Campus Community

A piece of paper taped to the far wall of the BYU–Hawaii University Archives office can easily be overlooked upon entering. To the senior missionary couples and students who have been working tirelessly since 2007, however, the small printed scripture on this paper encompasses their motivation for spending hundreds of tedious hours scanning, cropping, and sorting thousands of records. The scripture urges, "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause?" (D&C 128:22). The great cause in which these individuals are taking part includes digitizing almost 120,000 labor records documenting the migration of each Filipino that came to work on the Hawaiian sugar plantations during the early 1900s. The digital collection makes it possible for users to access information such as name, age, gender, date of arrival and/or departure, and plantation assignment on workers and their dependents, according to the collection description.

Elder Ruel M. Barker’s Devotional entitled, “Perfecting the Saints- Purifying Our Souls” focused on how everyone needs to focus on becoming the pure in heart. Elder Barker, Adjunct Professor of Exercise Science at BYU–Hawaii, spoke in the McKay Auditorium on June 21, 2011.

"Completion is not about checking a goal off a list; it's about enduring to the end," said Joy Monahan, the 2008 ASP Women's World Longboard Surfing Champion. Monahan, along with nearly 50 others, spoke at the recent Hawaii Education Week, hosted at the campus of BYU–Hawaii in Laie, Hawaii.

Even though there are many words to describe faith, Devotional speaker Sanoma Goodwill said that she had lacked a complete understanding of what faith meant. Sanoma Goodwill, Assistant Professor in the English Department of BYU-Hawaii, searched Joseph Smith’s lectures on Faith and other sources to explore the subject of faith further. She recalled the life and example of her Grandfather Richard Fredrick Harvey Warren who was known as commonly as ‘Fred.’

In a gala dinner with beautiful arrangements, great food, and entertainment from around the world, professor Cary Wasden was honored by the BYU Management Society-Hawaii Chapter with the Global Leadership Award “I am genuinely humbled… because I really love teaching, and I enjoy it when my peers appreciate what I do, and I enjoy it even more when my students appreciate what I do.”

Faculty members are charged with sharing their knowledge and skills with the students to help the students go on to realize their dreams. But, sometimes they are given the chance to pursue their own goals and dreams. Such is the case with a group of faculty members and others have come together to create Crosscurrent, a jazz ensemble that is influenced by several of the cultures represented on the university’s campus.

“It’s difficult to be a leader without solid employment; that is why we are doing everything possible to ensure that our students are prepared with the connections they need before graduation,” says Corbin Thomander, BYU–Hawaii’s Alumni Relations Manager. Aware of the career challenges that graduating students face, and understanding the prophetic vision for the university, Alumni Relations and Career Services have collaborated in their efforts to help students become leaders in their communities and countries. The Professional Mentorship Program is the result of months of collaboration.

According to its mission statement, “The BYU–Hawaii Women's Organization is a service-oriented institution seeking to provide intellectual, cultural and social opportunities for its members and to promote a spirit of harmony and unity among the members of the university and the community.” Founded in 1955, the same year BYU–Hawaii was founded, the organization has served as a support group and service organization for women in the communities surrounding the university.

Writing about special forces and military operations has often created popular literary works, but sometimes real-life events can propel these works to even greater notoriety. Such is the case with BYU–Hawaii alumnus Stephen Templin, who co-authored the newly-released book SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper (published May 2011). The book has achieved significant attention and popularity within a short time because SEAL Team Six was the same unit that recently killed Osama bin Ladin.

Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the First Quorum of the Seventy addressed BYU–Hawaii students, faculty, and staff at a campus devotional on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. His talk was entitled, “The Power of Personal Prayer.” Elder Pearson began his talk by saying, “I am convinced that personal prayer is one of the most significant challenges facing members of the Church, particularly youth and young adults. Because they struggle with prayer, they struggle spiritually.” He then addressed the following three basic questions about prayer:

The leaders from four independent universities in Hawaii – BYU–Hawaii, Chaminade University, Hawaii Pacific University and Argosy University – met in Laie on May 5 for an annual gathering of the institutions which form the Hawaii Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (HAICU). Approximately 100 participants attended, including Steven C. Wheelwright, president of BYU–Hawaii; Brother Bernard Ploeger, president of Chaminade University; Chatt G. Wright, president of Hawaii Pacific University; and Warren Evans, president of Argosy University. [Above right: Brother Bernard Ploeger (Chaminade), President Steven C. Wheelwright (BYU–Hawaii), and President Warren Evans (Argosy) pose for a picture following a session at HAICU 2011.]

Brother Michael Murray, former president of the Pennsylvania Philadelphia mission, shared his thoughts on true happiness at a BYU–Hawaii devotional on May 3, 2011. Brother Murray’s words centered on the following message that received regularly from his missionaries during his time as mission president: “Dear President Murray, I’ve never been happier in my life.”

BYU–Hawaii President Steven Wheelwright addressed the faculty and staff during the Ohana meeting that took place at the McKay Auditorium on Monday, April 25, 2011. Three major points discussed were the support from Church leaders, excellence on campus, and the progress on planning for the future.

Every semester and spring term students have the opportunity to join one or many clubs that are sponsored by BYUHSA Clubs and Organizations. World Fest is the time at the beginning of the semester that students look forward to learning about the different cultural, academic, and special interests clubs. Cultural clubs are among the most popular because, “they help you meet people you wouldn’t otherwise… help you have a social life and do things you wouldn’t normally do,” according to Mariah Hunt a junior in ICS World Humanities and Culture, from Folsom, California. Latino club, Samoan club, Filipino club are some of the clubs that represent the diversity of the school.

Brother David Allsop of the Presidents' Leadership Council and the David O. McKay Circle spoke to students, faculty, and staff at devotional on April 26, 2011. He quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell in choosing the theme of his talk: "I thank him for helping me, even forgiving me, when I fall short, when I testify of things known but which are beyond the border of my behavior, and for helping me to advance that border, bit by bit. His relentless redemptiveness exceeds my recurring wrongs."

The BYU–Hawaii art department’s recent addition of a graphic design emphasis has resonated well with students. Brandon Truscott, a faculty member in the art department, was hired one year ago with the special task of assisting in the creation of the graphics track. He currently teaches three of the four required classes in the track. “Fortunately or unfortunately,” Truscott laughs, “anyone going through this track is going to learn [graphic design] from me and from their own investigation.”

Brother Clayton Christensen of the Harvard Business School urged students, faculty, and staff at a devotional on April 19, 2011, to “follow God’s ways, and not our own, as we wield our sickles with our might.” Brother Christensen recounted some of his personal experiences with missionary work and gave some tips for sharing the gospel more effectively.