News

Annie Rubio Editor Throughout the deportations and mass atrocities committed during the Armenian Genocide, one member of the Turkish government appeared as a source of hope and benevolence. Cemal Pasha, governor of Adana and Greater Syria, was said to have lenient policies regarding Armenians, going insofar as to face off with the other member of the Committee of Union and ...

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 ...

Staff Report The Fresno Institute for Classical Armenian Translation (FICAT) hosted nine students from around the world last summer for a two-week intensive reading seminar. This unique program was led by Dr. Sergio La Porta, Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies, at Fresno State, and Dr. Michael Pifer, a lecturer at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Participating ...

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 ...