Kara Statler Staff Writer Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, director of the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Northridge, was a guest speaker for the Armenian Studies Program’s Fall Lecture Series on Friday, September 30. His talk, “On the Trail of My Musa Dagh Ancestry,” documented Dr. Shemmassian’s journey of self-discovery and what became a life-long passion to conduct research on ...

Staff Report Dr. Sergio La Porta was invited to be a Lindsay Young Distinguished Visiting Senior Scholar in the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Fall of 2016. Dr. La Porta visited the University from September 11-17. While there, he gave a class for undergraduates in the Religious Studies program; led a ...

Staff Report Dr. Vatche Ghazarian of Pacific Grove, California, has donated 300 books to the Armenian Studies Program in memory of his father Mgrdich Ghazarian, who was the only male member of his family to survive the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The collection is composed of books from both the late Mgrdich Ghazarian’s library and also from Dr. Ghazarian’s collection, ...

Diana Gasparyan Staff Writer The Armenian Students Organization welcomed a new executive body at the start of the school year; Tadeh Issakhanian-President, Elena Sarmazian-Vice President, Diana Gasparyan-Secretary, Molly Gostanian-Treasurer, and Arthur Khatchatrian-Public Relations. They will bring new and creative ideas, activities, and volunteer opportunities for the members. Since its inception in 1974, the club has been dedicated to promoting awareness ...

Alina Arakelian Staff Writer Tadeh Issakhanian President Graduate Student Major: Executive Masters of Business Administration What will you bring to ASO this year? I hope to increase the number of students who become involved. I want to combine several different ideas in order to increase involvement at Fresno State as well as open a channel of communication and involvement between ...

Tadeh Issakhanian Staff Writer It has long been said by many wise men, in many different iterations, that the youth is our future. This is especially true when talking about a youth organization like the Armenian Students Organization (ASO), which constantly relies on incoming students to participate and take leadership roles. The organization’s future is looking brighter than ever with ...

Aramayis Orkusyan Staff Writer Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, director of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State, is not only active in the Armenian community of Fresno, but also abroad. This past summer, Professor Der Mugrdechian was invited to Beirut by the Tekeyan Cultural Association to give a talk to the Armenian community of Lebanon. In addition to visiting Lebanon, ...

Diana Gasparyan Staff Writer Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, Kazan Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies at Fresno State, spoke on the topic of, “Genocide and Humanitarian Resistance in Ottoman Syria, 1915-1917,” as the first of his three-part public lectures series on “Genocide and Resilience.” The lecture, which took place on Tuesday, September 20, offered new insight into the Armenian Genocide and attracted ...

Staff Report The Triple X Fraternity-Los Angeles Chapter has established a scholarship at Fresno State for 2016 announced Armenian Studies Program Director Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian. The Triple X-Los Angeles Chapter has donated $2,000 to establish the scholarship, which will be awarded to deserving Armenian students studying at Fresno State. The Triple X Fraternity is approaching its centennial in 2018, ...

Alina Arakelian • Staff Writer As an Armenian, what annual events do you look forward to and why?   Raffi Apkarian Senior, Chemistry Prpoor, which is the traditional preparation of grape molasses to celebrate the harvest. It is a great event that brings Armenians together in all aspects. The celebration is a way to share our culture by singing traditional ...