FL 2010 Vol.3

November, 2010Volume 3

Inch Ka Chka?www.csunasa.org

1 © 2010 Armenian Student Association

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3rd Annual Christmas BanquetSunday, Dec. 19, 2010 6:00pm Bellaj Banquet Hall*TICKETS ARE PRE-SALE ONLY!! Sale period: Nov. 1 - Dec. 1**MEMBERS HAVE PRIORITY!!

6th Members Night OutKaraoke @ Oceans CaféWednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 8:30pm17068 Devonshire StNorthridge, CA 91325

for more upcoming events visit us at www.csunasa.org

BIG Bear Retriat January 21-23@ Big BearMore information will be disclosed to attendees*MEMBERS HAVE PRIORITY!!

BLACK FRIDAY - All-ASA PartyFriday, Nov. 26, 2010 9:00pm | @ RockwellMusic by DJ SWITCHPre-Sale Tickets $20 | 18+Free Hookah All Night!

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© 2010 Armenian Student Association 2

Inch Ka Chka

Editor’s Message...

Your involvement with our Newsletter is very much appreci-ated and will be for many years to come! However, I would like to encourage you to be part of the “Inch Ka Chka” community by simply contributing your thoughts about it. Write your opinions to us and tell us what you think of the newsletter and articles, what is good or bad, things you liked or didn’t, what was interesting, new topic ideas, and whatever else that is on your mind! Ever since the start of “Inch Ka Chka” one of the greatest goals of the CSUN ASA Executive Board has been and still is to get our readers to express their opinions about us! We promise that your voice will be heard and your thoughts will be presented in the next volume of “Inch Ka Chka”! On page 8, you will find a poem by Aaron Keshishian, which gives you the opportunity to add your touch to the ending of it. I strongly urge you to turn in your versions to the writer in order for us to be able to present the finished poem in the next volume! Always keep in mind that you may write to us about anything and you have the option of being anonymous. So don’t be shy and join in on the fun!

- Lusine Harutyunyan

Dear readers ,

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Inch Ka Chka

What’s New In CSUN? Building a dream By: Christina Lulejyan

The great artists of the world have inspired the minds at CSUN to build a new performing arts center and the opening is right around the corner! Builders at the $125 million Valley Performing Arts Center are working hard to make this great hall. On Satur-day, January 29, 2011, Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley will celebrate the opening of the Valley Performing Arts Center: a new milestone in the emergence of Los Angeles as a world center for arts and culture. The opening of

this Center will be the realization of a longstanding dream of regional leaders to have a major perform-ing arts center in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. Lucky for us CSUN students we get to enjoy this remarkable addition to the commu-nity without going far.The black-tie Gala Opening of the Center will be a media and social event for the city and the county. A star-studded show is planned that

features outstanding artists and entertainers who represent the best of classical, pop, jazz, and country music, as well Broadway and bal-let. The Gala show will be followed by a magnificent dinner dance.

The Mission:Powered by a com-mitment to educate, enlighten and entertain, the Valley Performing Arts Center is inspired by the shared belief that art is communication and communication is an art. The Plaza del Sol Performance Hall and the up and coming Val-ley Performing Arts Center are establishing California State Universi-ty, Northridge as a hub for culture and performing arts in the region.The Valley Performing Arts Center offers a vibrant and diverse perfor-mance program to the University community every season, as well as serving as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley. The Valley Performing Arts Center series at California State University, Northridge is known for its commitment to bringing engaging professional performances of the highest caliber to its exceptional venues.

• 15- Feet the orchestra platform can travel to three pre-set levels depending on performance/seating arrange-ment. It can be set at the stage level to form a protruding portion of the stage into the audience chamber, at the audience level to provide additional seating capacity, and at below audience level for musical ensemble.

• 173- New trees C.W. Driver planted at the VPAC site (added to 14 existing trees)

• 568- Miles of wire in the building (Stretched out from VPAC’s main lobby, it would come pretty close to the New Mexico border).

• 622- Floor diffusers used for motion-less/soundless air conditioning

• 1,700- Seats in the Valley Performing Arts Center

• 4,000- Tons of steel (The weight of about 866 adult African elephants).

• 11,000- Cubic yards of concrete used

• 27,000- Volume of earth moved in cubic yards (That’s about 1/10th of what’s needed to build an 18-hole golf course).

• 30,000- Square feet of glass• 34,000- Square feet of panels used for variable acoustic

purposes (This would cover more than one half of a foot-ball field).

