March 17, 2011
Volume 95: Issue 11
Ke Alaka i THE LEADER
Elite Eight
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Seasiders among final eight in nationals
Disaster Strikes
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Campus reels from quakes & tsunamis
Front Cover: The BYU-Hawaii Men’s Basketball team players celebrate as they return home after three wins and making it into the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Photo by Sam Sukimawa
Table of Contents
Ke Alaka i March 17, 2011 • Volume 95: Issue 11
Amanda hansen edi tor-i n - c h ie f
KENT CAROLLO art director
Valerie bagley e di tor-i n - c h ie f
LEEANN LAMBERT advisor
SENIOR EDITORS Ni c ol e Cl a rk Bl ake Baxte r
graphics TEAM Joan Yau Naomi Yanga
photo EDITOR Sam S u ki m aw a
VideO EDITOR Lindsay Bancroft
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Students discuss how and where they evacuated for the tsunami
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The Spirit of Aloha Service project unites BYUH students and community members
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Students worry about family, friends after disasters in Japan
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Men’s Basketball make history, go to the Elite Eight
photoGRAPHERS B art Jo l l e y De w e y K e i t h l y A m y Sm i t h
Multimedia journalists Car rie Collingridge, James C ho i , Kel s ey E l d er Aa r on Pu z ey , Nat han Pac k er , T a yl o r Ri p p y, A s hl en Qui r ante, Marissa Elder, Marni Va i l , Xa unta l Br i g htm a n, Savan nah Pipkin, A nd r ew Lyo n
INTERNS
web design
Rach e l Au Ie on g Suzann e Tu ttle
Rachel Au Ieong Ad manager A aron Kn u d s e n
Email: kealakai@byuh.edu AD INFO: KEALAKAIADS@GMAIL.COM Phone: ( 8 0 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 6 9 4 Fax: (80 8 ) 6 7 5 - 3 4 9 1 Office: C am pu s A loh a C e n t e r R o o m 1 34 News Center Box 1920 BYUH Laie, HI 96762
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Students react differently to evacuation The tsunami evacuation on March 10 caused mixed emotions for students of BYU-Hawaii. Some students did not have to evacuate, while others grabbed their 72-hour kits and headed to higher ground. Lauren Bullock, Hale 2 mom, began informing residents of the watch around 9:45 p.m. “Everything’s going to be okay,” she said. “You may want to pack up important papers, food and water in an overnight bag.” Many off-campus students and community members reported that Foodland was extra crowded as people received the news and a long line of cars stretched down Kam Highway as people waited to buy gas. On-campus residents seemed unaffected by the news. Hale 2 residents lounged around and continued watching TV. Senecca
Alberdi, an art major from Maui, said, “I didn’t have to do much of evacuating. I live on campus so I just packed up my few valuables and headed up to the second floor.” Freshman in graphic design, Brendan Nelson, from Utah, joked, “I say break out the kayaks and the surfboards.” His girlfriend, Barabara Shelton, a freshman in biology from Saudi Arabia, said, “I agree with Brendan; I think it may be possible to outrun a tsunami.” However some students said they were afraid of the tsunami. “It was scary,” said Marry Garbett, a freshman in ICS from Utah. “I was okay for the most part until all the girls in the hales started screaming and freaking out. It was irritating when they didn’t cancel school—we were all so tired.” Paul Clonts, a junior in social work from California, said, “I live on sea level right next to the beach so we evacuated as soon as we heard about it. We put all of out belongings on the top bunk of our bunk beds and then headed over to a friends house on the point.” Some students said they stayed with
BYUH students Ali Beifuss and Alicia May evacuated to higher ground. Photo by Bart Jolley
friends at TVA, in the hales, or went to Temple hill. Others said they stayed with family up on the hill in Kahuku. Min Zhi Wei, a 2-D art major from China, said she stayed with family in Kahuku. She said she moved just about everything from Laie to Kahuku just in case a tsunami hit here.
