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The Polynesian Cultural Center President and CEO Von Orgill left BYU-Hawaii students with valuable life lessons during his address at the campus devotional on Feb. 5 and especially the blessing of living and acting by faith. In his talk entitled, "Reefs of Learning, Islands of Faith," Orgill explored and shared life-learning experiences he found in the islands of the Pacific during his mission.Orgill has served almost 13 years as president of the PCC and now is preparing to be a mission president of the LDS Church. His service at PCC is coming to a close in February.In his talk, Orgill shared a story of he and his mission companion. He said one evening they had to cross "a long and jagged reef" that "connected two islands."He narrated his long and arduous journey across the reef and how he fell three times. His companion would call "Faith, Elder. Faith!" When he fell he offered "pleading prayer[s] for help.” By the end of the journey, he wondered, "'How was it that my companion never faltered? What had he done to develop such great faith?" He continued, "On that night on the reef, I learned something about the reassuring power that comes from unwavering faith. I witnessed it in my companion. I experienced some small measure of it when my own faith held firm. I also learned that hard and painful consequences can come when we allow ourselves to wonder from the path of faith [and] when we allow doubt and fear to rule." He counseled, "May we open our eyes more widely to the realities of this mortal probation and see the meaning, purpose and value to our daily tests of faith, large and small.”Orgill’s address left an impact on students. Johnny Watkins, a junior studying biology from California, said, "I liked how he was talking about the reef and like walking across the reef. I think it really applies to schoolwork because I think a lot of time I lose focus on why I am doing the schoolwork, and why I am studying for like four hours a day.”Watkins continued, “I feel like when that happens, it is kinda when you lose your faith; lose the vision of what you’re trying to do. If you keep it balanced and you read your scriptures in the morning, do all these things, like prioritize, where it needs to be . . . I feel like that it is always true. I like hearing from successful people. I liked it a lot. He had really good stories. I liked the reef though, that was a really good analogy."Abby Brammer, a senior majoring in English from New York, said, "I think a lot of times people think that if they fall from faith, that’s it. And they can't really repent for a lack of faith. Every time you fall from faith, pray for more immediately, and it's not like God is trying to harbor it from you, but he'll bless you with opportunities to exercise your faith.”The full text and video of the speech can be viewed at devotional.byuh.edu/media130205.

One of the largest manhunts in California’s history ended Feb. 12 when Los Angeles ex-police officer Christopher Dorner’s body was identified among charred remains of a burned down cabin in Big Bear Lake, Calif. “Medical examiners have positively identified the body of the renegade former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner, the man authorities say killed four people and wounded three others in a vendetta against his old comrades,” Matt Smith of CNN wrote. Along with the nation, members of the BYU-Hawaii ohana were shocked by the police officer becoming a killer. “You can tell he wasn’t well to do what he did. Sometimes people go bad,” said Roy Yamamoto, director of BYUH’s Campus Safety and Security. “I don’t know all of the issues in his personal life, but there might be something that may have caused him to go bad. That’s why we need to be aware of everything, including in our own area, in our own families sometimes.” Yamamoto urged staff and students to report incidents to help prevent situations like this. “He definitely had issues but he was also hypocritical. He was against all these bad people but he himself was a bad person,” said Jordon Furtado, a sophomore majoring in social work from Oahu. “Personally, since my father is a police officer, that kind of hit home that some police officer would go rouge and would kill other police officers,” he added. According to CNN, Dorner was fired from the Los Angeles Police force in 2009 for falsely claiming that a training officer whom he worked with kicked a subdued suspect. Dorner appealed his discharge in court but was unsuccessful in doing so. As a result, he launched a killing spree against the LAPD, targeting officers and their families. He wrote a 23-page manifesto describing his contempt for the LAPD and the higher-ups in the police force saying nothing has changed since the 1990 scandals. The first of the killings happened on Feb. 3. Monica Quan, the daughter of Dorner’s police representative and her fiancé, Keith Lawrence, were killed by Dorner. Police said he then killed Michael Crain, an officer from Riverside and wounded Cain’s partner in their patrol car on Feb. 7 in an apparent ambush. “I know most of you who personally know me are in disbelief to hear from media reports that I am suspected of committing such horrendous murders and have taken drastic and shocking actions in the last couple of days,” Dorner wrote in his manifesto. “I’m not an aspiring rapper, I’m not a gang member... I am an American by choice, I am a son, I am a brother, I am a military service member, I am a man who has lost complete faith in the system, when the system betrayed, slandered, and libeled me,” Dorner’s manifesto says. Dorner barricaded himself in a cabin in Big Bear, standing off with police in a shootout that ended when tear gas launched into the cabin sparked a fire, burning Dorner and causing his death.

