Campus Community

"In many of the scriptures, we are told to 'endure to the end' and we will in turn receive some sort of blessing," said Delsa Moe, Director of Cultural Presentations at the Polynesian Cultural Center, at a recent devotional held on BYU–Hawaii campus on Tuesday, May 4.

Senior Appolonie Nahishakiye's story starts in a small village called Bibate, in a small farming country of eight million called Burundi, which neighbors the easily recognized Rwanda. Few, however, know of the ethnic struggle that continues to this day in this small, war-torn expanse.

"Faith is in fact the antidote to doubt, the answer to skepticism, and the solution to cynicism," said Robert L. Millet, Abraham O. Smoot University Professor & BYU Professor of Ancient Scripture, at the Brigham Young University–Hawaii devotional on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at the Cannon Activities Center.

Members of the Hawaii chapter of the BYU Management Society, business majors, SIFE members, and interested students and faculty alike gathered to hear BYU–Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright speak on ethical and moral practices in business and leadership on March 31.

Mufi Hannemann, mayor of Honolulu, recently visited BYU–Hawaii on April 14, speaking at a luncheon hosted by the "Mahalo No Ka Hana" (Laie) chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). As mayor, Hannemann represents the entire island of Oahu. (Left to Right: Anna Kaanga, Madie Neave, Jacquie Alisa, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Bae Aumua, Denise Mitchell, and Hans Taala)

BYU–Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright and his wife, First Lady Margaret Wheelwright, took turns sharing their personal insights about the importance of family at devotional on Tuesday, April 20.

Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, recently selected Dr. Norman S. Wright (pictured; photo courtesy of UVU), a former BYU–Hawaii faculty member, to become the new dean of the Woodbury School of Business.

LAIE, Hawaii – Elder Quentin L. Cook (pictured) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presided over BYU–Hawaii's April 10th Commencement Exercises—notably the largest number (353) to have marched at a BYU–Hawaii commencement—held in the Cannon Activities Center.

Online classes are an option for students who are already attending BYU–Hawaii and live on the island, and students who are preparing to attend. Students can register for online classes in the same way that they register for all their other courses, but should note that the online classes are the 300 and 301 section courses. The online department is located in the back of the Mac Lab to the left of the library entrance on BYU–Hawaii campus. Mike Griffiths, Director of BYU–Hawaii Online, said, "Each semester we are building new classes. Our first priority is to create online general education classes for on-campus students, and online EIL classes to help students prepare to come to campus."

BYU–Hawaii's Social Work curriculum has recently changed, and with the university’s new academic calendar of two semesters and three terms, students in the program can now graduate in three years.

After a year of service to BYU–Hawaii, the 2009-2010 BYUHSA presidency gave their final counsel at a weekly devotional held on March 30, at the Cannon Activities Center.

BYU–Hawaii Food Services has been extensively involved with recycling, and, to reduce overall operating costs, they have begun composting waste vegetable materials. Initial research about the best approach to effectively use latent energy from waste vegetable oil and cooked meat fats was done, which pointed toward a new kind of energy—biodiesel. (pictured: student chef situates himself in the Food Service kitchen)

The BYU–Hawaii Salsa Orchestra (pictured at right at the Honokaa Peoples Theater) and Brass Ensemble added a little flavor and style as they toured the Big Island March 11–14, 2010. The group of students performed their way through five concerts in three different towns including Kona, Honokaa, and Hilo, with a unique teaming of ensembles and combination of Latin jazz, pop, religious, and classical music that offered Big Island audiences a one-of-a-kind experience.

"How can we build a foundation of faith in Christ and His atonement as we undertake our educational and career aspirations in life? Allow me to share four suggestions that I have learned in my life’s journey," said Elder Benson E. Misalucha, Area Seventy, Philippines Area, at a recent devotional address at Brigham Young University–Hawaii.

The musical community of Laie got a rare treat on Saturday, March 6, as well known purveyors of the percussive arts paid a visit to BYU–Hawaii campus to put on a clinic entitled "Day of Percussion." Artists Jay Lawrence and Greg MacDonald taught classes throughout the morning to students and aspiring musicians about percussion essentials like improvisation and drum set technique. In the afternoon, a clinician arrived to organize a drum circle for the clinic participants, and in the evening, the BYU–Hawaii music department faculty and staff had a concert in which they presented their own music group called "Cross Currents."

Louie Kaman is a sophomore in accounting from Papua New Guinea, where he is the chief son of a tribe called Kwika, which has 10,000 people. "We have 800,000 people [in Papua New Guinea] and we speak 860 languages, but I only speak five," said Kaman. His native language is Kuma; he learned English and Motu in school, and picked up Simbu and New Guinea pidgin socially. "New Guinea Pidgin is useful because you can speak it on the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu," Kaman said. Kaman is the fifth of seven biological and three adopted siblings. Kaman will be taking his dad's place as chief, after his father dies, though Kaman is working with him already. "The first thing you have to do is know 10,000 names. I've known them since my early life, so it’s easy," he said.

BYU–Hawaii's biology students discovered and named a new species of burrowing sea anemone, Andvakia discipulorum, from the mudflats of Kaneohe Bay in the summer of 2007.

Roger B. Porter, Professor of Business and Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, spoke at BYU–Hawaii's weekly devotional this past Tuesday. His speech, titled, "The Spirit of Contention and the Path to Peace", delved into the role contention plays our lives and the steps we can take combat that by increasing our feelings of peace.