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Annie Rubio Editor William Saroyan is a name many consider synonymous with Fresno, California. He was a beloved writer, whose voice united Armenians across the globe and whose works have brought recognition and pride to the Armenian community.  On Friday, August 31, on what would have been Saroyan’s 110th birthday, a celebration was held to mark the opening of the ...

Claire Kasaian Staff Writer Dr. Ümit Kurt was appointed as the 15th Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies for the Fall 2018 semester at Fresno State. Dr. Kurt was previously at Fresno State in the 2015-2016 academic year as a Kazan Research Associate. As part of his duties this Fall, Dr. Kurt is teaching an Armenian Studies class, “The Armenian ...

Staff Report On Tuesday, September 4, 2018, the Armenian Students Organization (ASO) gathered for their first general meeting of the 2018-2019 school year and held elections for new executive officers. The results were as follows: President, Claire Kasaian; Vice-President, David Safrazian; Treasurer, Kara Statler; Public Relations, Violeta Agabekyan; and Secretary, Suzanna Ekmekchyan.   Claire Kasaian  President   Why did you ...

Staff Report More than sixty alumni participants of Armenian Studies Program Summer Study Trips gathered on Friday, April 27, at the Smittcamp Alumni House at Fresno State to celebrate thirty years of summer trips to Armenia.  The first Armenian Studies organized trip to Armenia took place in 1988, when Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian led a group of eight students to ...

Annie Rubio Editor   “Sovereignty cannot be conceived as the right to kill millions of people.” These words were spoken by Rafael Lemkin, an American lawyer of Polish-Jewish heritage who coined the term “genocide.” It is difficult to fathom the number of atrocities committed throughout history, but even more difficult to fathom what Winston Churchill once called, “a crime without ...

Michael Rettig Editor Every year on April 24, the world watches from a distance as Armenians around the world march in the streets or gather at memorials to honor those who were killed. Every year, that distance seems to diminish, as high profile celebrities help to educate the world about the details surrounding the Genocide. Commemorative events are not only ...

Claire Kasaian Staff Writer On March 18, more than 200 students, faculty, administrators, and members of the community joined together at the Fort Washington Country Club for the Armenian Studies Program 30th Annual Banquet. The event celebrated the more than forty students who received Armenian Studies Program scholarships in 2017-2018. Students earning a minor in Armenian Studies, graduating seniors, and ...

Suzanna Ekmekchyan Staff Writer The Armenian Students Organization went on an outing to San Francisco during Spring Break and had an amazing experience traveling together to see so many great sites, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. ASO members embarked on their journey bright and early Monday morning, March 26. Once they arrived in San Francisco, they went to the ...

David Safrazian Staff Writer “My grandparents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide, so I wanted to make a movie about the human story of the Genocide rather than a documentary,” said Naré Mkrtchyan. On Friday, April 20, 2018, Mkrtchyan, director of “The Other Side of Home,” was at Fresno State to premiere her film and then follow with an audience ...

Michael Rettig Editor As the semester draws to an end, three Fresno State students studying abroad at the American University of Armenia are preparing to return to Fresno. Cole Egoian, Stephen Gonzalez, and Yervand Boyajyan were awarded the Kashian Family Scholarship to spend the Spring 2018 semester in Yerevan. This scholarship provided them the opportunity to not only study at ...