1980_06 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper June 1980

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ARMENIAN   ACTION
Armenian Studies Program,
93740
VOl.  2  NO.  4    JlinO  1980      The newspaper of the California State University, Fresno Armenian Students Organization        CSUF       Fresno C A
Community leaders speak
ASO Vigil highlights April 24th
'The Armenians have been a very important part of this university,"' said
CSUF President Dave Ditora.    The ASO-sponsored Vigil drew more than
By Mark Malkasian
The students of California State
University, Fresno will never again
forget April 24th and the Armenian
Genocide.
Neither will they forget the black arm
bands, graphic placards and somber
faces of the more than 450 people
present at the Armenian Students
Organization's Silent Vigil.
The crowd — representing all segments of the Armenian community
and containing numerous non-Armenians — heard speeches and poems,
joined in prayers and stolidly observed
a moment of silence for the two million
victims of the Armenian Genocide.
The solemnity of the two-hour service
sharply contrasted with the gala festivities of CSUF's "Vintage Days" -
an annual celebration of spring.
The opening of Vintage Days coincided
this year with Armenian Martyrs Day,
forcing the ASO into a cramped corner
of the free-speech area. The confrontation reached its climax at noon as
hundreds of rollicking merrymakers
paraded past the hushed vigil body.
Their procession began with a raucous
hoopla but was noticeably subdued
when the eyes of the marchers fixed
on placards of Genocide victims. Overhead, an eight-foot banner explained
the facts of the Genocide.
Much of CSUF's student body had
already received the ASO's message.
360 people.
Photo by Cindy Avakian
Fresno chosen as Ideal' location
for proposed Armenian Museum
By   Shirley   Melikian   Armbruster
Fresno Bee staff writer
Location of a major Armenian museum
and cultural center on the grounds
of Fresno State University is being
proposed by a San Joaquin Valley
citizen's group that believes Fresno
is a logical and viable place for such a
project.
Fund s for construction of the proposed
"Armenian National Museum and
Cultural Center" would be from private
citizens, with ongoing maintenance
and direction of the building by a board
of governors or foundation composed of
Armenians. Construction costs have
been estimated at $3 million to $4
million.
The role of FSU, which has given
its blessing to investigation of the
proposal, would be to provide a site
on campus for the building after California State University and Colleges
trustees approve it.
The proposed project was unveiled
at an invitational dinner May 12 hosted
by FSU President Harold H. Haak.
He told the enthusiastic group of 60
Armenian-Americans that such a center
would be "a source of pride" for the
university.
One major donation of an extensive
Armenian art and manuscript collection already has been promised,
and persons involved in the project
believe donations of many other objects
in private  collections   "looking  for  a
home" realistically can be expected.
Although the proposal has just been
made public, plans and thoughts about
a possible museum have been in the
works for several years. Preliminary
concepts envision a 30,000-square-
foot building rising 10 stories high
and designed in the style of medieval
Armenian architecture.
FSU Armenian Studies coordinator
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, who has been
involved in the planning, said a museum
and cultural center would be the only one
of its kind outside of Erevan, the capital
of Soviet Armenia. He said a museum
in Fresno could house Armenian art
objects of all periods and mediums,
and  provide   "a  springboard  for the
See Page 4
Hundreds of posters and two prominent
banners announced the Vigil and
furthered awareness of the Armenian
Question. On April 24 ASO members
passed out more than 4,000 flyers,
which read as follows:
WHY   ARMENIANS    CANNOT
ENJOY APRIL 24TH
We, the Armenian people,
remember what the world has
forgotten. We are the survivors
of the first genocide of the 20th
century — the Armenian Genocide.
On this day, 66 years ago, the
Turkish government began the
systematic extermination of
the Armenian people. The
Turkish plan of annihilation
resulted in the deaths of two
million Armenians and th&
eradication of the Armenian
people from its ancient homeland. To this day, the Turkish
government refuses to acknowledge this heinous crime against
humanity.
The Armenian people, however,
have not forgotten. The Armenian Students Organization is
here today because the Armenian
Question has not been resolved.
We demand from the Turkish
government: 1. An admission of
guilt; 2. The return of our homeland; 3. Restitution for the
survivors of the Armenian
Genocide.
See Page 6
INSIDE . . .
Opinions
. . . Page 2
Letters
. . . Page 3
Armenian
Dateline
. . . Page 5
Hye Culture
. . .Page 7
Armenian
Studies
•
. . . Page 8