CSUN STUDENT GOVERNMENT PASSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Thursday, March 12th, 2015

Members of CSUN’s Armenian Student Association, Alpha Gamma Alpha
Sorority, and Alpha Epsilon Omega Fraternity

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.–On Monday, March 11, the student government
at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), voted to pass
a resolution designating the month of April 2015 as a “Month of
Commemoration for the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
of 1915.”

This resolution reconfirmed and expanded on previous stances of the
CSUN Associated Students Senate, which has recognized the Armenian
Genocide and incorporated a moment of silence at a senate meeting
each year.

With nearly 10 percent of its 40,000 students of Armenian heritage,
CSUN has the largest Armenian student population at a university
outside the Republic of Armenia. Six individuals within Associated
Students, the largest number of Armenians on the board in a given
year, authored this resolution in special recognition of the Armenian
Genocide centennial.

CSUN Associated Students calls on United States President Barack Obama
to provide federal support and recognition of these atrocious crimes
against humanity and work toward equitable, constructive, stable,
and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of
Turkey’s full acknowledgment, with reparations, of the facts and
ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide.

“Education is at the forefront of this resolution,” stated Talar
Alexanian, A.S. Vice President. “It’s important to raise awareness
about the Armenian Genocide and its continued denial by the Republic
of Turkey to all members of the CSUN community, regardless of their
ethnicity or national origin. We must also commend our faculty who
actually teach about the genocide and related human rights issues.”

This resolution now allows CSUN AS to host a special presentation on
the Armenian Genocide and its commemorative events in collaboration
with the CSUN Armenian Student Association and Armenian Studies
Department on the week of April 24th each year. It also introduces a
“tradition of the rose” ceremony, a student tradition to lay roses
at the foot of the campus Matador Statue, in honor of the 1.5 million
victims of the genocide.

“As a fourth generation survivor living in the diaspora, passing this
resolution was very near and dear to my heart,” said Armenian Student
Association member Puzant Berberian.

Members of the Armenian Student Association, Alpha Gamma Alpha
Sorority, and Alpha Epsilon Omega Fraternity were also present at
the meeting in full support of this measure.

From: A. Papazian