• 166,000- Total square feet of the Valley Performing Arts Center

• 6,000,000- Individual stone tiles on the building’s exte-rior and interior (If laid side-by-side, Dorothy would skip down this “yellow brick” road for about two weeks).

• 1,700-seat hall acoustically adjustable to accommodate all types of performances

• 178-seat black box theater for experimental and smaller-scale student productions

• 2 full-size rehearsal spaces• Indoor and outdoor public and entertainment areas• A lecture hall, labs, and other academic spaces• Technical support space and capability for audio and

video recording and electronic amplification• Full studio/administrative space for campus radio station

KCSN-FM, which Los Angeles magazine proclaims “stands out … in a city of superb college-affiliated radio stations.”


Inch Ka Chka

2ND General Meeting

Would you like to meet your fellow ASA members? Attend our general meetings and you’ll not only be able to meet and mingle with everyone but also get updated on what’s going on. Our goal is to bring our mem-bers and executives closer than ever. Two of the main reasons why people join an organization are to meet people and to get involved.

This being said, on October 14th a large amount of members filled the

room and the meeting begun with the latest news, upcoming events update, and a game was played. The game got people that didn’t know each other a chance to talk and get silly. Don’t let the word “meeting” give you the wrong impression; our “meetings” are more like hangouts than anything else. Halloween Havoc tickets were made avail-able for everyone and the highlight of the meeting was at the end when the newsletters got delivered and passed out. If you missed out, I have good news; it’s not too late to attend our other meetings.

KINGS GAME

By : C. Lulejyan & Grikor Geysimonian

Go KINGS Go! On the lovely evening of Tuesday, October 12th, CSUN ASA had their 3rd Member’s night out. This wasn’t just a regular Kings game we

went to support, it was the opening game and not only that but it was also Armenian Heritage night as well. Wondering what Ar-menian Heritage night is? Well it’s a night

they pick to welcome the Armenian Community, the Armenian organiza-tions, and the Arme-nian Hockey Team. Everyone dressed warm and reppin’ their purple was ready to cheer on the Kings to victory. You could see that winning was all that was on the minds of the Kings play-ers. With the Kings down 1-0 after two periods, Los Angeles fans held their breath while Jonathan Quick man-aged to save an outstanding 30 shots

on goal which led the Kings enough time to score 3 goals, including Ryan Smith’s heroic 2 goals during the third period. This ended up with the outcome of the final score to 3-1, it was an amazingly

well played first game in Los Angeles. With all the Kings fans going home with smiles on their faces, it was the perfect way to start the season.

horror nights

Gushing guts, slimy eyeballs, and spooky monsters made this Sunday night all worthwhile. Sunday, Oc-tober 24th was CSUN ASA’s fourth member’s night out, at what was promised to be the scariest place on earth. Getting paid to get scared might not be your cup of tea but for those who went it was a night never to be forgotten. Whether it was the Chucky Tram or the Saw Maze, there was for sure something to frighten your weak side. Although this eve-ning was accompanied with some not so fortunate rain, we didn’t let it stop us from having fun. Standing in line for all the mazes/rides was a nice way to get to know everybody that attended. The one hour waits seemed to go by very quickly as we were cracking jokes, telling stories, and overall just having a wonderful time. If you asked any of the mem-bers that went they’ll say that the rain added to the whole experience of it, the dark skies made the night spooky and ad-venturous. After becoming soaking wet and walking around with muddy shoes, we all called it a night and went on home… Soon after, this is where all the nightmares begun! >_<Hope Everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween.

=] <35 © 2010 Armenian Student Association

] Recap of Our October Events ^By: Christina Lulejyan


] Recap of Our October Events ^By: Christina Lulejyan


Inch Ka Chka

You hear it all the time: “online piracy is killing the music industry.” Most people contrib-ute the decline of music sales to the Internet, but I argue that the growth of the Internet has actual-ly benefited the industry. I am also strongly against the rise of music under Digital Rights Management (DRM). DRM is an attempt by, but not including, the music industry to prevent piracy and illegal dis-tribution of their content. DRM comes in many flavors, but it usu-ally instills some kind of restriction on the number of times a music file can be copied. This unimagina-tive attempt is hurting the honest buyers more than the dishonest ones. People who break DRM’s and steal music will do so no mat-ter what preventive method is tried and a stricter DRM policy will only restrict the ways that honest buyers enjoy their music. Music companies should embrace sharing, not look for ways to restrict and punish it. I believe that music sharing, and even piracy, can have a positive effect for artists. The internet has

