Suren Oganessian Staff Writer Last year, Armenia made a difficult and controversial decision to withdraw from Europe’s premier annual music contest, Eurovision, concerned that its venue in Baku, Azerbaijan, would present security concerns for their performers. Now that the contest is being held in Sweden, Armenia is poised to make a comeback. The Eurovision Production Team of Public Television of ...

Marine Vardanyan Staff Writer What comes to your mind when you hear of “Armenian Genocide through Literature and Translation”? For students enrolled in Dr. Sona Haroutyunian’s Armenian Studies 120T class at Fresno State, the focus of the course was initially ambiguous. We entered the classroom unaware of the impact this class would have on us. Both curious and anxious, we ...

Tatevik Hovhannisyan Staff Writer Hayeren-Hayastan http://hayeren.hayastan.com/english Main Categories: General, Alphabet, Selfteacher, Dictionaries, Converter, Fonts, Literature, Names, Guest Book, About Us When learning the Armenian language, one of the biggest obstacles is learning the alphabet, with 38 unique letters and sounds. The alphabet takes time and practice to be learned, but this website is a great reference for anyone trying to ...

Denise Altounian Staff Writer What was your favorite recent ASO activity? Michael Rettig Junior Major: History My favorite activity was ice-skating at the downtown rink. I love ice-skating and I was able to bring my younger brother along and he enjoyed hanging with the ASO group.   Alek Khatchigian Sophomore Major: Business Administration- Accounting Option Laser Tag. Its lasers and ...

Tamar Karkazian Editor Thursday, February 7, an ordinary day for most, but a special date for Armenians, as it is on this date that Armenians come together to celebrate Vartanantz, an Armenian holiday celebrating the strength and victory of their ancestors. This year the annual Vartanantz celebration was hosted at First Armenian Presbyterian Church, with the support of St. Paul ...

Marine Vardanyan Staff Writer Twenty-two years have passed since the Republic of Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union. Throughout those years, the relatively young country has struggled to rise and prosper. The people of Armenia have lived through the Mout Ou Tsourt Tariner (“The Dark and Cold Years”), the Karabagh War, and simply, the struggle to exist. Despite ...

Tamar Karkazian & Andrew Esguerra Editor & Staff Writer With a new semester well under way, ASO executive officers reflected on their involvement in ASO, about their goals, as well as their plans for the upcoming semester. President Hagop Ohanessian, Vice President Marine Vardanyan, Treasurer Lilit Grigoryan, Secretary Laura Chardukian, and Public Relations Officer Kevork Ajamian are all excited about ...

Tatevik Hovhannisyan Staff Writer “You can sing when you feel sad, or be happy when you want to dance,” explained Hasmik Harutyunyan, at a workshop on Saturday, February 2, sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program and Armenian Students Organization. The Associated Students, Inc., financially supported the event. Harutyunyan’s annual visit to Fresno State has quickly become a tradition for the ...

Aleek Karkazian Staff Writer Lively chatter filled the spacious Alice Peters Auditorium in the University Business Center at Fresno State on the evening of January 28th. More than 100 Fresno state students, alumni, and members of the Fresno community, of varying ages and ethnic backgrounds, had gathered to hear Dr. Ronald Marchese’s lecture entitled “Treasures of Faith: Sacred Objects from ...

Denise Altounian Staff Writer 1.5 million. For every Armenian this number brings one thing to mind, the 1.5 million victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. We may have memorized the number, but when was the last time we took a moment to really think about what that number means. In his lecture, “Perpetrators, Bystanders and Rescuers vs. Victims, Survivors and ...