- ke alaka’ i ne ws te am
Disaster in Japan hits home for many BYUH ohana Worried about their family and friends in Japan and how the country and people there are going to cope with the effects of the disaster, the BYU-Hawaii ohana and people in the surrounding communities have had difficult days since the earthquakes and tsunamis on March 10. Mikan Kaida, a business major from Japan, said she could not believe the disaster was happening in her country. “It was like something from a movie,” Kaida said, but she was very relieved when she found out all her family was safe. Phone lines were down or jammed and power outages around the country also made it hard for people here to contact family and friends in Japan. This semester there are about 103 students from Japan studying at BYUH. Many students said they used facebook and other social networks to get information. Some said they waited days to find out if their families were okay. Edward Thompson, a freshman in exercise science and Hawaiian studies from Honolulu, has relatives in Japan. “My cousin is missing,” he said. “The majority of my family lives in the south so they are all fine. My dad called me Thursday night and told me the situa-
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tion. My first reaction was ‘family.’ Then after they set out the warning here, I found out that a cousin went missing.” Thousands are missing or dead after the quakes and tsunamis in Japan. The Associated Press reported in one town alone in Japan, 10,000 people are unaccounted for and the rescue effort is daunting. Kiyomi Hamai, senior in anthropology from Japan, said, “I am exhausted from worrying about my home country because I will be back there in a month after graduating from here in April. More than looking for a job, I wonder if there are places I can effectively serve to help the people up north.” Hamai is from the southern part of Japan, she said, “where there was hardly any effect, so my family members were basically okay. Some of my family members who live in Tokyo also survived. They later told me that they had walked home.” Ayumi Watanabe, a sophomore from a city near Tokyo called Tochigi, said she “was able to get in contact with them after it all happened. It is still a very scary thing though. My grandfather lives close to where the tsunami hit, but luckily he lives on high ground. I’m so grateful to know my family is safe.” Besides students from Japan and BYUH ohana who have family living, there are also others who have lived in Japan either with their families or while serving LDS missions. They too have been affected by the disaster recognizing areas they lived in or served in while in Japan.
Alex Hodson, a freshman who lived in Japan before he came to BYUH, said, “I lived more on the south side so the damage down there wasn’t as severe. But a ton of windows were broken.” Information on lds.org says all the LDS missionaries serving in Japan are accounted for and a First Presidency statement says “our prayers, and the prayers of millions of Latter-day Saints across the world, are with them as they begin to recover from this disaster.” As of March 14, lds.org says about 95 percent of members in affected areas in Japan have been contacted and initially there are no confirmed deaths. It also says no significant damage was done to the temple in Tokyo and church leaders are assessing damage to other church buildings. An LDS temple is being constructed in Hokkaido, the northern most part of Japan, said Hamai, and she hoped this experience will help members in Japan to be humble, better prepared to share the gospel, and better prepared for future disasters. “I think that a 72-hour kit is going to be the example of members in Japan,” Hamai said. “We should be preparing now when we can do it. We cannot be ‘at ease in Zion,’ but we can be the light shining on the hill.” A bake sale for Japan was organized in Laie on Tuesday, March 15 to raise money for people in Japan, and the LDS Church is taking donations on its Website at www.ldsphilanthropies.org/ldsp/news-features/ donate-humanitarian.html. -K e A l a ka` i New s Team
Uniting students and the community The Spirit of Aloha Service Project is last event of annual campus One Week Students gathered early Saturday, March 12 to participate in the fourth annual Spirit of Aloha Service Project, which took place at various locations throughout the community. The event, sponsored by the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding, was comprised of five projects all performed within a three-hour period Saturday morning. Projects included working at Gunstock Ranch, Cackle Fresh Farms on the border of Kahuku and Laie, doing yard work at local kapunas’ homes, and a beach clean up along the Bikini Beach shoreline. “The project was targeted to develop an understanding between students and the
community. I think what we experienced on Saturday was the essence of that,” commented Asia Rikard, a sophomore in human resources from Oregon. “Each student and community member involved were able to come away with a fortified respect and understanding of the importance of serving one another.” A grand finale to BYU-Hawaii’s “One Week,” the Spirit of Aloha was much more than picking up trash or trimming trees. Sentiments are deeper; effects are more powerful than your average beach clean up. Participants have the opportunity to genuinely connect with local community members and form bonds with unlikely individuals.
