today or just people can be really crazy,” Danielson said. “It’s just a bad idea all around I think.” He continued, “[Online dating] limits person-to-person interaction and that’s never a good thing. But on top of it, it’s a mask to hide who you really are.” He said it is easy for people to falsify information about themselves on profiles whether it is a language they speak or a school they went to or even a place they lived. “It’s a way to sell yourself.”n MTV’s reality TV show “Catfish,” hosts Nev Schulman and Max Joseph brings couples who have interacted strictly online together face to face. The results of such unions prove to be completely opposite of either party’s idea of who the person on the other side of the line is like. “Catfish,” wrote on its website, “These days, messaging on iPhones has replaced the dinner date, and emailing through social media sites often substitutes for face-to-face conversations. The problem with this approach - the guy or girl you’ve fallen for could be lying about who they really are.” Catfish is a slang term that means someone who pretends to be someone they’re not by using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.The most recent example of “catfishing” was the scandal between Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o’s and his online romance with a falsified woman who was actually online hoaxer Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. Tuiasosopo, a 22 year old from Southern California, created the online persona to pursue Te’o through a faux relationship said ultimately he had “fell deeply, romantically in love” with Te’o. “A relationship conducted over the phone and Internet could move at a pace suitable for a shy Mormon young man,” wrote Kelsey Dallas, a student at Yale Divinity School in an article for the Huffington Post. Shanice Hooker, a freshman majoring in accounting from Trinidad and Tobago, said, “I really disagree with online dating. In Manti’s case, he did look at the profile. He wasn’t really deceived in a way, but he was. You should be cautious of who you’re speaking to. Know that person from before and then build that relationship.”Others have found true love through online dating. Elaine Merrill, who works in BYU-Hawaii’s Math Department, said she met her husband online through LDS Friends, a discussion forum where members can meet. Her husband, Kelly Merrill, works in the Entrepreneurial Center. The Merrill’s met each other online in Fall 1998, during the early stages of online dating, not to mention the Internet.“We were an oddity because we met on the Internet,” Merrill said. They met online because Sister Merrill was here in Hawaii and Brother Merrill was busy and lived on the mainland. “There was zero time for him. He went online because he simply did not have the opportunity to get out and date,” Sister Merrill said. “The first time I saw his posting, and it said, ‘Lehi, Utah,’ I laughed out loud and said, ‘If you can’t find someone in Utah, you’ve got a real problem,’” she said jokingly. “We both met each other at Temple Square. Both of us with one kid in tow,” Merrill said. “By spring break [of 1999], he came over to Hawaii and I had a diamond ring on my finger before the end of that, and we were married by June,” she added.Sister Merrill said she made sure there was a safety net. “I didn’t let him pick me up and drive me somewhere. I met him at Temple Square so I could have control over the situation if he turned out to be someone weird,” she said. “You make sure they’re a real person. You do so in a public environment where you have total control over the situation.” “Before you start dating someone, you want to decide what is really important,” Sister Merrill said. “Is it important that they take you to the temple? Is it important that they’re active in the Church? And if those are your standards, don’t date anyone who can’t take you to the temple or isn’t active in the church. Be as picky as you are with online dating as you are with personal dating.”

What is BYUHSA? BYUHSA is an acronym for Brigham Young University-Hawaii Service Association. The organization’s specific role is to serve the students and student organizations. BYUHSA has gone through a major reorganization in the past year to help us condense and focus on developing a closer ear to the students and the presidencies of Student Associations (formerly called clubs or chapters) on campus. Previous BYUHSA Presidencies have been organized with one President and two Executive Vice Presidents who oversaw 12 additional Area Vice Presidents. These representatives oversaw most student activities, and community service projects as well as student Associations and Student Advisory Council (SAC).What is BYUHSA today? BYUHSA is now organized into three areas and has a President and two Vice Presidents. The idea is move all of student activities and community service projects to more specialized teams within our department, and focus the Presidency on student leadership, students concerns and the Associations that have been developed on campus. Here are the three areas that are under BYUHSA:The first area is leadership development which is handled by the President Marc Gardner. The role of the President is to provide strong leadership for the BYUHSA teams and leadership development opportunities for the student body, especially through engagement with SAC and Associations. The President facilitates meetings and presents to students, departments and University Administration.The second area of focus is Student Advisory Council which is managed by the Vice President Sery Kuma Kone and the Student Advisory Council Team. They are the research, recommendation, and education arm of BYUHSA and they will look into unresolved concerns of any student and student related issues on campus. The feedback form is accessed at: http://student.byuh.edu/byuhsa/ under the SAC button.The third area of focus is the Student Association Presidencies who work with the Vice President Blake Va’aulu on creating positive activities within Associations. These student Associations were once called clubs on campus; there are 41 Associations, with 2,450 members signed up this semester. During the 2014 Fall Semester, there were 117 funded activities and many more weekly activities held by the Associations. This is a place for all students to connect with other students in meaningful ways.What happened to the other areas before the reorganization? Within our department of Student Leadership, Activities, and Service (SLAS) is BYUHSA, the Student Events Team, the HUB, the Service Center, the iLead group, the Aloha Center Front Desk, New Student Orientation and our wonderful Media Team focus on providing excellent and focused service in these areas. With all of the changes that have happened at BYUHSA, we would love for you to visit us in the SLAS office in the Aloha Center (Room 131) and get involved!

Two Super Bowl Champions and brothers celebrated the successful surgery that transplanted older brother Ma’ake Kemoeatu’s kidney to Chris Kemoeatu. Both brothers’ careers in the NFL have ended due to Chris’ disease, but there are no regrets, only love, according to members of the Kemoeatu family.Originally from Kahuku and alumni of Kahuku High School, the brothers founded Pacific Elite Sport Fitness Center in Kaneohe. Both men have made names for themselves in the NFL, but they are known now for the selfless love between the two brothers and their family.At a press conference in Baltimore, Ma’ake Kemoeatu told the media, “I’m the oldest of the seven kids, and it’s my responsibility to take care of my younger brothers and sisters. If my younger siblings need blood, it’ll be my blood. If they need a kidney, it’ll have to be my kidney.” Jared Ang, a senior at BYU-Hawaii and big fan of the Baltimore Ravens, commented, “I would do the same if it was my brother. I think it’s definitely worth leaving an NFL career for. When it all comes down to it, family is most important.”According to Associated Press, members of the Kemoeatu family were tested to see if their kidneys were compatible with Chris’ body. Ma’ake was the most compatible family member with a 99 percent match. He immediately agreed to help his brother.“I think what Ma’ake did for his family shows his love for them and shows that he’s not all about the money. He is a great example for us in putting family first,” stated Roman Benioni, an undeclared sophomore at BYUH.Chris Kemoeatu had experienced kidney pain since eighth grade, says AP, but was able to play football through it and even began an NFL career as an offensive lineman with the Pittsburg Steelers in 2005.In 2012, however, he ended his career upon learning about his kidney disease, increased pain, and finding out he needed a kidney transplant to survive. Soon after, Ma’ake found he was a match for his brother and quit playing football in 2012 as well. Ma’ake had started playing for the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent in 2002. Both brothers have Super Bowl wins; Ma’ake in 2013 and Chris in 2006 and 2009, according to the Baltimore Sun.