MAIYA HOLLIDAY (left to right) UCLA professor
Richard Hovannisian, Ambassador John M.
Ordway and Geoff Garrett, Vice Provost
for International Studies attend a luncheon at UCLA.
U.S. ambassador lunches at UCLA
John Ordway, a native Californian and the newly-named U.S.
Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, was the guest of honor at a
Tuesday luncheon in the Faculty Center.
Members of the UCLA faculty and staff and many guests from the
Armenian American community joined Ordway to wish him the best of
luck.
“We wish you a lovely stay … among our hospitable
people,” said Armenian Consul General Valery Mkrtoumian
during a short speech.
Ordway will soon head to what Mkrtoumian called “a country
of young democracy and ancient tradition” to represent the
United States.
Ordway was appointed ambassador on Oct. 30 and sworn in last
month.
At the luncheon, Ordway ““ wearing a pin with both American
and Armenian flags on his jacket ““ said representing the
United States in Armenia is especially important because there are
more than 1 million Armenian Americans living in the country.
Ordway called Armenian Americans the “life blood” in
the relationship between the American and Armenian people.
Though the mood of the lunch was often jovial, nearly all in the
room grew somber when the subject matter turned to the United
States’ refusal to recognize the Ottoman Empire’s
Armenian genocide of 1915.
The U.S. Congress is not in good position to recognize the
genocide because doing so might hurt U.S. relations with Turkey,
Ordway said.
But Richard Hovannisian, chair of the Armenian Studies program
at UCLA, politely disagreed, saying that failing to recognize the
genocide not only hurts Armenians but also has a long-term and
detrimental affect on Turkey.
Fraternity at UC Irvine suspended
A fraternity at the University of California, Irvine has been
suspended by its national office after a man seeking to become a
member says he was hazed during a skiing trip.
Jeff Warden, 20, filed a lawsuit against Beta Theta Pi in
November in Orange County Superior Court.
He claims he suffered a seizure and was hospitalized after a
weekend of hazing by fraternity members. Warden is seeking
unspecified monetary damages for assault, battery, intentional
infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of
emotional distress.
University officials are investigating the alleged event.
Fraternity members declined to comment on the allegations.
Warden alleges he was verbally abused and forced to exercise in
freezing temperatures during a fraternity initiation in December.
He claims that after doing push-ups, he laid on the ground and was
forced to join in a simulated sex act with two other pledges. He
claims he felt sick and went unconscious. He said he woke up in the
hospital.
Warden claims the fraternity assured him they would pay his
$10,000 medical bill. So far, they have given $3,000.
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire services.