made music discovery so much simpler for the consumer. When someone shares an album with an-other person online, it spreads that artist’s work and creates a potential customer. People buy music not because they do not have a way of get-ting it for free, but because they ap-preciate the artist and want to hear more of what they like. In fact, online music sales have been rising in re-cent years; it is the drop of physi-cal sales that is hurting the industry. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the total value of physical music sales went down by 21% in 2009 from 2008, yet digital sales increased by 19% in that same year. So how much of digital sales are hurt by il-legal downloading and sharing? Ac-cording to the Digital Music Report 2009 of the International Federa-tion of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), that number is only 10%. That is a 10% drop in digital sales because of sharing, but it is difficult to conclude that those illegal shares

will not convert into future sales because of the spread of the music. The industry has another dirty tactic they use to combat music sharing: fear. They have

sued hundreds of people for ridiculous amounts of money for

copyright infringement, in

an attempt to set an ex-ample. This

tactic not only does not work, it ruins the lives of the few who have been chosen to serve as an example. Overall music sales might have gone flat or dropped in re-cent years, but digital sales have only seen growth. One can also argue that the stringent state of the economy has dealt a major blow to music sales since music is an elastic good. In conclusion, freedom for the consumer to share is beneficial to the musi-cian and must not be stopped.

By: Hovhannes Mkhitaryan


By: Vrej Haroutounian

In March of 2007, I found myself on the streets of Yerevan. This par-ticular month is known in Yerevan for its crazy weather: a day of sunlight, followed by rain and possibly snow. But I found more to grapple with than just the weather. Upon my return, I wrote the piece “The Burden of Privilege,” communi-cating to my compatriots the burden that comes with the privilege of our lives as young, educated Armenians living abroad. Now, after being back and forth a few times since 2007, it is summer and I am here, once again, in Armenia. The relationships have changed. The opera and their cafes no longer have their same luster and appeal. Yerevan has revealed a new side of herself to me; a side that requires a much more genuine commitment. Now we spend our night together in old, intimate parks and around mon-uments and fountains that once were her jewels that wait for a chance to light her heart again. It’s two in the morning. I find my-self at Dzidernagabert, sitting there in front of the fire. This is my first time at the monument and there are no tourists around, no flashy lights, just the gentle night breeze. Until now, it was just a picture in my head. The wind blows through the pillars hitting the leaves of the flowers laying on the ground next to the ever lit flame of our ancestors. The mellow hissing that is created by the leaves clawing at the cold stone reminds me of how long we have come. We step outside and sit in the corner of the plateau and I see all the changes she’s been through. New buildings in some places, old ones in others. But in the end, the people

are there and they care and they are working on her, making sure she is well taken care of. The next morning I am sitting with a few friends and I realize that the bur-den of privilege has changed and we are privileged to be a part of a genera-tion that is put-ting its efforts into Armenia. There are uni-versity students of all types and forms: doctors, architects, en-gineers, artists, activists. They are all here from different coun-tries to exercise their privilege of being able to give their contri-bution to Arme-nia. I look around the table and we’re all sitting with smiles on our faces. I look at a friend and we both give each other a tiny nod and smile; communicating to one another that this is it—we’re here regardless of how long we’ll be here for. But, right now, we’re here. There’s the 20 year old college student who is here for the first time, thinking of how great her summer is going to be as she discovers her roots; there are the veterans who have been back and forth a few times sharing stories about their different experiences in Armenia and how they overcame them; and there are the Yerevantsees, some that were born here and others that have made this their home, talking to us about what we are going to do next in this privilege we are presented with. The only burden at this point is taking the steps. It is no longer about being a philanthropist; it is no lon-

ger about raising funds for some project in a village somewhere that you have no connection to. The burden is going beyond an easy fix of maintaining your identity as an Armenian, doing your part so you can sleep well at night. The bur-den is coming out here and having sleepless nights with Armenia. It’s about holding her hand, it’s about feeling her breeze, and it’s about showing her you care by spending

time with her. The burden is also not taking opportuni-ty of the privilege that is available to you. For us young, educated, and ad-venturous types, its about exercis-ing the privilege of actually com-ing out here and planting the seeds of change with our fellow Arme-nian compatri-ots—directly with

our own hands. Yerevan, Gyumri, Stepanagerd, and the many other places here are calling you home. They are calling you to come and start your relationship with them, so that your love for them and their love for you grows, and so the day comes that you will share their burdens and privilege.

