It’s not hard to find people in Laie, Kahuku, and Hau’ula who are frustrated with BYU-Hawaii. Most of the controversy surrounds the school’s plans for growth and the impacts development in Laie will have on the broader North Shore community. I have asked many locals to explain their feelings about this to me. One of the most consistent themes in these conversations is that so many people on the North Shore oppose the school’s expansion because those who benefit from it are outsiders from the mainland or countries far across the sea. One man was particularly blunt: “Who are these new students coming to BYU-Hawaii? They are not Hawaiian—they are all Chinese!”
A few weeks ago a friend of mine revealed an inner frustration she had told few others about: if she could have it her way, she would major in History. However, what she wanted did not matter. Her mother absolutely forbade her from switching her major to History. “You must choose a major that will help you find a job!,” her mother said. “How would you ever find a job if you decided to study history?”
Earlier this week a friend of this investigator proposed his personal theory of “why dating never happens at BYU-H.” Said he:
“I think the guys here at BYU-Hawaii got it all wrong. They all talk as if they can never find girls who like them. This is every guy’s worry. But they shouldn’t be worried. All the girls like them. Don’t forget where we are at – this is BYU-Hawaii! We have a ratio of seven girls to one guy. There is not a guy on campus who couldn’t find a girlfriend if he really wanted because the girls just don’t have that many other options. There are so many girls here that all the guys need to do to find one they will be happy with is have the confidence to ask them out. It is all about the numbers.” I have heard arguments similar to this one many times before. Some girls worry that the university does not have enough men to choose from; others vent their frustration with a perceived need to compete with so many other women on campus to get a guy’s attention. Though the number thrown out to describe the school’s gender imbalance is never the same (I’ve heard everything from 2:1 to 7:1), everyone seems to agree that the number of girls on campus swamps the men available. Are things really this bad? |
*Although this organization has members who are Brigham Young University Hawaii students, the organization is not a part of or affiliated with the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's content.
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