1981_02 The Daily Collegian February 1981

              Page 4 -the Dally Collegian-February 3,1
Armenians
people," he said.
"As I reflect back, In a very crude
way discrimination had two effects. It
either drove Armenians Into hiding and
made them keep a low profile or it had
the opposite effect; they resisted the
pressures and fought to keep their identity," Avakian said.
'I was one of the latter," he said.
Avaklan retired as professor of
Armenian Studies at CSUF in 1977.
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, majoring in mathematics and physics, Dr. Avakian was
an aerospace technologist until 10 years
ago.
In 1970, Avakian was contacted by
CSUF, which was interested in setting
up an Armenian Studies Program. The
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5259 N. Millbrook 5211 N. 1st
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Armenian Studies curricula at that time
consisted of a single history course.
'Our program now includes language
history, music, cultural heritage, religious history, and linguistics," Avakian
said.
"The change, for me, has been very
fulfilling," he said. 'The program was
met with enthusiasm on the part of both
faculty and students.' **
Avaklan's knowledge of being an
Armenian In Fresno is first-hand. His
7 knew Fresno
well as a boy'
parents were born in Armenia and came
to Fresno in 1920.
"I knew Fresno well as a boy," Avakian said in a recent interview in a local
paper. "I knew it two ways; I knew it
during a period when Armenians were
suffering from quite a bit of racial
discrimination, but I also had a very
happy boyhood here."
"I was graduated from Fresno High in
1929 so you can understand that I was
happy when I got the opportunity to
come back," he said.
"I think that because I grew up here,
it has given me a better perspective on
Fresno," he said.
Fresno ranks sixth among U.S. cities
with the largest Armenian population,
'Armenians were not
really farmers...'
behind Los Angeles, New York, Boston,
Detroit and Philadelphia.
"A lot of Armenians came here in
the early '20s to buy land, but in the
late '20s, about two years before the
national depression, Fresno hit an economic slump," Avakian said.
"A great many people, having no
equity, lost their farms and found diem-
selves having to look for a new life,"
"The Armenians were not really farmers. Each had come to America with
some kind of skill or craft that they could
fall back on," Avakian said.
"The Farm Rush of the early '20s
was like the gold rush. When the depression drove people out, the Armenians
needed a metropolitan area like Los
Angeles to prosper with their various
skills," he said.
As a result, there was a mass exodus
to Los Angeles, which, up to today, has
maintained the largest Armenian population in a single city in the United
States.
"Two things tend to guarantee the
continued existence of the Armenian
heritage," Avakian said. 'The Armenian
people's independent expression, and
'They don't chop off
heads anymore...'
the fact that they have existed for 2500
years. I'm not sure which came first,"
he said, with a laugh.
The independent expression can be
seen in the Armenian religion and the
Armenian language.
'In the middle of the 5th century,
the Armenians were fighting to remain
Christians and declared themselves an
independent national Christian church,"
Avakian said.
The unique architecture of Armenian
churches was born at this time.
'The Armenian faith could be likened
to the Creek Orthodox faith, as opposed to the Protestant faith," Avaklan
said. "The Armenians use the concept of
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1 Armenians
tthe sacrament more extensively. The
religion is more formal and more mystically oriented,* he Mid.
The early 1900s saw a rapid flight
of Armenians from their homeland as
_     they were brutally persecuted by the
~ *_. Turkish sultan. One and a half mil-
■     lion Armenians were massacred in the
>A.    genocide.
^       'The   problem   in   Turkey   hasn't
changed much,* Avaklan said. They
don't chop off heads anymore but Instead   apply   social,   economical   and
political pressures.*
In addition to having an independent
church, the Armenian people also have a
unique alphabet.
"In the 5th century, a new alphabet
was created also,* Avakian said.   ,
'The Armenian alphabet is unique
rAf    to Armenia, and that's kind of an ex-
^^    pensive luxury for the five or six million Armenians in the world because it
costs  more  for the  newspapers and
magazines  to be  printed  In  a relatively obscure alphabet,' he said, in a
!*•**' Fresno Bee Interview.
February 3,19TI -the Dally Coftegtan-Page 5
'Although it is expensive, it does have
a psychological force or power because
the 3a-symbol alphabet is unique to the
Armenian    people,*    Avakian    said.
While the Armenian people's uniqueness has, in the past, worked against
'Ethnic awareness
has come alive'
them as they were the target of racial
prejudice, both Avakian and Cynthia
Avaklan feel that attitudes have definitely changed for the better.
•Ethnic awareness has come alive
as the various ethnic groups have
become more active and have been
recognized and accepted,* said Cynthia
Avaklan.
Today the social air is clear,* wrote
Avaklan in a Fresno Bee article In 1972.
The Armenians of Fresno live here as
a natural and concordant part of the community. And they do so without prejudice to their rich cultural heritage.*
•They are able to carry their full share
of the community's life and at the same
time enrich the community by sharing
their heritage,* he said.
RANDALL STEWART IS THE EDITOR OF "BACKWASH"
TIM CSUF literary magazine will be published this semester
Size limitation forces
poetry only Backwash
Make up your mind
Theae two trafllc signs, posted at the new housing
near the stadium, appear to give contradicting -»
to motorists.
It could be considered a victory for
the Elizabeth Barrett Brownings of
CSUF, but .this year's Backwash, the
school's literary magazine, could also
be viewed as a study In frustration.
In past years, the annual publication
consisted of both poetry and fiction.
This year, editor Randall Stewart
has had to drop the fiction, making the
magazine a poetry only affair.
, Stewart said that the main problem
with including fiction in the magazine
Is the size limitation. Because it's a
small magazine, not as much can be
published. This year's issue will be
8Vi Inches by 5Vi Inches, and will
include 65 pages.
Another problem Stewart has run into
is the number of people who know
about Backwash.
•It's hard getting them to know about
it because it's an annual,' Stewart
said, adding that if Backwash could
become bi-annual, he would like to see
one issue with fiction and the other with
Contributors to Backwash include
students, faculty, ex-students, and
nationally known writers.
The editor of Backwash is chosen by
the media council in May each year,
and the position is open.to anyone,
though English majors usually fill the
position.
Stewart has an assistant editor,
two editorial suffers and a typesetter.
-The editors and staff don't publish,'
said Stewart. There are less problems
with a small staff that doesn't have their
work printed.
Backwash is financed by the Associated Students. Proceeds from the
magazine go back into the AS.
This year's Issue will cost from *2
to $2.50 and will be available in -
CSUF Bookstore. aeMk™.
Contributions for this year were due
Dec. 15. Since the editor changes yearly
contributors can deposit their work in tr-
magazine's mailbox in the Englii
department office.
$2