Dear Editor,

As an alumna of the American Armenian International College of the University of La Verne and an active member of the Armenian American community, I was greatly disapointed, shocked and offended to read in your April 8, 2005, issue that the University's Space Committee will propose for the name change of the AAIC building in May to the University's Board of Trustees [“ULV proposes name change” and “AAIC history lost in Leo Hall”]. I wholeheartedly agree that renaming the AAIC building to Leo Hall would be a foolish and inconsiderate step to take by ULV.

If University Trustees are seriously interested in honoring the Armenian heritage, which is an integral part of the university's history, they have to consider the following options:

1. To rename the building to "ARARAT HALL", the symbol of Armenia's perseverance as a Christian nation. This will certainly honor the memory of 1.5 million Armenian martyrs of 1915.

2. To rename the building to "SARAFIAN HALL", in honor and memory of the founder of AAIC.

3. To rename the building to "GARBIS HALL" (he was known as Garbis on campus), in honor of Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiayan, who admirable and sacrificially served AAIC for 16 remarkable years as Dean (1976-1981) and President (1981-1992). AAIC thrived under his visionary and dynamic leadership. He deserves the honor for the following accomplishments:

He single-handedly raised more than $20 million during his tenure as president. He raised all the funds for the AAIC building and supervised its construction. He established cordial and exemplary relationships with ULV, the Church of the Brethren and the City of La Verne. He recruited students from the Middle East, Armenia and the United States, especially traveling to Lebanon during the CivilWar by risking his life (I am a proud beneficiary of his courage and owe him a debt of gratitude).

Through his superb public relations skills not only AAIC but also ULV received global recognition and respect. His numerous visits to Armenia were rewarded when AAIC received 44 tons of tufa stone and 25,000 books for its library. He inspired confidence. Benefactors, including Alex Manoogian, Suren Saroyan (who supported me with a scholarship), Krikor Krouzian (who treated me like his daughter) and others trusted him and supported his efforts wholeheartedly. As a 30-year resident of La Verne, his involvement in the La Verne Rotary Club (the only Rotary International District Governor from La Verne) and numerous other activities, have earned him great respect and admiration. Recently, he made headline news as a peacemaker who travels all over the world to promote global peace, goodwill and understanding. He is an outstanding educator, an exemplary Christian and the dedicated Armenian American leader I have ever known.

I urge the Trustees of the University of La Verne not to tarnish their century-old relationship with Armenia and the Armenian people (established through the Church of the Brethren during the Armenian Genocide). Today, in occupied Western Armenia (Eastern Turkey) traces of Armenians and Armenian churches are effaced and historic Armenian names are changed. Please, for God's sake, La Verne deserves better. Our century-old friendship is and must be our conscience and our witness.

Anna Atamian