Hye Sharzhoom, January 1980

              aU.8 OUPd-flhU*
The Armenian Movement
The newspaper of the California State University, Fresno Armenian Students Organization, vol. 2   no.2      January 11,1980
Manoogian encourages
'Armenian spirit'
By Mark Malkasian
In a private, Dec. 28 meeting,
Archbishop Torkom Manoogian urged 11
members of the Armenian Students
Organization to instill the "Armenian
spirit" within Armenian-American youth.
"The Armenian spirit is knowing
yourself," said the Primate of the Eastern
Diocese of the Armenian Church.
" 'Who am I?' If you have the answer to
that question, you have the Armenian
spirit."
Archbishop Manoogian, the guest of
the Reverend Father DatevTatoolianand
Sts. Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Apostolic
Church in Reedley, pressed ASO
members to gain a thorough knowledge
of their Armenian heritage.
"Do not fall into the pitfalls of wrong
information from personal or group
pursuits because then we will not have
the full truth. We have it (truth) in the
books, heritage, culture and arts."
The Archbishop also suggested
activities to further Church unity.
"Organize activities which are not
controversial, where you are not going to
put this priest or that priest on the spot.
You will realize nothing but argument,"
said the Archbishop, a participant in the
October Church unity conference held in
Etchmiadzin.
Youth should maintain an interest in
the progress of Church unity, Archbishop
Manoogian said, but he warned against
direct involvement.
"Do not become involved in issues that
are beyond you. Don't waste your time on
issues and problems where you are not
the ones to make the final decision."
The Archbishop also addressed the role
of women in the Church, noting the
special position women have in the
Armenian Christian family.
"Use your talents in the areas that the
family is expecting of you," he told
women in the audience.
"Every member is assigned to a certain
responsibility. Women in the Armenian
Church have a very high place, starting
with the Virgin Mary. In our history, the
mother was everything in the home."
The question of women's rights in the
Church, specifically the absence of
women in the hierarchy, he said, largely
stems from the conflict between timeless
theological doctrine and modernistic
approaches of the 20th century.
"We don't call that discrimination in
our Christian Armenian understanding.
We don't have to follow the patterns of
other groups."
He added, however, "If any change
becomes necessary, it will take place.
Many things have changed in our
Church."
Archbishop Torkom Manogian
Regarding his own Eastern Diocese, the
Archbishop commented on the Church's
growing contribution to the Armenian
community.
"The Church is the mother and she is
taking care of the individual from birth to
the end."
The structure of the 55-parish Eastern
Diocese is buttressed by a solid
foundation of Armenian schools, Sunday
schools, the Armenian Church Youth
Organization, and, most recently, senior
citizens' groups, he said.
Armenian youth participate within the
community, the Archbishop said, but
most youth organizations are limited to
social activities. He concluded, however,
on a positive note, saying that many youth
are broadening their interests and
gaining a greater appreciation of their
Armenian heritage.
Tufenkjian takes helm
ASO elects new officers
By Bill Erysian
Congratulations are extended to the
Armenian   Student  Organization's  new
executive, which was elected during a
noon-time meeting on Thursday,  Sept.
6, 1979
The new ASO officers are: President,
John Tufenkjian; Vice President of Public
Affairs, Jim Karagosian; Vice President of
Activities, Pam Basmajian; Treasurer, Jim
Malkasian; and Secretary, Vickie
Kismetian.
Former ASO president Bryan Bedrosian
is optimistic about next year's activities
and feels confident the new executive is
well-motivated. "I think the new ASO
officers are young, but extremely
enthusiastic," Bedrosian said. "I'm sure
they will do an excellent job because they
are all very capable people."
Bedrosian said he expects this coming
semester will be the "best and most
productive one the ASO has had yet."
John Tufenkjian, newly-elected
president of the club, along with the rest
of the new executive, are an energetic
group with many fresh goals for the ASO
already sketched out. Tufenkjian said his
foremost objective is to get more people
involved in the Armenian Students
Organization. He said this goal is
interlocked with the necessity of
establishing a common interest within the
ASO as an Armenian-based group.
Tufenkjian also stressed the continuing
need for the ASO to be a comminity
involved organization. "We want to
inform the community of all our activities
and help out in any way we can," he said.
Tufenkjian added that he would
particularly like to continue working
closely with the United Armenian
Commemorative Committee and cited
the upcoming Armenian Heritage Week
as an important project.
The new president is impressed with
the diversity of the ASO and hopes to
extend the scope of the organization by
involving more students and "combining
their minds to work more together.
"We have so many different and
talented people—the potential is
fantastic," he said. "The ASO has a gold
mine of Armenians."
Members of the organization had the
opportunity of informally getting to know
their new executive at a "Meet the ASO
Officers" Christmas party held two weeks
ago at the home of Barlow Der
Mugrdechian. The party had a strong
turnout and as each new officer was
introduced, they received a
heartwarming applause of support.
Tufenkjian is the first to admit that
some people may have slight misconceptions about the general purpose of the
ASO. But he said he plans to improve the
image of the club by clearing up the
illusion of it being a "radical"
organization and emphasizing the man)
talents and ideas the group possesses.
Inside the 'Hye Sharzhoom'
Page 2 - Editorials Page 5 - Armenian Dateline
Page 3 - Cultural Section Page 11 • Interview with Black Studies Prof.
Church unity conference
Hovsepian: "We were really brothers'
By Mark Malkasian
The ten delegates to the recent Church
unity conference in Etchmiadzin came
away as "brothers," said Archbishop
Vatche Hovsepian, but major obstacles to
unity remain at the parish level.
"If it was left up to the 10 people who
went, it would have been very easy for us
to come to an understanding," said the
Primate of the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Church, Thursday, Nov. 29, at
California State University, Fresno.
Bitter divisions, however, will not
disappear overnight, he told an audience
of 150.	
"We ourselves, the ten of us, know
exactly what we want. Our concerns were
on the local level."
"You have stubborn people on both
sides," he said, and added that,
ultimately, the entire Church loses
because of the dispute.
"This process is going to take awhile.
You can't say, 'Well, they signed a piece of
paper; it's finished.' But with faith and
hope we will proceed forward," he said.
Archbishop Hovsepian, elected
Primate in 1971, was reported to be one of
the strongest advocates of unity at the
closed-door    conference.    His    CSUF
appearance, the first report on the
conference by one of the participants,
was sponsored by the Armenian Students
Organization and the Armenian Studies
Program.
The Archbishop stressed the warm
rapport established at Etchmiadzin.
"By sitting around the table we found
that we were really brothers.
"The meetings were so warm, so
congenial, that even though there are
some skeptics on both sides, even
though there are some parties which
probably would not favor the unity of
see Page 10