Students revitalize CeSUS at Toronto parley (12/29/85)

Students revitalize CeSUS at Toronto parley

by Natalia A. Feduschak

TORONTO - Despite three days of sometimes tense negotiations and uncertainty, delegates of Ukrainian student organizations throughout the free world in the final analysis agreed to revitalize the 60-year-old Central Union of Ukrainian Students (CeSUS).

The primary accomplishment of student organizations represented at the conference held here December 20-22, was an agreement to establish communications among each other and to meet again to establish specific CeSUS goals. Delegates also agreed to establish an organizing body consisting of coordinator, secretary and treasurer, and to call a congress by December 31, 1986.

Group representatives also unanimously elected a CeSUS governing board: Myron Wasylyk as coordinator, Danylo Derevych as secretary, and Andre Rudnicky as treasurer.

Approximately 70 students representing seven national organizations were on hand at the World Congress of Ukrainian Students. They were the Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America (SUSTA), the Ukrainian Canadian Students' Union (SUSK), the Ukrainian Student Association of Mykola Michnowsky (TUSM), and student organizations of Australia, Brazil, France and Germany.

"This is a very positive step on the students' part despite divergent opinions. This shows Ukrainians can actually work together," said Ronya Stojko-Lozynskyj, a spokesperson for the American caucus. "It looks like the structure, at last, of CeSUS itself has been revitalized. This world body has not been active since 1977, now once again it is active as a world body of Ukrainian students." Ms. Lozynskyj is the last SUSTA president, having been elected in 1981 at the organization's last congress.

Although optimism was apparent at the end of the three days, the road to revitalizing CeSUS was not easy. The conference was plagued by deep rifts within organizations and much political infighting.

The conference did yield a revitalized CeSUS, but it laid an uncertain framework for its future. For example, many of the conference participants were unsure about its purpose and they claimed that the conference was disorganized.

While many of the program participants came with the understanding that student organizations would be discussing the feasibility of revitalizing CeSUS, as was agreed at a meeting between student organizations from the United States and Canada held earlier this year, others came with the idea that they were attending a CeSUS congress. Complained one program participant, "There's been a lack of communication."

Thus, one point of contention was what to talk about. Students spent most of the three days in caucuses and ignored the planned program set up by the meeting's coordinating committee, headed by Marta Dyczok.

Once the strongest voice of Ukrainian students worldwide, since its 1977 congress CeSUS has been reduced to the status of merely a symbolic organization.

Established in 1912, the organization was founded to act as a coordinating body between student organizations and to represent Ukrainian students and their interests throughout the world. It also took upon itself the task of financially aiding those students who needed it. The organization remained active until the early 1950s. At that time it fell victim to a lack of organization and interest on the part of students, as well as many political problems.

At the conference many participants said they did not like the basic structure of CeSUS and felt many of its ideals were outdated. Thus, they came to the conference to discuss whether it was even worth revitalizing CeSUS or better to let sleeping dogs lie. SUSK members argued most vehemently that national organizations should first get their own houses in order before re-establishing a world organization. Members of SUSK also complained that since SUSK was the largest, and presumably the strongest national student organization, in the long run it would end up taking over the leadership and financial responsibility for CeSUS. And that, they said, was something they did not want.

In an editorial printed last year in Student, SUSK's national newspaper, former SUSK president Mike Maryn wrote, "A revival of CeSUS based on its present constitution would no doubt result in a dismal failure, and would cast the participating student unions back into the old pattern of contempt and mistrust. This is especially true given that much of the leadership of the Ukrainian American groups is the same as it was at the time of the disintegration of CeSUS."

This mistrust, most notably between the U.S. and Canadian delegations, marred the first part of the conference. Many students were unsure of others' motivations, and complained that too many people were promoting their own interests and not thinking about the well-being of student organizations worldwide.

Also, several members of SUSK complained of a lack of interest from their organization's executive.

In the end, however, SUSK president Danylo Dzikewicz said, "We'll go with CeSUS and then continue to examine it. We didn't go ahead with other resolutions because we don't have a mandate. The committee will look at it and our membership will look at it." Although he said he did not think the general SUSK membership would reject CeSUS, he did caution that no matter what was decided at the meeting, the general body could react negatively.

