Volume 110: Issue 1

THE LEADER

JANUARY 22, 2015

KE ALAKA I‘

Church news in review 6-7A look back at the church’s top news stories

Youngest group of missionaries comes back to school

Benny Kai: A local legend 14-15 Ambassador of Aloha leaves legacy of love and music

First wave of missionaries returns 4

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K E A L A K A I

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E-mail: kealakai@byuh.eduAd Information: kealakaiads@gmail.comPhone: (808) 675-3694Fax: (808) 675-3491Office: Campus, Aloha Center 134

Table of

CONTENTS

[11][14-15]Legendary PCC musician

Benny Kai Jr. passes away

Campus programs successfully reduce, reuse, and recycle

[5]

[9]Graphic design Professor Brandon Truscott wins national design award

Chalk f l ies through the night air at BYUHSA’s opening social

January 22, 2015 • Volume 110: Issue 1

Homer WolmanRebecca Sabalones

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ADVISOR

Leeann Lambert

Hector Per iquin

ART DIRECTORCOPY EDITORSEmily HallsCamron Stockford Hannah Packard

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kelsie CarlsonMonica RubalcavaMilani Ho

ART & GRAPHICSLauren Steimle John DiazEthan TsaiMonica RubalcavaJef f McLeod

MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISTS

Alyssa Walhood, Jared Roberts, Jessica Taut-fest, Matthew Roberts, Trenton McCullough, Morgynne Tora, Kaitlin Broyles

Samone IsomHector Per iquin

INTERNS

AD MANAGER

VIDEOGRAPHERSJef f Coll insVlad TropnikovJoshua Mason

Joshua Mason

Share with us your photo of the week and we may feature it in our next issue. e-mail us at kealakai@byuh.edu

ON THE COVER: Fresh off their missions, Andrea Marshall and Lauren Ockey enjoy normal life. Photo by Trenton McCullough

Sand from Seventh Hole beach cas-cades through ringed fingers.

Photo by Kelsie Carlson

3JANUARY 22, 2015

WORTHYN E W S H E A D L I N E S

France continues to recover from

Charlie Hebdo attack

“What happened in France is a savage at-tack on free speech,” said Ethan Secrist, a sophomore from Idaho studying ICS. “It’s a different type of terrorism nowadays; it’s not mass casualties. It’s about who terrorists can kill before getting gunned down.” The attack took place on Wednes-day, Jan. 7, when three gunmen stormed into the offices of satirical magazine, “Char-lie Hebdo,” located in Paris, France. Various news sources claim the main motive behind the attack was the controversial depictions of Muhammad and satirical jokes about Islamic leaders. The assailants barged in during a lunchtime editorial meeting, separating men and women and calling out the names of em-ployees they intended to kill, said Dr. Gerald Kierzek in an interview with CNN. Kierzek served as a physician who treated wounded patients and spoke with survivors, CNN also reported. The editor-in-chief, famous cartoon-ists and two police officers were among the 12 left dead by the attack, the New York Times reported. The gunmen escaped, setting off terror in France and all around the world. “It’s really sad to see people kill for irrational reasons,” said Cassidy Manning, a sophomore from Nevada studying TESOL. “What’s even worse is the image these people portray for all Islamic people. It’s not fair.” Two of the suspects were brothers, identified as Said and Cherif Kouachi, both of whom died in a gunfight shortly after flee-ing the magazine’s headquarters. The third suspect was 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, who surrendered himself to authorities early the following day.

“The attack in France really set off sparks around the world. People were killed for expressing themselves. That should never happen no matter where people are from,” said Emily Wade, a junior from Indiana studying art. More terror attacks took place in the days following the Charlie Hebdo shoot-ing. On Thursday, Jan. 8, Amedy Coulibaly opened fire on a police officer, killing her and wounding bystanders. The next day, Coulibaly entered a kosher market armed and ready to kill. By the end of the operation, four hostages were dead, French Police officials reported. Cou-libaly was also reported dead. The French government gave more power to the police on Jan. 20, allowing them to tap phones, monitor Web sites and block hate-messages posted online. They hope this will help ward off future attacks, reported AP.

Blood Bank of Hawaii will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in mobile units parked outside the CAC.

The first Farmer’s Market of the year will be held in the ballroom from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“They tried to kill Charlie Hebdo, but they made it the most famous newspaper in the world.” — Caroline Fourest, an editor for the satirical publication, on support since the bloody attack by Islamic terrorists responding to cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. “In great part, it is man who has slapped nature in the face.” — Pope Francis, saying climate change is mostly man-made.

