2004_05 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper May 2004

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SHARZHOOM
Armenian Action
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25
th
Year
May 2004
Vol. 25, No. 4 (86)
Supplement to The Collegian
Der Mugrdechian Keynote
Speaker in English at Bay Area
Genocide Commemoration
Barlow Der Mugrdechian
Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian
was the keynote speaker in English, on Saturday, April 24,2004,
on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The event was held at the Saroyan
Hall ofthe Krouzian-Zakarian Armenian School in San Francisco
and sponsored by the Bay Area
Armenian community. Following
is an excerpt from his speech.
Reverend clergy, members of
the organizing committee of the
Bay Area genocide commemoration, honored guests, ladies and
gentlemen.
Eighty-nine years ago, the Armenian people were victims ofthe
first genocide ofthe twentieth century .The details of that catastrophe
are only too painfully well known
to all Armenians. The Armenian
people were exiled from the land
which they had inhabited for more
than three thousand years. We here
in California, as in diaspora communities throughout the world, are
the physical reminders ofthe genocide and its effect on the Armenian
people. As Armenians, we can
with certainty say, that were it not
for the genocide, that we would be
living today in Armenia-whether
in Van, or in Kharpert, in Sepastia
or Erzeroum, in Bitlis or
Dickranakert, or in Cilicia, in
Yerevan, or Gyumri, or Karabagh,
or in the smallest village of our
historic Armenia.
This is the legacy that we have
inherited and have lived with, for
eighty-nine years and that legacy is
both a responsibility and an opportunity.
One feels responsibility because
the Genocide as a political issue
still remains unresolved. Efforts to
convince nations of the world to
formally recognize the Armenian
Genocide have consumed our recent efforts, with many notable success in the past few years. And just
in the past week, the Canadian Par-
see Der Mugrdechian page 8
Hye Sharzhoom at 25
April 24th Commemoration Takes Place on
CampustoHonorthe1915Armenian Genocide
Hakop Tataryan
Staff Writer
It has been 89 years since the
Armenian Genocide took place, and
to this day Armenians all over the
world gather on April 24 to commemorate those who innocently lost
their lives. The Armenian Students
Organization (ASO) and Armenian
Studies Program organized an event
in honor ofthe genocide on Friday,
April 23. Students and community
members gathered at the Free
Speech Area at Fresno State and
took part in the activity. Attendees
wore red arm-bands, which symbolized the blood shed by 1.5 million Armenians during the 1915
Genocide.
The event opened with ASO
president Dickran Chekian introducing keynote speaker Californian
State Senator Chuck Poochigian.
In 2000, Senator Poochigian
authored Senate Bill 1915 which
enabled victims and heirs of victims of the Armenian Genocide to
access the California court system
to compel insurance companies to
pay insurance claims owed to victims of the Genocide. That bill re-
ceived the
unanimous
approval of
the Legislature and provided the opportunity to
pursue con-
t r a c t u a 1
claims pertaining to the
recent settlement.
Senator
Poochigian
spoke about
the genocide
and its importance to Ar-
m e n i a n s
around the
world and in
the United
States. As he
spoke his
voice cracked
several times,
recalling all
of the inno-     State Senator Chuck Poochigian
cent people that died in the geno- complete, vile, and despicable acts
cide. of atrocity. One and a half million
"It was a year's long experience
for a people who were victims of
see April 24 page 8
Shoghaken Armenian Folk
Ensemble Concert is a Hit
Chris Tozlian
Staff Writer
One of the twentieth century's
greatest post-modern slogans simply states, "The only constant is
change." Irrespective of the truth
(or the lack thereof) of this statement,^ simple thought of an ever-
changing society is a source of uncertainty for many, myself included.
In the March 2004 edition of Hye
Sharzhoom,I wrote concerning the
stability offered to me by this student organization-led newspaper.
In fact, I had the opportunity to
interview two former editors, John
Jabagchourian and Matthew
Maroot.
Recently, I interviewed two
more former editors, Bill Erysian
and Arakel Arisian. Erysian was
one ofthe founding editors of Hye
Sharzhoom,beginning in 1979, and
worked with the newspaper for
three years. Arisian began writing
for the newspaper in the fall of
1997, later becoming editor. He
continued working with Hye
Sharzhoom through the fall of 1999.
The interviews began with a
question asking which section of
the newspaper was their favorite.
Erysian said, "Without a doubt, the
opinion pieces in Hye Sharzhoom
have always been my favorite part
see Hye Sharzhoom page 6
The Shoghaken Armenian Folk Ensemble
Zhanna Bagdasarov
Staff Writer
On Monday evening, April 12,
more than 450 members of the
Fr e sn o Armen i an c ommun i ty g a th-
ered at the Satellite Student Union,
in the heart of the Fresno State
campus, to experience the extraordinary sounds of Armenian folk
music performed by the Shoghaken
Armenian Folk Ensemble of Armenia. Each one ofthe eight-member ensemble contributed something completely different and
unique to the group by utilizing
their incredible talents on traditional
Armenian instruments such as the
kanon,kamancha,duduk, dhol and
shvi.
The program began at 7:30 PM
see Shoghaken page 7
Dr. Herve Georgelin
Appointed as Kazan
Visiting Professor
Staff Report
Dr. Herve Georgelin, of Paris,
France, has been appointed as the
5th Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan
Visiting Professor of Armenian
Studies for the Fall 2004 semester.
Dr. Georgelin will be teaching a
three unit course, Armenian Studies 120T-"Armenians' Odyssey:
Out of Empires Towards Diaspora,"
on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from
3:30-4:45 PM.
As part of his visiting professorship, Dr. Georgelin will give three
public lectures in the fall, under the
general topic of "Western Armenian Journalists in the Political
Arena: Watchful People in Critical
Times."
He received his PhD from the
Department of History and Civilizations, EEHS, Paris. His dissertation is on the plural urban society of
Smyrna/Izmir at the end ofthe Ottoman Empire, until its destruction
in September 1922.
For more information on how to
register for the course contact the
Armenian Studies Program at 559-
278-2669.