The article first appeared at Asbarez Newspaper on August 7, 2010.

Vrej Haroutounian (USA)Armenian Tree project volunteer Land-scape Architect and BR/DH participant

For volunteer and internship opportu-nities in Armenia.

http://www.ayfyouthcorps.org/http://www.birthrightarmenia.org/

http://www.armenianvolunteer.org/

The Burden Continues


Gather around.

Don’t be afraid, tap the shoulder of the person next to you and hide behind their whispers because these words were not meant to be read alone.

Gather around.

Pull up your hopes and dreams and push down the reality that mother goose laid. Let us have an honest conversation about you… don’t worry, the others reading think I am talking about them.What happened to the days of folk? Stories told from one empty stomach to another without key strokes or emoticons. Without lol’s, omg’s, wtf’s or even brb’s.

Gather around.

Stop grouping to separate and just group up. You are as wrong as I am and as right as your GOD on the holiest of her days. You are not but one but one of many. Never forget that, let it haunt you for your days and make you question the questions of content.

Gather around.

I have a secret. I am convinced that curiosity was framed and content is to blame. These words breed content if I finish them. So please, my friends, Gather Around, pick up a pen, and together let’s start writing and stop reading...________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(To submit your finished version of this poem please e-mail [email protected])

G a t h e r A r o u n dBy: Aaron Keshishian

9 © 2010 Armenian Student Association © 2010 Armenian Student Association 10

reparations have been made to the vic-tims or their descendants. On Saturday, October 23, 2010 the In-ternational Human Rights Law Associa-tion at UCLA School of Law organized a seminar entitled “The Armenian Geno-cide and Reparations Movement”. It fea-tured speakers specialized in areas rang-ing from international law, truth justice, ethics, morality, politics, and history. The seminar’s focus was to address the importance of reparations for all dam-ages inflicted physically, mentally, and psychologically upon the Armenians of 1915 and their descendents. The Arme-nian Genocide Reparations Study Group includes members Alfred de Zayas, Ara Papian, Henry Theriault, Jermaine Mc-Calpin, and George Aghjayan, who have

By: Talar Kossakian

For the last 50 years, tremendous effort has been put forth in pursuit of world-wide recognition of the Armenian Geno-cide that took place from 1915 to 1923. Today about twenty countries recognize the Armenian Genocide. Turkey, the per-petrator nation, is still not included in the list of these twenty countries and neither is the United States. The government of Turkey fails to acknowledge its past gov-ernment’s criminal actions perpetrated against millions of Armenians, as well as Greeks, Assyrians, and Jews. It still fails to acknowledge and accept the legal border between Armenia and Turkey as agreed upon in the Treaty of Sevres, signed in 1923. Still, after 95 years of denial, no

worked on a report outlining a plan as to how reparations should be implemented, in order for compensations to be made corresponding to the immense amount of losses endured during the Genocide. One of the central important messages from this seminar is that it is time to not only pursue Genocide recognition, but also to demand for reparations to be made. A mere acknowledgment or apology is not complete without compensation for all life lost. For everything that was forcefully taken from the Armenian people. For all the houses and churches that were burned to the ground. The Turkish state has built its foundations from wealth appropriated from thriving Armenian businesses, farms, and orchards. The churches and properties belonging to the Armenian Church have not

Reparations

non-Armenians to think of all Arme-nians as fraudulent and dishonest peo-ple from now on. Some reports even go as far as to draw a connection be-tween the Armenians accused of the crime to the Soviet Union, by trying to explain the group’s actions by their background in a nation where supposedly crime and fraudulence was the only way to get ahead in life. This is a very subtle and cheap shot at socialism and it demonstrates that Cold War ideologies are still strong in America. Nonetheless, the mishandling of the case by the media does not rule out the crime. My objective here is not to defend the crime, but to de-fend the public image of Armenians as a people, as well as pointing out how broken Medicare is. According to CBS’s 60 minutes, Medicare Fraud is estimat-

