News

Staff Report Forty years ago five scholars, Richard Hovannisian, Avedis Sanjian, Dickran Kouymjian, Nina Garsoian, and Robert Thomson, met to found the Society for Armenian Studies, dedicated to the development of Armenian Studies as an academic discipline. Today the SAS has become the largest professional organization for scholars and students working in the field of Armenian Studies. This year SAS ...

Aramayis Orkusyan Staff Writer Each year, the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State has the remarkable opportunity of inviting an internationally recognized scholar in contemporary Armenian affairs to teach a one semester topics course related to Armenian history, the Armenian Genocide, and the formation of the Armenian Republic. This opportunity is made possible through the generous endowment of the Henry ...

Marine Vardanyan Editor “We are now on Armenian land.” These words were declared by the first Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in the United States, Berj Apkarian, during the ceremony marking the opening of the Fresno office on Monday, October 20, 2014. Indeed, the office of the Honorary Consul, located on the eighth floor of the historic Pacific ...

Staff Writer Michael Rettig On a bright and cool Sunday, November 2, more than 500 people gathered at Fresno State’s Maple Mall, to break ground for a Monument in honor of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. There have been multiple such Monuments erected around the world, but Fresno State’s will be the first on a university campus. The groundbreaking ...

Staff Writer Aramayis Orkusyan The vibrant, emotionally rich cascades of Armenian influenced melodies filled the Fresno State Concert Hall on the evening of November 14, 2014, as the Khachaturian Trio of Armenia performed for a sold-out audience of more than 300. The Trio’s repertoire included the dramatic, deftly nuanced, passionate and powerful sounds of Rachmaninoff’s “Trio élégiaque No. 2 in ...

Special to Hye Sharzhoom On August 8, 2014, Bitlis municipality approved the renaming of five streets in this historic town of south-eastern Turkey. Among the new names was “William Saroyan Street,” after the great American-Armenian writer, whose ancestors left Bitlis before 1915. Saroyan was born in Fresno but felt strong ties to his ancestral home. He visited Bitlis in 1964 ...

Marine Vardanyan Editor The biggest advocate for furthering knowledge in Armenian history, culture, and language, Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program provides unique experiences for students to better acquaint themselves with Armenian studies. One such experience is the Summer Study Trip to Armenia. Since 1988, Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian has organized and led numerous groups of students to experience modern-day life ...

Tatevik Hovhannisyan Staff Writer “The crime was on their faces, every day, and you could see it,” stated film director Suzanne Khardalian. Her grandmother Khanoum was among the countless Armenian girls who, during the Genocide, were kidnapped and forcibly tattooed, with permanent marks on their young faces and hands. Khardalian’s film, “Grandma’s Tattoos” delves into the story of not only ...

Haverj Stanboulian Staff Writer As the end of the semester approaches, the Armenian Students Organization continues with its diverse activities and events. On Saturday, October 11, ASO celebrated its 40th anniversary with a Barbeque Night. Members played games, enjoyed Armenian food, and celebrated the anniversary. On Sunday, October 19, in the spirit of Halloween, ASO members visited Hobb’s Grove “Halloween ...

Staff Report The Armenian Orphan Rug was displayed from November 18-23, 2014 at the White House Visitor Center. The rug was a gift to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925.