Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Charges Filed by Turkish Student against UC Irvine ASA Dropped

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Charges Filed by Turkish Student against UC Irvine ASA Dropped



    --ANC-OC sends letters to the Administration of UCI and CSULB regarding the
    Universities~R position on the Armenian genocide and in support of the UCI
    ASA.

    The Armenian Student Association (ASA) at the University of California Irvine
    was called before the Student Judicial Affairs Council on May 23, 2006 for an
    alleged violation of the University~Rs Physical Abuse policy, as claimed by a
    small Turkish group who protested this year~Rs Genocide Commemorations. The
    student council subsequently dismissed the charges and ruled that the ASA had
    not violated any University Policies.
    The alleged incident took place on April 24 at the ASA~Rs Armenian Genocide
    Commemoration event. While Yeghzapet Garabedyan, a 92 year old Genocide
    survivor was speaking, this small group of protestors began waving a Turkish
    flag and screaming ~Sliar,~T ~Sthe Armenians killed the Turks,~T and a barrage of
    other obscenities.
    Their chants and screams grew louder as they approached the crowd attending
    the commemoration event. Although their numbers were small--approximately 5 or
    6--they still attempted to disrupt the solemn event. UCI Campus Police were
    called by attendees at the commemoration event. Yeghzapet Garabedyan continued
    her remarks undisturbed against the backdrop of flashing police lights once
    the
    officers had arrived.
    As the small Turkish group attempted to walk towards the Commemoration, the
    UCI Campus Police asked them to stop, where they continued to yell at those
    gathered to honor the memory of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian
    genocide. The protestors were eventually escorted from the commemoration by
    UCI
    Campus Police. No charges were filed and no arrests were made.
    In a shameless act of desperation after unsuccessful efforts to disrupt the
    solemn Commemoration, one of the protestors chose to file a complaint against
    the UCI Armenian Student Association claiming that the student association had
    violated the University~Rs physical abuse policy. If the allegations were true,
    the UCI ASA would have been suspended as an accredited student organization at
    the university and been unable to organize any future Armenian genocide
    related
    events. The individual who filed the complaint, Vuslat Demirkoparan, is also a
    Teacher~Rs Aid (TA) at UCI and has close ties with the Turkish Student
    Association at California State University Long Beach (CSULB).
    Also involved was Professor Tulin Mangir from CSULB. Professor Mangir is
    currently the faculty advisor to the Turkish Students Association at CSULB.
    She
    has been the Vice President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations
    (ATAA) and was a winner of the 2002 Women of Distinction Award from The
    Daughters of Ataturk. Professor Mangir wrote an open letter to Chancellor
    Drake
    at UCI condemning the Genocide commemoration event, labeling Armenian
    organizations as terrorists, accusing Armenians of perpetrating a genocide
    against Turks, and stating that the Armenian genocide is a fabricated claim
    perpetuated by ~Sbought~T politicians.
    The Armenian National Committee of Orange County (ANC-OC) got involved
    immediately, met with representatives of the UCI ASA and drafted letters,
    including supplemental materials, to be sent to UCI and CSULB. On May 19, the
    letters and materials were delivered to Chancellor Drake and Vice Chancellor
    Gomez of UCI. Copies were also sent to Chairman Parsky of the UC Board of
    Regents and Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, who is an ex-officio
    member of
    the UC Regents. The ANC-OC also asked that all baseless allegations against
    the
    UCI ASA be immediately dropped.
    The ANC-OC has also mailed letters to the President Alexander at CSULB,
    and to
    Chancellor Reed of the California State University System, and Dr. Edelman,
    the
    director of the Center for studies on Genocide and Holocaust in Chico.
    The ANC-OC asked that both Universities clarify their positions regarding the
    teaching of the Armenian genocide, and that disciplinary action be taken
    against faculty members not following the state~Rs educational guidelines and
    policies as outlined in the California Education Code and the Model Curriculum
    on Human Rights. They also asked the administration at UCI to take
    disciplinary
    action against the TA for filing false charges against the ASA and organizing
    an unauthorized protest at the University. ANC-OC is requesting that the
    administration at CSULB secure a letter of apology from Professor Mangir,
    or in
    the alternative seek disciplinary action.
    On May 23, the 2006 UC Irvine ASA Executive Board Members appeared before the
    Student Judicial Affairs Council. It was announced that the UCI ASA had not
    violated the University~Rs Physical Abuse Policy and that the Executive had
    followed all appropriate procedures in organizing the event.
    The ANC-OC will follow up with both universities and is awaiting a
    response to
    schedule a meeting with both administrations.
    For more information about ANC-OC please visit www.ancoc.org, and if you
    would
    like to get involved please send an email to [email protected].
    "All truth passes through three stages:
    First, it is ridiculed;
    Second, it is violently opposed; and
    Third, it is accepted as self-evident."

    Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
Working...
X