It does not take a healthcare ana-lyst to see that Medicare, among other healthcare programs in America, is fun-damentally broken. So the recent news of Medicare fraud perpetrated by a group of Armenians does not surprise me. A total of 73 people have been charged with collecting fraudulent bills from Medicare totaling to about $163 million. It’s been on the news and all over the papers and in my opinion a little over played. All of the headlines concerning the incident mention how it was an Armenian gang, or a group of Armenians. The media puts a strong emphasis on the ethnicity of the crimi-nals, instead of treating the case like any other crime. Armenians have easily identifiable last names, and the way the media has handled this case will have detrimental effect on all Armenians. The emphasis on ethnicity has been so much that it wouldn’t be surprising for

ed to total $60 billion a year, this makes the amount allegedly stolen by the Arme-nian group ammounts be a mere 0.27%,

and this is assuming that they billed the $163 million in one year, which

is probably not the case and so their percentage of the total yearly fraud is even lower.

As much as the people in-volved in the fraud are fully respon-

sible for their actions and as much as I think it is wrong to exploit a system for financial gains, the source of the problem is a broken healthcare sys-tem. One cannot blame people for

exploiting the exploitable, it is only hu-man nature. What needs to be done is to fix Medicare and other health-

care programs in America, and as it becomes more apparent how easy is to abuse the system, Americans will demand a better alternative.

Medicare: A broken system exploitedBy: Hovhannes Mkhitaryan


Inch Ka Chkabassador to Canada, stated, “If we wish to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey, then we must take the crimi-nal, Turkey, to court, where it will bear the ruling it deserves, while the dam-aged party, the Repub-lic of Ar-menia, will receive its correspond-ing territori-al, material and moral compensa-tion. With-out this, it would be impossible to have regular relations with Turkey; they would be insincere and highly un-stable.” Despite this important truth, there are still individuals who don’t find it is nec-essary for Armenia’s historic lands to be returned, because the government of Armenia can barely support the popu-lation living within the current borders of Armenia. They believe that recogni-

been returned, but have instead been decimated or converted into mosques or into storage houses. Many Armenian men, women, and children in particular have been forcefully converted into Mus-lims and suffered a loss of identity and belonging. Today, nearly 95 years after the Geno-cide, Turkey seeks to normalize relations and open borders with Armenia, in an effort to create a conscientious image of a democratic state seeking peace with its neighbors. However, the Turkish gov-ernment fails to understand that such pretentious affairs will only disintegrate when a strong foundation based on jus-tice and truth is not built from the start. Before Turkey could start to “normalize” relations with Armenia, it must acknowl-edge the past. It was mentioned by one of the speakers during the seminar, that just as wealth is passed down from gen-eration to generation, so is responsibility. This is significant in the fact that the cur-rent Turkish government is responsible for its predecessor government, the Ot-toman Turk’s crimes against humanity. One of the panelists of Saturday’s semi-nar, Ara Papian, previous Armenian Am-

tion of the Genocide on behalf of Turkey is sufficient and it is vital for Armenian’s economy to continue normalizing relations with Turkey. These individuals must under-stand that Armenia’s current landlocked

geographic and weak economic state is a direct consequential result of the Genocide. Armenia’s wounds are still unhealed and we must seek to heal them before we can take any further steps. We must never think that it is an impossible feat, for Turkey to end its denial of genocide. We must never think that it is impossible for historic Armenian

lands to be returned to the Republic of Armenia. Thirty years ago it was deemed impossible for the Soviet Union to collapse and for Armenia to become an indepen-dent state. Today Armenia is a free and independent nation. Possibly many years from now, Turkey will finally end its policy of denial and the actual border between Armenia and Turkey will be redrawn and justice will finally prevail.

able even if you are wearing clothes from last season. Here are some tips on what to wear, and what not to wear.

Cropped pants: The pants that end somewhere in-between the knee and the ankle.What they do: * Make you look shorter * Make your hips look larger * Make your legs look shorter * Make your ankles thicker

However, some of these problems can be circumvented, depending on the style of Capri pant.

These would be the Capris of choice: * Dark in color * Plain color (no prints) * End just below the knee * Have tapered legs (more

Why are certain styles of pants so popular? One

reason is because it’s in fashion and the other reason is because it is comfortable. Comfort-able pants are ta-pered leg jeans/pants and also Capri pants. Younger women shop for low-rise jeans because they are fashionable. Both Capri pants and low-rise jeans look good on tall and slim women, but we all know the world isn’t filled with Barbies, so rather than trying to dress how the tall and slim do, you must take into consideration to wear what suits your body type. That way, you’ll appear slimmer and more fashion-

fitted at the bottom) * Worn with a tiny sandal * Without cuffsFor the slim who wear low-rise jeans, try to have it sit below the hip no more than 3 inches below your belly button. This can: * Make a thick waist look thicker * Narrow hips to look narrower * Make a long waist look longer * Short legs, shorter * Can make you look 10 lbs larger

Low-rise is flattering only to those who are absolutely slim; but for those of you aren’t, don’t be discouraged! You can still wear jeans that look great and wear them low, but not low enough to make you look like a muffin. Don’t wear it too tight and have it approximately 1 inch below the belly button.