“For us, it’s a way of giving back. Being in a place like this where we do time, it’s some-thing outside ourselves that we can do and feel like we are helping others.” — George, an inmate at the Park City facility, speaking about family indexing for the LDS Church.

J A N U A R Y

The final day of World Fest will be held in the Aloha Center Mall. Sign up for clubs and student associa-tions.

BY JARED ROBERTS

F R I D A Y23

F R I D A Y30

T H E W E E KI N Q U O T E S

Men’s and women’s basketball teams will play Azusa Pacific. The Lady Sea-siders’ game will be at 5 p.m. and the Seasiders’ will be at 7:30 p.m.

29 T h u r s d a y

A woman holds a sign that reads “We are Charlie” in a demonstration of unity in support of freedom of

speech and defiance of terrorism in Paris, France on Jan. 11, 2015. Photo by AP.

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‘Age-change’ era missionaries return to campus

Andrea Marshall and Lauren Ockey, recently returned missionaries, hold

Argentinian yerbe mate. Photo by Trenton McCullough

BY TRENTON MCCULLOUGH

Missionaries are returning younger than ever before to the BYU-Hawaii campus. In the October 2012 General Conference, President Monson announced the prayerful decision to lower the age for missionaries to 18 years old for young men and 19 for young women. The decision came as a shock, but at the same time, others’ prayers were answered. Andrea Marshall, a junior in graph-ic arts from Florida and a recently returned missionary from Brazil, said growing up, she never thought she would serve a mission. Then, two or three weeks before the General Conference of October 2012, she said she began to have feelings and thoughts that prompted her to think more about mission-ary work and the idea of serving. She said she reluctantly pushed them aside, knowing that she was only 19 years old and had at

least two more years until she could serve a full-time mission. Marshall said once she heard the news from President Monson, it all began to make sense to her. The promptings and feelings rang true within her and she knew that she was meant to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Overcome with emotion, she said she began her mission papers immediately. “It was definitely an interesting ex-perience,” said Marshall, “because I had never before wanted to serve a mission and then all of a sudden I was putting in my papers.” Lauren Ockey, a senior from Utah studying ICS peace building who served her mission in Argentina, said, “I saw the ex-ample of many girls who had already served missions and returned here to BYU-Hawaii. That began to get me excited about the pos-sibility of serving. Then, when I heard the announcement, it got me even more excited about serving and made it a reality.”

She continued, “I was surprised coming back from the mission. Definitely the first week is a little weird because you are still in missionary mode, wanting to shake everyone’s hand and set appointments.” Marshall said, “Returning from the mission, my perspectives definitely changed. Before, I was just excited about being here in Hawaii and often times lost focus of my purpose. Now I am definitely more focused on studying and my Savior and things that are more important in my life.” Colby Hollingsworth, from Califor-nia, who recently returned from his mission in Brazil, said, “Most of the younger genera-tion missionaries came very prepared to the mission field; even more prepared sometimes than the older ones.” Hollingsworth said it is good to see that and know how much trust God is put-ting in his youth. The younger generation is going to be leading the church at a younger age and with bigger challenges those that came before us, he said.

The New Generation of RMs

A Color-filled Night

5JANUARY 22, 2015

BYU-Hawaii Student Activities brought together hundreds of stu-dents under a colorful sky during the annual chalk dance opening

social on Jan. 16. “We hold this dance every semester. It’s usually our biggest event of the semester,” said Eddie Coronado, the supervisor of Stu-dent Activities, and a senior from Florida studying political science. “We got this idea from what’s happening in Utah at the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork,” Coronado also stated. The event, known as the Holi Festival, or “Festival of Colors,” is an an-nual Hindu celebration of the triumph of good over evil. The festival takes place south of Salt Lake City every springtime and usually re-ceives about 70,000 participants. The BYUHSA office began planning for the event in the Fall Semester, according to Coronado. The chalk dance brings students together from all around

the world. The idea is that each participant wears white and dances while colored, powdered chalk is thrown. The chalk leaves different patterns on the students’ clothing, making each person’s appearance unique. “It’s almost like a way of expressing yourself,” said Lauren Kemp, a sophomore from Washington, D.C. studying exercise and sport science. “I really enjoyed the dance this year. I’m glad I decided to come out.” The event took place in the Little Circle, where a wide range of music filled the air. Songs ranging from artists like Michael Jackson and Lil Jon created an atmosphere unlike any other dance on campus. “This is really a great time for everyone to come together and meet each other,” said Marshall Smith, a freshman from Wash-ington studying business.