Spirit of Aloha Project Director Katie Williams stated, “The mission of the Spirit of Aloha Service Project, and One Week in general, is to bring Laie community and the school closer together, to rebuild trust, build lasting relationships, and to also inspire a spirit of service on campus and encourage activism among students and faculty.” Over 100 volunteers dedicated their time and efforts to make the event a success. Ask any participant and they will explain what this success meant and how it has impacted their life and role in the community. “The theme for this year was ‘Kuleana: My Brothers’ Keeper,’” continued Wil-
Left Photo: Members of the Spirit of Aloha Service project help to serve the community. Photo courtesy of Kristal Sabaitis. For more One Week stories and photos go to kealakai. byuh.edu or check out the Ke Alaka`i facebook page.
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liams, a senior in ICS-Communications from Oregon. “We planned activities throughout the week to address issues of ‘kuleana,’ which is Hawaiian for responsibility and stewardship. Saturday, our focus was ‘Intercultural Understanding.’ We felt that we could best address our responsibility to others and the land by actively engaging in the community in meaningful service. We split up and dispersed throughout the community: at homes, the beach, Gunstock…Students were able to learn about Hawaiian culture, experience it themselves, and broaden their understanding of others through direct interaction and bonding.” -T a y l or R i p p y
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Seasiders win 3 to be in Elite Eight FOr first time in school history The Seasiders have moved into the Elite-Eight of the NCAA II National Tournament for the first time in school history. “We played as a team more,” said Seasider Jet Chang. “Our games were pretty rough. When we scored, they responded. Everybody played hard and supported everybody.” MARCH 14 - BYUH beat Dixie State 79-73. Dixie was their last remaining competitor from the Pac West after Chaminade was knocked-out. Dixie handed the Seasiders their last home loss via double-overtime so this game was payback. But the Seasiders team effort overtook Dixie. Jake Dastrup, Jet Chang, Junior Ale, Marques Whippy, and Rory Patterson scored in double digits. Patterson nailed a three pointer 19 seconds in to welcome Dixie into this do-or-die game. From there, Dixie would take an 8-point lead only to be reeled in and left behind by halftime 44-31 as Dastrup hit his third three in the last second of the half.
Only 29 seconds into the second half Dastrup sunk another three to give BYUH a 14-point margin over Dixie. From there the Seasiders fought through and kept the lead to finish 79-73. Dastrup ended the night with 18 points, with five three pointers. Ale and Chang both had 14 points, and Patterson and Whippy both ended with 10. Heath Gameren dished out four assists and made nine points. March 12 - BYUH squashed Alaska-Anchorage. They took the lead kept it for the rest of the game. The Seasiders stretched the lead to as much as 26 points before cruising to finish at 100-91 to move into the sweet 16 for the fourth year in a row. Chang led with 26 points and was followed by Patterson with 22, which came mostly from behind the three-point line. Ale came off the bench for 15 and marksman Dastrup had 14 points, all but two of those points were threes. Whippy had another great game with 12 points, 11 re-
Mustapha El-Akkari, Jet Chang and Junior Ale celebrate their win. Photo by Sam Sukimawa
bounds, five assists, five steals, and two blocks. MARCH 11 - Against Cal StateDominguez Hills on the 11th, the Seasiders couldn’t get a lead until just before halftime when they went in up 43-36. From there BYUH kept the lead to finish with the same margin at 83-76. Whippy dropped 31 points against Dominguez along with eight rebounds and three blocks. These wins put the National Division II Finals game just two wins away. The next game, which will dictate the Final-Four, will be March 23 in Springfield, Mass. -Nate Packe r