Happy Shopping!Okthanksbye <3 Silva

WHAT TOWEARNOT

By: Silva Atsilatsyan


the people who speak that language at any given time or place. Diction-aries document those meanings. Dic-tionaries can revise their definitions as the meanings of words change over time. Words can have multiple definitions depending on the context in which they are used. Let us take the case of the word “art.” If our at-titude towards that word is such that we feel that no one should be able to say what is not art because the word art is so broad in scope, than why does the word even exist? Why do we continue using it? The point of a word is that when someone uses it, most people have a general understanding of what was just expressed. That is the essence of words and language in general. It’s what allows human communication and understanding. Otherwise we would all be confined to the use of facial expressions, random vocaliza-tions, and flailing appendages. Thus, if a word has reached a point where its meaning is boundless, than the word itself ceases to have any value. The word art quite literally starts to mean anything and everything. Being an artist would mean simply being a human because if art means anything, than anything anybody does is art. To clarify, do I think anyone can become an artist? Sure I do. I am not putting art on a very high pedestal. But in order for the sentence “He/she is an artist” not to mean “He/she is a person” (quite a redundant statement) or for the word “art” to have any clarification value in the phrase “art gallery,” the word art should be defined, even if the definition is broad. For a degree in Art would have meaning or value, for governmental funding for the “arts” to be feasible to distribute, the word art must have a mean-ing. If the word has become so fluid

A blank blue canvas...hanging in a museum or art gallery. Upon seeing such a piece, most of our reactions would range from indifference to puzzlement, asking ourselves why such a piece is displayed in a space dedicated to art. Pressed however, most individuals would stop short of definitively stating that the blue can-vas was not art. “Who am I to judge what is and is not art?” is the most common response people usually give. The spirit of this reply is what I wish to argue against here. I’d like to argue that it is ok for us to claim a work as “not art.” I have had numerous debates about this topic with many friends (a fact that most of them will agree to with quite an audible fatigue in their voice). The debate usually boils down to a few points, which are the ones I will address here to keep this from becoming a novel. The first is a valid question I’ve been asked during an argument. After trying to convince someone that a blue canvas or a pile of rubble is not art, I have been asked “Then what would you define as not art?” I’ve had a hard time being able to answer that question. But the more I think about it the more I realize that that question does not have an answer. And that’s fine! The reason being is that there are many things, expressions, objects, etc. in the world and to come up with a defi-nition of what is not something is useless. A better solution would be to define what it is, not what it isn’t. Why does art have to have a set defi-nition though? Isn’t the word art so broad that it should be exempt from being specifically defined? Well, no and here’s why. Language consists of words. Words are groups of letters with associated meanings that are understood by a majority of

or vague as to defy any reasonable definition, we should just stop using it. I doubt that “art” will fall out of the English language anytime soon though. Therefore, for it to have any utility, it must have a definition. Now, we can debate (endlessly) as to what that definition is. We can even argue about the meaning of the definition. But the point is that the word art should have a definition so that when it is used, most people have a similar compre-hension of what was just articulated. Which brings me to my last point. What does art mean anyways? Lets consult a dictionary, which documents and keeps track of the meanings of a language’s words. Granted, each dictionary will vary in its description. The dictionary application on my Mac defines art as “the expression or ap-plication of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, produc-ing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional.” This is a very broad definition. But at least now we have common grounds for discuss-ing art. This is one of the biggest prob-lems I’ve had during debates about what is and is not art. The meaning of the word is not clear in our minds and so we go around in circles arguing about what is and what is not art and thus the debate devolves into whether we are even qualified to judge. If we think about the word art where it does have some universally accepted definition (no matter how broad), we can finally agree that people have the right to call something “not art.” They can simply look at the definition in a dictionary (maybe two or three dictionaries, because after all art is a broad term) and conclude that the blue canvas hanging in front of them does not qualify as art, at least for them.