Clouds of chalk start off new semesterBY JARED ROBERTS

A cloud of chalk explodes over dancing students as they welcome in the new semester.Photo by Kelsie Carlson

A Color-filled Night

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Members learn how to #sharegoodness in 2014The Global Church

WORLD• President Henry B. Eyring in the Vatican: In November, the Catholic Church hosted various religious leaders and scholars repre-senting 14 faiths and 23 countries to discuss men, women and marriage. • Response to same-sex marriage: Through-out the year 2014, several states legalized same-sex marriage. In response to those Su-preme Court decisions, the church issued its own announcement: “The succession of feder-al court decisions in recent months, culminat-ing 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. In prizing freedom of conscience and Constitutional guarantees of the free exercise of religion, we will continue to teach that standard and uphold it in our religious practices.“Nevertheless, respectful coexistence is pos-sible with those with differing values. As far as the civil law is concerned, the courts have spoken. Church leaders will continue to encourage our people to be persons of good will toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind based on race, ethnicity, religious

belief or non-belief, and differences in sexual orientation.”• 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil: Brazil’s Ministry of Sports requested members of the LDS Church to volunteer during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Sarah Menezes, the national coordinator for Brazil Volunteer in 2013, worked with Mormon Helping Hands in the past and said, “[Mormon] Helping Hands volunteers are the most organized and dedicated. We need you at the Cup.”

MEDIAHashtags: Throughout different times in 2014, the LDS Church had created several different hashtags that flooded social media with uplifting messages.• #itwasmom: Around Mother’s Day people were talking about their mothers using the tag #itwasmom to “celebrate the divine calling of mothers and women around the world.” • #becauseofhim: For a week in spring, to focus on Christ during the Easter holiday, the LDS Church launched a social media initiative using the tag #becauseofHim • #sharegoodness: At the ground breaking for the Meridian Idaho Temple, Elder David A. Bednar called on members of the LDS

Church to “use social media to sweep the earth with authentic and uplifting messages” by using the hashtag #sharegoodness.

BYUH student Anna Robbins, a senior in EXS from New Mexico, shared her testimony online using the #becauseofHim tag in April: “Because of Him, I know that my future is as bright as my faith. I understand that I have the capability to achieve great things if I’m following His example. I know who I am and what I’m capable of becoming. Because of Him there are no limits to happiness. My family is forever. My dreams are attainable. And my worries washed away in with His grace. #becauseofhim#iknowit#iloveit#iliveit#imamormon”• Meet the Mormons: In October, the LDS Church released a feature-length documen-tary to challenge stereotypes about Mormons. The documentary featured several Mormons from around the world. It is now available for free viewing at Temple Visitors’ Centers.

MISSIONARYYoung men of the LDS Church serve 24-month-long missions and young women

BY KA I TL IN BROYLES

7JANUARY 22, 2015

of the church serve 18-month-long missions.•Missionaries in Venezuela: Due to the unrest in the country in March, missionaries who are not citizens of Venezuela were trans-ferred to other missions in South America. •Missionaries in Ukraine: In the Spring because of the unrest and uncertainty in Ukraine, missionaries in the Ukraine Donetsk Mission were transferred to other areas of Ukraine or reassigned to missions within their home countries.

Alison Reese, a sophomore from Utah study-ing hospitality and tourism management, was a missionary in the Donetsk mission and was reassigned when the civil unrest began. “It was obvious we couldn’t stay there forever. We thought we would be able to stay because they thought it was just going to die down, but it got to the point where that obviously

The Gilbert Arizona Temple is the church’s 142nd temple.

Photo by LDS.org

wasn’t going to happen. It was really sad and heartbreaking because the people over there are so amazing. It was really sad to leave them behind, but it was all in God’s plan.” •Missionaries in Sierra Leone and Liberia: In August, missionaries serving in Sierra Leone and Liberia were transferred and reassigned due to the outbreak of Ebola. •Planned expansion of the MTC in Provo: In November, the LDS Church finalized plans to expand the Missionary Training Center in Provo and are expected to start building in the Summer of 2015.

