News

Staff Report Famed basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian passed away at age 84 on Wednesday, February 11, at a Las Vegas-area hospital with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife, Lois, four children and seven grandchildren. Tarkanian was born on Aug. 8, 1930, in Euclid, Ohio. His mother, Rosie, was a refugee from the genocide of Armenians ...

Marine Vardanayn Editor Sometimes it takes an accident to produce the most beautiful of works. Attorney Matthew Karanian, author of the new illustrated book, Historic Armenia After 100 Years, admitted that the product itself was an “accidental publication.” Karanian spoke on the process of creating his book as part of the Spring Lecture series of the Armenian Studies Program, held ...

Staff Report On Saturday, January 31, the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) hosted a one-day conference on “The Armenian Genocide: Accounting and Accountability.” Held at CSUN’s Grand Salon, the conference was part of the United Armenian Council of Los Angeles’s series of Armenian Genocide Centennial events, and was dedicated to the generations of 1915 and 2015. ...

Marina Chardukian Staff Writer The Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State is fortunate to have visiting scholars to teach in their area of expertise. This year’s Kazan Visiting Professor, Dr. Myrna Douzjian, is teaching a new course, Armenian Studies 120T- “The Armenian Genocide in Film.” Dr. Douzjian has been teaching for twenty years and greatly enjoys being a visiting professor. ...

Staff Report Last year Dr. Sergio La Porta was awarded a sabbatical for the Fall semester of 2014. He spent it in Rome, Italy, pursuing research and working with a colleague there. His family also joined him for the semester. When asked why he chose Rome, Dr. La Porta responded that it provided him with the opportunity to work with ...

Aramayis Arkusyan Staff Writer With the one hundred year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide fast approaching, the Fresno community has been teeming with events commemorating the tragic year that left the history of the Armenian people stained with blood. Among the many local organizations participating in the commemoration of the Genocide Centennial, under the umbrella of the Armenian Genocide Committee-Fresno, ...

Tatevik Hovhannisyan Staff Writer The Spring 2015 semester has begun with many educational and fun activities coordinated by the Armenian Students Organization Executive Committee. This semester is particularly extraordinary because the members are also actively participating in the community activities planned for the Centennial Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. On January 24, the ASO members attended the Sayat Nova Choir ...

Staff Report Amidst a recent donation of books on Armenian history and literature by Dr. Jeannette Hovsepian to the Armenian Studies Program was a remarkable find: a small book of 12 postcards from 1931, printed in France with captions in Armenian, entitled AGBU Memento of [its] Silver Anniversary. The cards were produced to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Armenian ...

If you could go back and visit an Armenian Historical event, what would it be and why? Haverj Stanboulian Staff Writer Ani Ekezyan Freshman Major: Biology If I could go back in time and visit an Armenian historical event it would be September 21, 1991, when the Republic of Armenia was restored after 70 years of Soviet rule. It would ...

Lauren Chardukian Staff Writer 1,564 years ago, in 451 AD, the Armenians, under the leadership of General Vartan Mamigonian, fought for their religious and political freedom from the neighboring Sassanid Persians. Although the Armenians were greatly outnumbered they fought valiantly. By the end of the battle there were 1,036 Armenian casualties and many Persian casualties. This historic event is known ...