That’s Not Art! By: Terenig Topjian


Inch Ka Chka

At a liberal arts college with a student population of just over 2000-- of which only 10 are Ar-menian-- the Occidental College Armenian Student As-sociation provides a rare opportunity for students to develop friendships, gain a sense of commu-nity, and most impor-tantly promote Armenian cultural preservation in a very diverse popula-tion. The Occidental ASA reemerged in September 2008, after a period of dormancy, when a group of Armenian students decided to dedicate their time and efforts towards an organization whose various chapters have had such a profound impact on the Armenian community for so many years.The members of Oxy’s ASA repre-sent diverse backgrounds; Many are from out of state, and even more are from mixed ethnicities. Having such a small Armenian student population has actually lead to us having one of the best participation rates of any ASA. The ASA served as a gateway to Armenian culture, even for our own members who had not had the opportunity to connect with their heritage. The effort to share our rich history and background expanded to the whole campus last year when the ASA sponsored events such as a VIZA concert. Much of the campus attended and got to see a what an Armenian student group can achieve. More importantly, many students heard about the word “Armenian” for one of the first times in their lives, and the ASA was ready to answer questions and show them what we

represent. Last year, the ASA focused on build-ing a foundation for what we hope will be a long-lasting tradition of Ar-menian students working together at Oxy. We were one of the founding

members of Genocide Awareness month, cooperating with Jewish and black student groups to not only educate the Oxy community about the Armenian Genocide, but to raise awareness about genocide in gen-eral and its impact worldwide. On a cam-pus that prides itself on getting involved in issues beyond school, we used Genocide Awareness Month as an opportunity to show that wrongs committed in the past need to be fixed, and that this is only pos-sible through coop-eration and mutual understanding. We also participated in “A Taste of Oxy”, serving baklava, tabouleh and khachapouris to over 200 classmates and faculty.For the 2010-2011 school year, the

ASA hopes to continue the pro-grams that have worked during our short history, but also ex-pand and improve them. One of the founding members, who is a senior now, will soon be hold-ing a presentation about her summer working in Rwanda and her inspiration to go there—the Armenian Genocide. We are also working hard as members of the All-ASA, an organization that Armenian students from all the college and university campuses in California formed in order to bring their voices together. This provides an opportunity for Oxy’s small Armenian commu-nity to become more involved in the greater Armenian student population, making our voice heard and helping out any way we can. We even got second place at the Quiz Bowl our first year there!All of our members would agree that the ASA has provided more than just a tool for education and a place to meet people with similar interests. It has given us the chance to develop friend-ships that will last beyond our four years at Oxy, leadership skills that all of us will need, and an opportunity to improve ourselves in order to improve the Armenian community.

In Other SchoolsBy: Nazeli Khodabakhsh & Anahid Yahdjian

A taste of Oxy: 2009

Oxy ASA Members


R T & U L T U R E

en’s solo Nar Par originated from. Western Anatolian Armenian dances are those from present day Turkey. They include many famous dances such as Laz Par which came from the Black Sea. The shoulder shimmy in Laz Par is said to represent the movement of a fish, as are the many other dances from the Black Sea. The dances of the Greater Arme-nia are those danced closely attached to-gether. Lastly, The Diaspora dances are those danc-es that have been lost but replaced with both new and old move-ments and ancient folk music and songs (Hye Etch). From whatever area one may be from, what is true for most is that Arme-nian dancers are tightly linked to-gether and incorporate an array of intercut group dances. They use soft hand motions all done in unison, and grace the floor with sashay like steps. Hands are in an almost cupped posi-tion rolling gently, one hand a little higher than the other, and vice versa.Costumes as well as the dance varia-tions between the males and the females play a big role. In the Arme-nian culture, the women, while being covered in heavy attire, use soft and graceful motions with their arms. The women’s movements generally resemble those of a graceful bird, such as a swan or a crane. Therefore, you can often see them wearing long flowing dresses symbolizing freeness.On the other hand, the men take a sharp and more aggressive approach. It is said that in the olden days, the