TEMPLESAccording to Mormon Newsroom, the LDS Church has 14 temples under construction. In 2014, the following temples were either finished or had work done to further beautify them.• The Gilbert Arizona Temple was dedicated

in March. It the church’s 142nd temple.• As part of the transformation into a tem-ple, the Provo City Center in Utah received an angel Moroni statue in March. • The Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple was dedicated in May, making it the Church’s 143rd temple. • In August, Elder David A. Bednar spoke at the ground breaking ceremony for the Merid-ian Idaho Temple. • In September, after three years of renova-tions, the Ogden Utah Temple was rededi-cated.• October 17 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the angel Moroni was added, continuing the construction progress of the temple. • In November, the Phoenix Arizona Temple cornerstone ceremony was attended by Presi-dent Thomas S. Monson, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, and Elder Dallin H. Oaks as they celebrated the dedication of the church’s 144th temple.

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Broadway Cabaret in Mawwiage

“Mawwiage! Mawwiage is what bwings us togeder today!” The familiar quote from the 1987 film “The Princess Bride” opened the Broadway Cabaret on Jan. 16 and 17, presented by the Department of Music and Theatre Arts and Michael Belnap. The Cabaret show followed a fictional Relief Society and Priesthood group throughout a week as their members’ romances escalated to engagements and friend zone escapes. One young man decides to serve a mission after kissing the Relief Society president. This young man was played by Chris Cornelison, a sophomore from Punalu’u studying English education. A lot of practices and rehearsals went into the preparation of the Cabaret, especially during the first week of school. “The week before the show, we met every day from 5 to 9 p.m. That was probably the biggest challenge because it was such a huge chunk of time and it was a bit tough juggling all of the stuff that needs to be done during the first week of school,” Cornelison said. It was especially strenuous on their voices, he said. Another actor who said she faced challenges before opening night was Libby Templeton, a freshman from Washington majoring in history education and minoring

in theatre. Templeton came back from break feeling ill. After a visit to the doctor, she was told she had an ear infection. Not only was her body feeling ill, but also the Tuesday before the show

Templeton was told she was singing her part wrong as well. “That Wednesday, for two hours, I sat down and watched all these videos to try and learn this technique that people had been working on for years in three days,” Templeton said. It was a lot of rehearsing when you’re not feeling well, Templeton added.

Despite all these stumbling blocks, the performance was very enjoyable, said Templeton. “I absolutely loved being able to do theatre in a spiritual setting at BYUH,” she said with a big smile. “It was really great to see everybody praying together before starting a show or before rehearsal and people talking about how they were fasting

for the show. It was great just to see that I’m not the only one who cares

about theatre in a spiritual set-ting,” Templeton added.

The performance reached the crowd too, said audi-ence member Carina Aldrich, a senior from Georgia studying political science. “I thought the actors were great—al-though most of them are

my friends, so I’m kind of biased—and that they all did

very well, especially consider-ing the short rehearsal time they

had,” she said. The cast members made lots of

memories in preparation for the final performance of the Cabaret, said Cornelison. “We all got along really well, and sometimes our director, Pononui Cabrinha, had a hard time trying to wrangle us and get us to learn our choreography. But we just always had a blast and I made some really great new friends,” Cornelison added.

BY KA I TL IN BROYLES

Performers wow audience in Broadway-themed show

Broadway Cabaret told the story of a fic-tional Relief Society and Priesthood group through song and dance. Photo by Monica Rubalcava

9JANUARY 22, 2015

Designing for the FuturePRINT Magazine awards Truscott for hand-lettered posterBY SAMONE ISOM

B YU-Hawaii graphic design Professor Brandon Truscott’s poster for his class’s

ART 333 Type Face Cards exhibit, was one of 25 winners of Print Celebrates Design, a national design competition hosted by PRINT magazine. Truscott said he hopes beginners in the graphic design field will see his win is an example of opportunities available in the graphic design community. Print Celebrates Design is “a design competition for your cards, gifts & invita-tions,” according to Amanda Aszman, who posted the winners on PRINT magazine’s website. The judge for the competition was the creative director at Etsy, Randy J Hunt. Etsy is a peer-to-peer online market for hand-made goods. Hunt founded design studio Citizen Scholar and wrote Product Design for the Web and designs prints. Prior to becoming creative director at Etsy, he was recognized as Print New Visual Artist in 2009,” wrote Aszman. Truscott said he hopes his recog-nition this will help not only students, but

also those getting certificates or those who are interested in design “realize that they can be competitive at a national level even if they feel they are from a small place. Even though things we do in class start as small, simple projects, they can be a gateway, if you approach it correctly, to national recogni-tion. Anyone, student or otherwise, can use something like this as an opportunity to open doors.” “We often think, ‘This is a tough world with all this competition,’ but when I’ve met people, peers at conferences, they are just like you. They do the same things you do when they create stuff and are gener-ally pretty friendly in sharing techniques,” said Truscott. Every semester that Truscott teaches an ART 333 class, he said one of the topics is about script and hand letterings. His class de-signed typography chalk signs with a playing card theme and exhibited them in late Octo-ber 2014. He designed the advertising poster for the exhibit as the ace of spades, which ul-