With more than a billion monthly active users on Facebook, according to the Facebook official website, lately there are rumors that the Office of Honor is investigating students’ Facebook pages. Regarding to the rumors, Michael A. Johanson, director of BYU-Hawaii Communications and Marketing, provided some clarifications. Would students be reported to the Office of Honor if they post anything inappropriate on Facebook such as comments or photos?Yes they could – especially if the photos are inappropriate such as pornography. The use of social media needs to be taken seriously not only when it comes to the Honor Code, but also when it comes to representing who you are, your families, and your employers. Employers today often look at their potential employee’s Facebook pages. So it is better to keep your online profiles and content in a way that represents yourself, how you would like to be represented.How does the Office of Honor find out about suspected post on Facebook? The complaints mostly come as an anonymous emails or printed postings. If anyone observes something, they are welcome to submit a complaint to the Office of Honor. If there is a claim about a specific student’s behavior, the Office of Honor could investigate and ask that student about the specific nature of that complaint. The best case scenario of a complaint is to address who it is, what had happened, and as much information as possible. It is easy to send a note to the Honor Code Office with a link to the inappropriate post. If a report is turned to the Office of Honor, they are obligated to follow up according to the standards of the Honor Code, for example, residential living standards or dress and grooming standards. Would the Office of Honor actively keep track of students’ Facebook pages?They might check it if they have a reason. They might do some random checks, but they would not look at every single student’s Facebook page and look for who’s not keeping their Honor Code commitment. How do you define an “inappropriate post” on Facebook?Anything that involves vulgar words, crude language, or photos displaying conduct that is not in standard with those outlined in “For the Strength of Youth.” What if in the photo, the student is in standards but not his/her friends who are not LDS members? Would it be considered as inappropriate, too?No, the Office of Honor might look at the claim but decide not to take any action. It depends on the content of the picture.What would happen to the students turned into the Office of Honor for a suspected issue?If the inappropriate behavior is confirmed or admitted, then appropriate action would be taken if necessary. The job of the Office of Honor is to encourage keeping of the commitments we all make and investigate the claims where those commitments might have been broken.Do you worry if some students use this system to get revenge on people that they dislike?No. Any investigation is based upon the individuals, their side of the story, and any evidence related to the violation of standards and commitments.What is your last word to students regarding the Honor Code?We, as individuals, can support our fellow students to encourage them to live up to their commitments and covenants. We can all help the Office of Honor by helping to reminding one another to keep our commitments. Everyone should know when they leave here [BYU–Hawaii] and go somewhere else they will likely experience an environment that is different from here – where others around them don’t follow the same standards. The hope is that students can maintain those high standards – especially after graduation – and continue to see the spiritual and practical benefits of living those standards.

Businesses for bamboo, jewelry, and virtual reality headsets won thousands of dollars in the 2015 Empower Your Dreams competition. The competition came to a close on the evening of Thursday, March 19. The six of the 12 judges of the competition – Paul Anderson, Peter Hollens, Ryan Schafinger, Adam Sidwell, Scott Stiles, and Jeffrey Harmon – delivered speeches to help the young entrepreneurs succeed in their dreams and goals. Sidwell said, “You can’t be the person making all of the pies. Identify what needs to be done, what only you can do and find some sort of structure to lay responsibility on others for what you don’t need to do.”Following their words, the winners of the Crowdfunding competition were announced. WINNERSAlumni Category 1st: MYBOO2nd: Button Caps 3rd: Cloud Tale Honorable mention: Rice LoveWelster Tropia, BYUH alumni from the Philippines, won the first place prize of $3,000 with MYBOO with his product of bamboo bags made in the Philippines from a Filipino design. The bags, which come in various sizes, are “made by farmers in the Philippines during their off season for extra income. In the Philippines, extra income really helps. The farmers design them,” said Tropia. He said he entered the competition without expecting to win anything, much less first place. Tropia said he is pleased with the win, and he wants to use the money to make a greater variety of bags, and make them better and stronger. “I always wanted to start something that brought something from the Philippines to here,” he said.Unpublished Category 1st: Odinwear 2nd: Ele Swims 3rd: Aloha handmade tie Honorable mention: Thread WalletsYouTube star Peter Hollens said one of the most important things someone can do while starting a business, product, or brand, is to create value for people.The first place prize in the Unpublished category were the three creators of Odinwear, a virtual reality headset. Benjamin Errico, an senior in accounting from Las Vegas, Dillon Deffense, a senior in finance from Los Angeles, and Michael Nightingale, a senior in business management from Minnesota said they were drawn together by their interest in technology. Errico said they researched all the technology about virtual reality video and gaming. “We noticed that there was a segment that was missing in high quality headsets, so we took advantage of it,” said Errico.Deffense said, “If you look on Google, the closest competition would be cardboard boxes that you just drop on your head and put your phone into it. So there’s no real product already developed, but there’s already the applications that go before it. So we just created a product that was both high quality and low price.” The honorable mention in the