Not all of the discussion revolved around CeSUS itself.

During the conference, students from various parts of the world, as well as university professors, talked about a variety of subjects concerning Ukrainian youth today. Representatives of six countries talked about the history of student organizations in their countries on the first day of the conference. Many students, however, left after the opening ceremonies of the world conference to discuss political matters with their respective organizations.

University professors urged students to revitalize CeSUS, saying it was not only an important organization historically, but also could act as a unifying force for Ukrainian youth worldwide.

Yurij Shymko, a member of the opposition party in the Ontario Legislature said during the opening speech of the second day of the conference, "CeSUS must exist, it is an obligation to our nation." And, referring to allegations which have been made in Canada that Ukrainians slaughtered Jews during the second world war, "It (as an organization) must put an end to this kind of fiction."

During his speech, Mr. Shumko said he believed the primary undertakings of Ukrainian students today should be the fight for world peace and for finding war criminals.

"Don't let the ideas that Ukrainians are born anti-Semitic and Jews are Ukrainophobic persist. It is one of our most important questions," he said.

As other professors spoke at this conference, one of the overriding topics was how Ukrainian youth could best counter the so-called "ghetto mentality." There is agreement among most members of the community that Ukrainians have become too isolated and a large faction resists assimilation, speakers said.

This mentality has caused a portion of Ukrainian youth to disassociate itself from the community. In addition, because of a fear of assimilation, the community has, unfortunately, not been able to penetrate the mainstream according to University of Toronto Prof. Yuri Bozhyk.

"The Ukrainian community is nowhere near other communities is penetrating the mainstream," he said.

Part of the problem, he continued, is that Ukrainians don't even have a firm grip on their past. "It is one of the greatest weaknesses. They hate the past, they feel victimized by the past. We have the least historical memory. Ukrainians themselves don't preserve their tradition."

He also said that the only scholarly institute which is officially funded by a government is the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Two other institutes, the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto and the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, also play an important role in academic life, but these two institutes exist because Ukrainians themselves set up the funding for them, Prof. Bozhyk said.

Institutes such as the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta are also crucial when dealing with topics such as the war criminals issue.

"What do we do to defend ourselves? A book would be useful. And say that some Ukrainians were involved in war crimes,... that some element of war crimes were committed (by Ukrainians)," said Prof. Bozhyk. It is important to have an independent research institute which will give the entire story he said.

At a discussion on cultural issues with University of Toronto Prof. Danylo Struk, Ukrainians who did not see where their culture stood in relation to other cultures were criticized.

"We need to start somewhere to see where we stand as a cultural nation. People won't go beyond what is done within their circle. We must know ourselves, but also see that ours has a base and then can expand."

One of the suggestions he gave in helping students get funding for studies in the arts was for students to suggest to those organizations their parents belong to that they set up scholarship funds for cultural studies.

Another topic raised at this conference was the case of Myroslav Medvid. Dan Perrin, special assistant to the general counsel of the Senate Steering Committee, arrived from Washington to urge Canadian Ukrainians to support a resolution to investigate U.S. asylum policies. He spoke at the banquet on the second day of the conference. Introduced by Sen. Gordon Humphrey (R-N.H.), the resolution would set up a seven-member Senate committee to investigate current policy as well as the details of the Myroslav Medvid case which led to his return to the Soviet Union.

"You people have been extremely supportive," he said. Writing to Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kansas), the primary opponent of the Humphrey resolution, to encourage him to support the bill would be very effective, he stated.

"Explain to him (Sen. Dole), that you consider the U.S. to be the example of freedom and you are ashamed of their (the government's) action," he said.

Mr. Perrin also discussed the possibility of a deal existing between the United States and the Soviets whereby the United States sends back those sailors who jump ship.

"Obviously this is extremely disturbing...We will not tolerate the Soviet Union bullying our people out of the United States," he said.

Mr. Perrin's speech was interrupted by an ill-timed appearance by a Ukrainian avant-garde theater group which walked through the hall during Mr. Perrin's speech with a sign that said "My khochem yicty." (We want to eat.) Mr. Perrin appeared displeased by the interruption.