timately won in Print Celebrates Design. “I was looking at the backs of cards, and the fronts, through several different decks. I based the letter forms on two typefaces: Rand Holub’s Gillot 291 became the basis of Intertype›s Monterey. I modified every little thing as I drew it out,” said Truscott. He said, “I encourage my students to be active online. Opportunities are rapidly increasing in design.” Many of those op-portunities come because of digitization and the Internet. “You can get more exposure and connect with a greater audience. So, I submitted mine to be an example.” There are 3 million annual visits to the public gallery on printmag.com. For a student that is just starting their career, an award like this can be very advantageous. “It is something you can put on your resume or be a talking point in an interview. Some-one might see some of your work they like, click on it, and contact you. It’s all about gaining exposure, which can lead to other things,” said Truscott, who has personal experience with getting work through such exposure. “People regularly contact me through my website, and ask me to design things” such as book covers, retail display, lo-gos, and T-shirts.

Left to Right: Brandon Truscott designs a print as part of his handlettering class; Truscott won a national design competition this past semes-ter. Photos by Brandon Truscott

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The Give ‘N’ Take is a student-founded and run operation that re-cycles used goods and gives students an opportunity to improve their standard of living. The Give ‘N’ Take was founded in 2010 by Kelly Ingold Nelson as a one-day senior project, but has caught hold at BYU-Hawaii and is now “almost its own little village,” stated Gabri-elle Sabalones, the Give ’N’ Take student manager. Sabalones said BYUH is in a unique circumstance with students who come from all over the world. Students arrive here with very little to their name, and with support from the Give ’N’ Take, they are able to get cribs and toys for their babies, find clothes for themselves, and feel a part of the community. Give ’N’ Take has also partnered with a few charities from around the island to give excess clothes away and give back to the community of Oahu. “The benefits of the Give ’N’ Take are pretty obvious,” joked Cara Adams, a 2014 BYUH graduate and mother of a 9-month-old boy. “You give a little and are able to take advantage of the recycled goods of others.” Adams was able to use the Give ’N’ Take after she had her son. Adams also said, “There are many options for baby clothes over there and the workers really helped out to make sure I had a good experience with my baby as well.” Bogan Henderson, a transfer student from BYU in Provo, said, “The Give ’N’ Take is very useful for all students but especially me. I am new here to BYUH. I needed some things and I have found many good items here to help with the transition into the hales.” Henderson said he is a big supporter of the Give ’N’ Take and hopes others take advantage of the great resources on campus to save some money and give back. Helping the student community and seeing the standard of living go up is what keeps Sabalones working through the hot and humid days in the Give ’N’ Take containers. “That is what keeps me coming back every day. It is not necessarily fun or glamorous and it doesn’t pay that well, but to see what a difference it can make in students lives; that is worth it,” said Sabalones. The Give ’N’ Take is located behind Hale 5 and is open Monday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To take advantage of all the resources there, just spend about 30 minutes helping Give ‘N’ Take organize or straighten up. Then you can take up to 10 items. You can drop items off in areas behind the hales, and there are drop boxes around campus as well.

For students, by studentsBYUH students give service to the community & the environmentBY TRENTON MCCULLOUGH

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Gabriell Sabalones, BYU-Hawaii student, manages the Give ‘N’ Take. Photo by Trenton McCullough

11JANUARY 22, 2015

S.W.A.T.T (Special Waste Action and Tech-nology Team) is making a big impact in the goal of sustainability on campus. Three prin-ciples are at the core of this effort are reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Reduce Most drinking fountains on campus have a fill station where people can refill their water bottles. Instead of continuously buying new water bottles, people can reuse the ones they already have. Les Harper, sustainability coordinator at BYUH, said the fill stations have significantly reduced the amount of drinking bottles that would have been used—and thrown away. “In total, the fill stations have been used over 100,000 times. That could potentially be 100,000 drinking bottles. It’s a program that’s gone basically unnoticed by most,” Harper added.