Looking out onto a stage of elaborate costumes while hearing authentic music, one can only think of the rich culture that inspired the movements being executed. The light shuffling of feet and the flowing of the arms makes for an unforgettable Armenian performance in which the performers communicate to their audience by way of dance. Hand gestures as well as body language contribute to the storytelling effect.Dance in Armenia is amongst the old-est in the civilized world. However the Genocide, which occurred in 1915, caused a great deal of pain, anguish, and suffering. The Armenian people lost almost everything from their loved ones to their valuable posses-sions. However, what they managed to keep was their nationality, pride, and identity. The Diaspora (dispers-ing of people, language and culture) caused many Armenians to travel to all parts of the world in order to stay away from the violence and danger taking place in their homeland. “Ex-iled Armenians sought to reaffirm their ethnic identity through dance and music” (www.hyeetch.nareg.com.au). Though dance, they tried to keep the movements and music of traditional Armenia as authentic as possible. Dances gradually evolved and started to incorporate small de-tails from present territories. In fact, today the dances can be divided into four main regions: “Eastern Cauca-sian Armenia, from Western Anato-lian Armenia, from Greater Armenia, and Diaspora dances” (Hye Etch).Eastern Caucasian Armenian dances refer to those styles performed in present day Armenia, where the ener-getic men’s dance Jo John and wom-

men used to fall in love with the women’s lovely arm movements because the rest of the body was covered. The men dance in a more simple attire: black pants, shirts, and a belt matching the woman’s dress color.“All dancers wear the traditional cos-tume to embody the history of their

culture and bring their ancestors stories alive. The designs of these costumes are influenced by many factors, such as religious traditions, fam-ily methods, and practicality. The traditional deep red color and ex-quisite beading of the costumes brings the dance

and the tradition together.” (www.er-rachidia.info) Religion plays a grand role in Arme-nian dance. In most traditional Ar-menian dances the men climb up on each other’s shoulders to create a structure symbolic of a church while another dancer wears an authentic Priest’s robe. The deep color that is worn in most dances usually repre-sents either love or blood.Armenian dance is considered as both a story telling performance and an art form. The rich history and culture is beautifully interpreted through each movement, drawing in people from all over to watch and ad-mire. Though the Diaspora may have caused many of us to follow different paths, dance reunites us once again and tells the tales of long ago.

For more information on Armenian dance, visithttp://www.hyeetch.nareg.com.au/culture/mu-

sic_p5.html

Hye ParBy: Alina Grigorian


Inch Ka Chka

Connect the nine dots by using only 4 straight lines

without ever lifting your pen or pencil from the paper.

YO

UR CHANCE TO

A man was walking along a railway track when he spot-ted an express train speeding

towards him. To avoid it, he jumped off the track, but before he jumped he

ran ten feet towards the train. Q: Why?

Go to www.csunasa.org/newsletter.html and en-ter your answer at the bottom of the page for

a chance to win a Chipotle Gift Card. The winner will be chosen at random from

the pool of correct answers at the end of the month.

WIN!!!

Answers will be displayed in the next volume of Inch Ka Chka

ANSWER FROM VOL. 2 QUESTION:He is a dwarf

We asked our Members and Friends if they can state one absolute truth about this life,

and if so, what is it?

* There is only one ab-solute truth in this life..unfor-tunately it’s called death. We are all here just for a limited time with the promise that if you believe in God, you will have an eternal life. Death - whether timely or not comes for us all.

* You can never have enough money!!!

* No matter what road you take, positive or negative we’re all ending up at the same place... Death

disagree with what you say.

* Besides the fact that we die? Well, we ALL at some point fall in love. Trust me.

* It doesn’t wait for anyone.

* Everything is meaning-less. Meaning, nothing has a meaning different than what you give it.

* Life is great. Yes, people come and go. Things change, but you always gotta remember good things fall apart, so better things would fall together!! Stay positive

* Life wouldn’t be life with-out ASA ;)

* Our ideas and thoughts have changed human society, all other spe-cie’s societies and the natural world. Our brain has amazing powers.

* It can be gone in an instant, you have no control.

* You can’t make everyone happy.

* There will always be people that

StaffChief Editor:Co-Editors:

Lusine HarutyunyanHovhannes MkhitaryanChristina Lulejyan

Contributors:Aaron Keshishian

Alina GrigorianAnahid Yahdjian

Grikor GeysimonianSilva Atsilatsyan

Nazeli KhodabakhshTalar KossakianTerenig TopjianVrej Haroutounian

Want to write for us?E-mail: [email protected]

Want to join CSUN ASA?E-mail: [email protected]

Want to Sponsor us?E-mail: [email protected]

© 2010 Armenian Student Association

CSUN ASA

FL 2010 Vol.3

Documents

Transcript of FL 2010 Vol.3