LETTER TO THE EDITOR
USC is what you make of it: an account of Armenian advocacy on campus
The Armenian advocacy at USC has been nothing short of impactful.
By EDUARD GHAZARYAN
When I first arrived at USC as a freshman in 2021, I was searching for any acknowledgment from the University that the Armenian community existed. Just one year prior, a catastrophic war in Nagorno-Karabakh, known in Armenian as “Artsakh,” had directly affected the large Armenian student population on campus.
Apart from timely programming and educational efforts led by the USC Institute of Armenian Studies, I was only able to find calls to action from the student body. Armenian Trojans expressed outrage at the administration’s failure to support a community that has been an integral part of USC’s vibrant campus life for more than one hundred years.
California is home to the largest Armenian -American diaspora, and Los Angeles has enjoyed the fruits of Armenian culture for well over a century. The Armenian community has not only spread its culture throughout the Golden State but has also become an integral part of the Angeleno experience, bolstering a shared history with other communities from across the world.
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USC has been no stranger to the diversity and richness of Armenian contributions –– the first Armenian graduate was David John Packchoyan in 1904. In 1957, an Armenian Genocide survivor named Zohrab Kaprielian joined the faculty, becoming dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering and, later, university provost. Under his leadership, the school transformed into a research powerhouse. His legacy is permanently etched into our campus architecture, a model of excellence for every student who steps inside Kaprielian Hall.
Before and after them, countless Armenian -American students and administration members, faculty and staff have left their mark on University Park. Despite the Armenian community’s instrumental role in shaping our university history, USC leadership has fallen short of validating our experiences when trauma and upheaval touch our lives.
The recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has reached our campus through the stories of several students who, like me, were born in Armenia and remain deeply connected to our homeland.
In Sept. 2022, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive on sovereign Armenian territory, directly affecting the families of a significant portion of the Armenian community on campus, including my own. Drones crowded the sky over my hometown region of Vayots Dzor, and townsfolk confronted the possibility of losing their homes and livelihoods.
Propelled by the escalating situation in Armenia and Artsakh, the fight for representation started as a grassroots movement, led by individual Armenian students and the Armenian Students Association.
The inaugural Armenian History Month celebrations in April featured introductory remarks by President Carol Folt, folk dances, traditional cuisine and a vibratn carpet display near Tommy Trojan. (Margarita Baghdasaryan / Institute of Armenian Studies)
Through open letters, Undergraduate Student Government senate resolutions and articles in university media outlets, we amplified our voices and demands. Our ask was simple: we longed for recognition from the administration that we existed, that our struggle mattered and that our stories merited visibility. Until then, the lack of response from university leadership had mirrored the invisibility that Armenians have historically experienced.
The situation reached a breaking point, both on campus and the frontlines, one year ago. In Sept. 2023, following a catastrophic nine-month blockade of Artsakh, Azerbaijan launched a brutal military attack on the besieged population, forcibly displacing more than 100,000 Armenians. This, again, had horrifying effects on the Armenian student population as what they had considered a part of their homeland and national identity was suddenly wiped away.
Just days after the ethnic cleansing campaign in Artsakh, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism hosted the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S., Hasan Murat Mercan, and Azerbaijani Consul General in L.A. –– providing a platform to celebrate the diplomacy of two states complicit in human rights violations.
The fallout from the event prompted a change in course by the administration, which displayed a willingness to finally listen to Armenian students and right the wrongs of the previous three years.
Fast forward one semester to April 2024, when the Armenian community celebrated the inaugural Armenian History Month, filled with vibrant cultural events and historical lessons. President Carol Folt delivered introductory remarks at the kickoff celebration, which featured folk dances, traditional cuisine and even a carpet display. This marked a turning point for Armenian representation after more than 100 years on this campus.
This representation will continue with “Artsakh Uprooted: Aftermaths of Displacement,” a daylong symposium organized by the USC Institute of Armenian Studies on Nov. 2 in Bovard Auditorium, with the goal of incorporating Armenian voices into the global conversation on dispossession and cultural erasure.
Stepping into my senior year and graduation in May, I am sharing this account of advocacy for all underclassmen to show that USC is really what you make of it. War and instability worldwide affect many communities on campus, and it is on all of us to work toward a more inclusive and representative university culture. If one really believes in an ideal, a fight to achieve representation is fully within reach.
Sincerely,
Eduard Ghazaryan
Class of 2025