Reuse A program that has received more notice for reuse is Give ‘N’ Take. “We liter-ally take old stuff, add value to it, and make it possible for other people to use it instead of throwing it away,” said Gabrielle Sabalo-nes, a senior from Indiana majoring in ICS. Sabalones works first-hand with the materials

that come and go from Give ‘N’ Take. “In the past month, we gave away 4,233 items,” Sabalones said. Give ‘N’ Take is not designed to save the school money, but “it saves the church and students about 1/3 of a million dollars,” Harper said.

Recycle The school collects paper, newspa-per, cardboard and sometimes metal to recy-cle. Carlos Speranza, the sustainable program manager and pest control supervisor, said recycling these materials saves the garbage truck two trips to the landfill each week. “The trash guy used to go to the landfill six times a week. Now he goes only four times a week,” Speranza said. “He goes three times for free because we are a non-profit company. The other three times we had to pay $300, so we save $600 a week.” The garbage collector used to take a lot more plant debris to Honolulu as well. Leaves can be recycled into mulch to be used to grow more plants. Harper said, “Between the PCC and BYUH, we are always hav-ing to trim back trees and palms, to make the campus beautiful and safe. So we have resurrected a tub grinder. It’s a great, big, massive piece of equipment for grinding

up the branches, and mulch comes out the other end.” The tub grinder saves all of these materials from having to be wasted and transported.

Awareness/Involvement Speranza said students can help the sustainability workers by “putting the materials in the right bin.” Speranza said the recycle bins end up with trash in them, even though they are specifically labeled for cardboard only. “Just follow the signs and sort the material where it belongs,” Speranza advised. Harper added students can alert Facilities Management if there are places that aren’t being properly serviced. As part of their effort to help people become more aware of the recycling and sustainability programs on campus, the Facilities Management team also makes laun-dry detergent. The program is called Soap for Savings. “We’re not doing it to be nice. We’re doing it as an awareness program to say ‘Hey, we’ve done really well in recycling and this is why we’re giving you the soap’,” Harper said. The materials used to make a gallon of soap costs only $1, and one gallon can wash 16 loads of laundry, said Speranza.

A better way to conserve power and resourcesRecycling at BYUH BY KA I TL IN BROYLES

“It saves the church and students about 1/3 of a million dollars,” Les Harper said of BYU-Hawaii Give ‘N’ Take. Photo by Trent McCullough

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BY JESS ICA TAUTFEST

B eing multilingual is a common charac-teristic of students at BYU-Hawaii. For

Filipino graduate Kit Nadado, who majored in TESOL, and Tiffany Ng, a TESOL sopho-more from Hong Kong, a diverse lingual background has been a bridge to connect with other students on the personal level. Hello, nei hou, ni hao, and ku-musta—Tiffany Ng is fluent in four languag-es and is learning a new one: Spanish. Ng grew up speaking Cantonese and Tagalog. In Hong Kong, people speak Cantonese, but she grew up in a home where her mother and Filipino grandmother spoke Tagalog. In school, Ng was required to learn Mandarin and English. At BYUH, she decided she wanted to learn Spanish as well. “First of all, I think that Spanish is really cool. I think that because I know four languages, Spanish will also help me in my future,” said Ng. Ng said she wants to learn Korean and American Sign Language to be a well-rounded linguist. She also wants to go back to Hong Kong and teach children the different languages she knows: “In 40 years, I want to teach kids sign language because I want to help kids to be able to communicate with lots of other people,” said Ng. The Philippines was once ruled by Spain, and because of this, Ng said the verbs and other words in Spanish are the same in Tagalog. Although Ng speaks English on campus, she most often speaks Cantonese

with her friends. Tagalog has also helped Ng make more friends by being able to con-nect with Filipinos. As she said, “At BYUH, I have a lot of Filipino friends. When you speak their language, no matter what they think that you are a part of them.” She added, “I feel like, because I know a lot of different languages, I have a lot of different friends. I have learned a lot from our differences. It is really nice to be a student here.” Kit Nadado has a similar story. Knowing four languages, Nadado finds English, Tagalog, and two dialects from the Philippines—Ilocano and Cebuano—most comfortable. Nadado said he has picked up each language as he’s moved around. “I grew up with Ilocano, then went into English, which is started in the Philippines in kindergarten, but not spoken a lot. “My family moved to a Tagalog-speaking area and they also speak Ilocano there. Then I served a mission in Bacolod, Philippines speaking Cebuano.” Laughing, Nadado said, “It’s kind of a lot.” Now at BYUH, Nadado said the language he uses the most on campus, beside English, is Tagalog. “A lot of Filipinos

Already multilingual, two students desire to reach as many as they can by learning more languages

