News

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 ...

Staff Report On February 12, 2013, Dr. Sergio La Porta returned to Sonoma State University to deliver a lecture as part of the 30th Annual Holocaust Lecture Series, organized by the Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide of SSU and the Alliance for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide. Dr. La Porta has lectured in the ...

Staff Report Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced that Gladys Z. Ashjian has made a generous bequest of $50,000 to the Armenian Studies Program to establish the Gladys Z. Ashjian Endowment for Armenian Studies. Ashjian was a 1930 graduate of Fresno State and the proceeds of her endowment will be used to promote Armenian Studies at Fresno ...

Marine Vardanyan Staff Writer Did you know that the Fresno State Armenian Studies Program has its own website? An important component of the College of Arts and Humanities, the Armenian Studies Program (ASP) brings education, cultural enlightenment, and unity to the students of Fresno State and to the Armenian community. Along with participating in the ASP sponsored events and activities, ...

Tamar Karkazian Editor Starting in January of this year, students in the Armenian Studies Program have had the opportunity to take a class from Dr. Sona Haroutyunian (Professor of Armenian Studies, University of Venice). But on February 25, the opportunity was expanded to the wider community, as Dr. Haroutyunian, the 10th Kazan Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies, presented a lecture ...