Unpublished category is already being sold in the bookstore here on campus. Thread Wallets are simplistic in design, meant to hold a few credit cards or even small amounts of cash and can be worn on a key chain. “I like my thread wallet. It is minimalistic, but it works,” said William Powell, a computer science major from South Carolina.Published category1st: Apollo Pieces 2nd: Kapalu Connections3rd: Wizards DuelHonorable mention: Native EdgeBio-medical senior CJ Dadivas and psychology junior Soram Yun created the paracord jewelry business Apollo Pieces to “mesh family history with pop-culture fashion,” said Dadivas. The family history is the military affiliation that made both his and Yun’s family travel, he said. They both had an interest in fashion. “There was nothing on the market that would fit me,” said Dadivas about jewelry, “and one day my dad asked me if I wanted to make a bracelet.” They said they decided to enter the contest two days before it started. “We didn’t expect to get anything. We feel super blessed and grateful for the opportunity,” said Dadivas. They already have orders for 250 bracelets. Yun said they marketed through blogs, giving a link to their Kickstarter. “In that way we got a lot of random costumers from all over this world,” she said.Dadivas said 6 to 9 feet of paracord, which has a load capacity of 550 pounds, is woven into the jewelry. It can be used as “key chains, fire starters or for an emergency,” and have custom molded beads made of rhodium, pewter, brass or 18 karat gold.There are five points that are critical for business, according to videographer Paul Anderson of the Piano Guys: 1. Don’t be selfish: Do something for someone else. You can focus on helping someone else with the proceeds. 2. Take risks and work: Don’t be afraid to fail. Jump into something with both feet. 3. Go for it: Don’t listen to people who say it can’t be done. 4. Think outside the box: Dream big. Do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. 5. Believe in yourself: People all have gifts that they have been given. Enhance your gifts and help others with them.William Arnett III and Maklen Kapalu, the second-place winners of the published category, Kapalu Connection “Houses of Hope” have plans to accomplish the following goals, as pulled from their website: “Houses of Hope will work with local community leaders to build houses in remote regions of Vanuatu that will be rented by the Port-Vila Mission for their missionaries. Houses of Hope, after receiving the rental income, will send a portion of rent monies to local schools to supplement the payment of a teacher, supplies, or physical facilities. Houses of Hope will make it possible for missionaries to proselyte and perform humanitarian work in remote areas.”Arnett and Kapalu are accomplishing the first item of Anderson’s business guide: Not being selfish. They are building houses to help missionaries and the local community grow and learn. Kapalu Connection has been using social media, such as Facebook messenger, to help spread the word of their project.Uploaded March 25, 2015

With a mission to improve university publicity and increase admissions, a new BYU-Hawaii pilot program is going to be launched in Japan this year. Kenichi Kurokawa, a 2005 BYUH graduate from Japan who majored in information systems, has been appointed to be the Japanese recruiting representative. He is to run firesides in Japan aimed to assist future students registering for BYUH and increase the number of future students, he said. Kurokawa called his mission an “honor.” He said, “I certainly want to see more Japanese students come to BYUH. I am an alumnus and this school has changed my life. I am a personal witness of it. I wish others can experience it too.” Everything began with the proposal of Michael Sudlow, who just retired as the assistant director of Admissions at BYUH. He suggested the university hire alumni to run a recruiting office in Asia on behalf of BYUH, and Japan is first stop. In 2012, Sudlow visited Japan for a fireside and announced this experimental recruiting project. “I was looking for a BYUH graduate who was willing to do this as a part-time job. I’ve known Ken for a long time, and his enthusiasm fits this position,” Sudlow said. In the future, Kurokawa plans to hold a fireside covering all 29 stakes in Japan. He said he will spend one weekend each month flying around Japan for firesides while still running his father’s consulting business at the same time. Since this recruiting representative position is a renewable one-year contract, Kurokawa said, “If this works well, BYUH might consider hiring other recruiting representatives in other Asian countries.” If future students are interested in attending BYUH, Kurokawa’s job is to provide them with advice. He said, “I’m appointed mainly for BYUH future students. I am physically in Japan, so for every single question they can come to me. They can directly contact me via email, phone call, or face-to-face meetings after each fireside. I am also a representative of the SMYC (Special Multi-Stake Youth Conference) in Japan, so I will visit the youths and introduce them to BYUH.” Sharing the same mission along with the recruiting project, BYUH’s Japanese Chapter recently created the website http://byuhjapan.wix.com/index. Airi Tanaka, the current president of the Japan Media Committee, as well as being a university studies junior from Japan, said she hopes the site can provide some insights about BYUH for future students in Japan. “The site is very user friendly because it’s made by current BYUH students who have first-hand experience and all information is written in Japanese,” she said. A blog with photos and video, the site provides guidelines about application and topics regarding student life. For example, scholarships, meal plans, campus maps, and Q&As, etc. Issei Yamashita, an elementary education freshman from Japan, said he wished he had known about the recruiting project and the website when he applied for BYUH. “With these my life would have been much easier. The registration process was so difficult because everything is in English. We don’t use English that often in Japan. I’ve often had to check out everything in the dictionary. Certainly I’ll tell my friends back home to look up the site and contact Ken for help,” said Yamashita. To contact Kenichi Kurokawa, email him at kenichi.kurokawa@byuh.edu.