Building Bridges Through Language

around here come from different parts of the islands, and we have kind of decided to speak Tagalog because everyone in the Philippines is taught Tagalog in school.” As a common language for the Filipino students, Tagalog creates an instant connection Filipinos from different cultures to come together. Nadado said there is a sense of ownership and identity that comes with being able to know another person better through language. Learning a language for the first time is not like learning how to ride a bicy-cle. Rather, Nadado explains, going through the process of learning different languages gets easier through the skills you acquire while learning. “The techniques I learned when picking up one new language I can apply to learning another; there are just different rules and different vocabulary with the new language,” he said. Nadado said being multilingual helps him to be informed, not fooled, and aware of what people are saying. As he said, “I can react correctly and respond correctly to people. It is easier to defend my beliefs and share my opinions.”

Left: Kit Nadando from the Phillipines speaks English, Tagalog, Ilocano, and Cebuano. Right: Tiffany Ng, speaks Cantonese, Tagalog, Korean, and American Sign Language. Photos by Milani Ho.

13JANUARY 22, 2015

T he 25th Moanike’ala Hula Festival strived to capture the spirit of Sally Moanike’ala Wood Naluai who served at the Polynesian

Cultural Center for 17 years, says PCC’s website. This year, the festival hosted a halau hula (hula school) from Japan and Aunty Sally’s own niece, Victoria “Sunday Girl” Napuananionapalionakoolau Kekuaokalani Mariteragi’s local halau, among others. Aunty Keala Miller, an esteemed community leader of Laie and kumu hula, said, “Having the festival in the Hawaiian Village as opposed to the theatre brings it home and makes it personal. I just hope the PCC doesn’t decide to cancel the festival as a whole.” Aunty Keala also pointed out that many young people who are now off the island at college call back home to kupuna like herself or Cy Bridges, a retired PCC kumu hula, to learn the hula that they “didn’t take seriously” in their younger years. Speaking of the festival, Pualalea Barrows, a freshman from Maui, said, “I just love that not only the Hawaiians in the village, but also Hawaiians from all the different halau on the island, came together to celebrate Aunty Sally’s legacy.” Hula is integral to the Hawaiian community, said Aunty Sunday Mariteragi. She voiced it is important to let younger people come into their own when it comes to learning the art. In introduc-ing the youngest members of her halau, Mariteragi said, “Everyone who wants to learn will learn in their own time.” Aunty Sunday con-tinues the legacy of her kupuna, Aunty Sally, by continuing to teach not only the spirit of hula, but also to love and cherish the sacred art. One of the local dancers said, “This year’s festival brought together an audience willing to learn and appreciate Hawaiian hula culture, a community filled with love and support, as well as students from across the globe. I can only hope for this tradition of exhibition to continue here at the PCC.”

Hula students and kumus showcase their heritage

Hula Festival Brings Halaus Together BY MORGYNNE TORA

Top to Bottom: “Sunday Girl” performs a solo hula number; Two male hula

performers; Halau ‘o Keala performs outside with the band.

Photos by Hector Periquin. .

15JANUARY 22, 2015

B enny Kai Jr., BYU-Hawaii alumni and Ambassador of Aloha, passed away at the age of 54 in his home two days before

Christmas, surrounded by his family after a year and a half of battling lymphoma cancer. “He shared his Hawaiian aloha spirit and entertained count-less thousands of guests at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Aloha, Benny Kai. Aloha,” said the PCC Facebook page on the day of his death. Sharon Craighead Kai, his wife of 32 years, said Kai contrib-uted to PCC’s entertainment for most of his life. “He started when he was 17 or 18 years old, right out of high school. When he first started working there, he was a dancer, then a musician, then he became the emcee at the Luau and Hawaiian ambassador.” Even after hospitalization, Kai continued to entertain. He would sing to other patients and he played for YouTube from his hospital bed, according to the Hawaii Reporter. Music helped him endure, Kai said before his death. “It almost ruined my will to live, but I always thought about my music,” Kai said to Hawaii News Now in May 2014. His music had made him a crowd favorite at PCC for over 30 years, and he was well known for playing his ukulele behind his head and with his teeth. The Hawaii Reporter wrote in May 2014 that Kai was active in the community as well by, “sharing his Hawaiian heritage to the students of La’ie elementary school and Na Kamalei preschool, teaching music and Hawaiian culture to the keikis with his characteristic zeal and enthusiasm.” The Kahuku, Laie and Hauula communities helped the Kai family in their time of need. Sharon said, “The community support was very much appreciated. It was other people wanting to do it, not us saying we need help. People just wanted to help.” To raise money

