1985_11 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper November 1985

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ARMENIAN   ACTION
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Volume 7, No. 1    The newspaper of the California State University, Fresno Armenian Students Organization
November, 1985     and Armenian Studies Program.
Armenian Studies Program
CSUF, Fresno, CA 93740
Peters Business Building, CSUF's new venture
Armenian Businessman honored; Armenian
Studies to be housed in new facility
Ground breaking for the lait^ • ■-*:'.'< •<••■>
to the Fresno State campus, the Leon S.
Peters Business Building, is expected to
take place as scheduled in early 1986.
Completion of the $13,000,000 project is
set for mid-1988. Due to the financial
crisis of recent years, it is the first major
addition to the university's master plan in
a decade.
The Business complex will have two
separately funded components, integrated
in terms of construction and ultimate use.
The six-story main structure will include
11 lecture rooms, 10 teaching laboratories,
graduate research space, 211 faculty offices
and related departmental spaces. It will
house not only the CSUF School of
Business and Administrative Sciences, but
the School of Humanities as well. The
Trustees of The California State University
approved the $9,772,000 budget last
November.
The other, smaller wing — 10,480
square feet versus the 84,344 of the main
building — will be the single-story Valley
Business Center with two 40 seat meeting
rooms, a 125 person capacity theatre, a
multi-purpose room with computer instruction capabilities, and a large exhibition foyer. The $2,300,000 Center will
be entirely funded through corporate and
community contributions.
The Board of Trustees in naming what
will become the largest and most impressive
building on campus after the late Leon
Peters, has paid tribute to one of Fresno's
most remarkable Armenian native sons, a
tireless worker whose industry and modesty contributed so much to the well being
of the community in which he lived. The
designation of the building after Peters is
one of the highest tributes paid to an
Armenian in the State of California.
Leon Peters was more than just a
successful businessman and admired philanthropist, he was committed to education,
a person who over the years served in
leadership capacities on the University
President's Advisory Board, the CSUF
Foundation Board of Governors, Co-
Chairman of the Stadium Fund Drive, the
University's Agricultural Foundation
Board, and the Advisory Board of the
School of Business. He was also, along
with his wife Alice, a patron of the arts as
attested to by the Leon and Alice Peters
Gallery in Fresno's Metroploitan Museum
and his position as member of the Board
of the William Saroyan Foundation.
Leon Peters took an active interest in
A rendering of the Valley Business Center viewed from the east, with the Leon S. Peters
Building on the right.
various university programs including
Armenian Studies not only by way of
generous contributions for the puchase of
Armenian books, but through his counsel
on the development of the Program. It is
fitting that Armenian Studies will be
housed in the building named after him.
Per Mugrdechian returns to CSUF
ASP adds language instructor
By Yvonne Sahagian
Staff Writer
The Armenian Studies Program at
CSUF has acquired an additional instructor for the 1985 Fall semester.
Barlow Der Mugrdechian, a CSUF
alumus and former Armenian Students
Organization president, has been appointed to instruct beginning and intermediate
level Armenian language courses. He has
also taught a two-part class on the
Armenian Church on October 18 and 26
at CSUF.
Der Mugrdechian is a 1979 graduate of
CSUF with a B.A. in Biology. Shortly
after graduation, however, encouraged by
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian he decided to
enter the field of Armenian Studies and
enrolled at the University of California,
Los Angeles, where he studied under
internationally acclaimed Armenian scholars Dr. Richard Hovannisian and Dr.
Avedis Sanjian. Der Mugrdechian earned
his masters degree in Armenian Literature
from the Department of Near Eastern
Languages and Cultures in June of 1983.
He also holds a Candidate in Philosophy
degree and is currently working towards a
Ph.D. in Modern Armenian Literature.
Der Mugrdechian's first teaching job
brings him back to Fresno where he was
born and raised. "I'm happy to be here
and to be with the program," he said,
recalling his own active participation in
"I'd like to pass on my experience
to ASO members so that the
club can avoid some of the
minor problems and concentrate
on the important issues facing
it."
—Der Mugrdechian
the Armenian Studies Program during his
undergraduate years at CSUF.
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Coordinator
and Professor of Armenian Studies at
CSUF,  remembers   Der  Mugrdechian's
work and dedication to all aspects of the
program during Kouymjian's early years
at CSUF 1977-78. "It is very nice to have
Barlow on campus because he was one of
the best students in the Program," Kouymjian reflected, "he, along with others,
formed a hard core group that brought
new life to ASO and, of course, made a
great impression on me."
Der Mugrdechian served as president
of the Armenian Students Organization
(ASO) in 1978. He was also the president
of the U.C.L.A. Armenian Students
Association and the editor of the Armenian
Horizon, the official publication of that
club.
In addition to Der Mugrdechian's class
instruction, he serves as the current advisor
to ASO. Because of his past experience
with ASO and ASA, he is frequently
called on to offer his insight on particular
matters during club meetings. "I'd like to
pass on my experience to ASO members
so that the club can avoid some of the
minor problems and concentrate on the
See Der Mugrdechian, page 4
The University's fund drive for the
Valley Business Center section of the
complex, though highly successful, having
already secured some $1,000,000 in pledges, is faced with a State imposed deadline
See Peters, page 8
Attention
Hye Sharzhoom
Subscribers
We at the Armenian Studies Program and Hye Sharzhoom are experiencing a mailing crisis. Part of
our funding has been drastically cut,
and we have been forced to update
and modify our mailing list. You as
subscribers of Hye Sharzhoom can
aid in our efforts by notifying us of
any address changes. Simply check
the appropriate space as provided on
our coupon (see page 12) and write in
your new address. In addition, if you
are receiving more than one issue of
Hye Sharzhoom or more issues than
you need, please let us know by mailing
a postcard to: Armenian Studies
Program, C.S.U.F., Fresno, CA
93740. Thank you for your cooperation.
ASO, ASP begin fall semster; Inside Action:
Bedoyan reelected to V.P. post
Visitors to Armenian Studies ..................................... Page 3
The Armenian Students Organization    reelection of Vice-President Shant Bedo-
and Armenian Studies Program at Cali-    yan. The post of Vice President was left A N         Arrnenjo         An  Armenia  I fKt                      Paoec 6*7
fornia State Univeristy. Fresno are well    vacant in this summer's officer election. ^ 1>cw Armcilld ••• ^n Armcnid LOSl.............. rages O OL  I
underway with this semester's slate of    Bedoyan, in his second consecutive term
activities. Both club and program, as well    as Vice-President, assists newly elected v              c   u   i          •   •*    yj   p                                                          P         Q
as the student newspaper Hye Sharzhoom,    president   David  Gabrielian.     "I  enjoy I OUng ^CnOlar VISllS  M10 -tast ................................... rage V
are looking forward to build upon last    working with the members of the ASO,
year's successes.                                             and by learning from each other, hopefully w                       , „        .     .,                                                                        „          , ,
The aso's first meeting this semester Intramural Football Page 1 1
was  marked   by  the   nomination  and                             See ASO, ASP, page 5 i^b«mmmmmm^mm^mmmmmma^mmmmm^,^^m^^mmm^m^mm