for his stem cell transplant, a 5K was organized, as well as a concert at PCC. “When I saw just the tidal waves of love and people just helping, I was just blown away,” Kai said to Hawaii News Now last May. “I cry because I am so grateful for the love. In Hawaii, we may live on an island, but yet our hearts are as big as the island.” Kai never got his stem cell transplant, said his wife, Sharon. ”He didn’t because there was no match. Polynesian-Asian blood types are the ones who do not sign up for transplant. It is not an invasive transplant sort of thing—like bone marrow transplants—but people don’t know that. Its just stem cells like a blood donation. Good to know for everybody. I made all my kids sign up, even if it’s not a match for Dad.” Sharon continued, “We met at BYU-Hawaii in a health class. He would serenade me under my dorm window. Bring me ros-es. I already had my mind set on going on a mission, so he decided to go, too. He went to the Philippines and I went to England. We got married July 3, 1982.” Their daughter saw her parents’ strength in their final days. “The love my parents had for each other is priceless. With a coura-geous spirit, Dad tackled his race head on with Mom beside him. He has helped us heal with his bright smile,” Tasha Kai, daughter and Olympic gold medalist, said to former mayor Mufi Hannemann, who wrote of his own memories of the musician in Midweek. “He had a contagious smile and was a gifted musician. Through the years, when I would bump into Benny in the commu-nity, the wide grin was embedded on his countenance. Benny had a heart of gold,” wrote Hannemann. Sharon chuckled as she said, “He loved to bear his testi-mony, he loved to sing. He is probably still singing,”

Remembering Benny Kai Jr.Cancer claims life of BYU-Hawaii alum and PCC emceeBY SAMONE ISOM

The former PCC emcee is remembered by family and friends for his contagious smile and musical talent, making him a crowd favorite at the Luau. Photo courtesy of Mike Foley

KE ALAKA‘I16

Swag vs. Sweatpants

BY ALYSSA WALHOOD

Single senior sisters share their first-day-of-school suggestions for snagging a soulmate

As a senior female going into her final se-mester at BYU-Hawaii, the first day of school presents a tough decision for me: make a last ditch effort to get married with a Pinterest-perfect outfit, or dress how I want- in sweatpants. This year I sat down with women in the same boat, figuring out the outfit that could make or break their image, dating life, “basically everything,” according to Alison Reece, a sophomore in hospitality and tour-ism management from Utah. “The important thing is looking good without trying too hard and taking advantage of the nice weather,” said Reece, a recently returned missionary who served in the Ukraine Donetsk Mission. On the first day of school, Reece opted for a flowy, femi-nine shirt and shorts, “because it’s January and we can get away with it.” The RM laughingly said she wore the shorts with pride since the rest of her family lives in Utah where, Reece analogized, the weather is like “Frozen” before Elsa could control her powers. “I had to wear my sandals because it’s January and well, I can,” said Reece, laughing to herself and looking out toward the warm sunshine. While Reece bragged about her sun-warmed shins to her family through Snapchat, for other women, getting ready for the first day of school was inspired by celebrities rather than bragging rights.“I Googled pictures of my fashion idol,

Taylor Swift, for my first day of school outfit. She’s an icon and always looks great,” said Rina Tafua, a senior in university studies from California. “Her secret to looking good? Black sunglasses and a red lip. Boom! First day of school perfection.” Though iconic, the Swift-Tafua red lipstick didn’t fly for some BYUH women who opted for less glam and more spam. Armed with a musubi in hand, Amanda Winger, a junior in elementary education from Canada, lounged in the Seasider in sweatpants and a black BYUH basketball shirt. “Listen,” she said before taking a bite of spam musubi, “I’ve been here six semesters already, and no one really cares what you wear. Why dress up fancy on the first day of school? No one’s gonna keep that up, so we all might as well drop the pretense and wear what we want, and we all know it’s about the sweatpants, baby.” A table of fresh-men girls smiled and nodded as Winger lifted her sweatpant-sheathed leg onto the table and showcased it with outstretched arms. Whether in sweats, in Swift, or in sunshine swag, the first day of school gives students the opportunity to start the semester how they want, and while that first outfit might seem like the make-or-break moment for a chance to get married, all Winger can say is, “I’m already engaged.”

Alison Reece sports shorts to taunt her snow-locked family in Utah while she

enjoys Hawaii’s sunshine.Photo By Milani Ho

The important thing is looking good without trying too hard, and taking advantage of the

nice weather.