UNA General Assembly meets in annual session at Soyuzivka (11/17/96)

UNA General Assembly meets in annual session at Soyuzivka

by Roma Hadzewycz

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - The General Assembly of the Ukrainian National Asso-ciation held its annual meeting here at the fraternal organization's upstate New York resort, Soyuzivka, on November 7-10.

During four days of sometime intense deliberations and committee meetings, the assembly members voted to approve a budget of $11,148,000 for 1997, to proceed with the sale of the UNA headquarters building in Jersey City, N.J., and to continue publishing Svoboda as a daily newspaper.

Present at the session were: President Ulana Diachuk, Vice-President Nestor Olesnycky, Director for Canada Peter Savaryn, Secretary Martha Lysko, Treasurer Alexander Blahitka; Auditors Stefan Hawrysz, William Pastuszek, Stefania Hewryk, Anatole Doroshenko and Iwan Wynnyk; and Advisors Roma Hadzewycz, Tekla Moroz, Stefko Kuropas, Walter Korchynsky, Eugene Iwanciw, Stefanie Hawryluk, Taras Szmagala Jr., Alexander Serafyn, Andrew Keybida, Anne Remick, Roman Kuropas and the Rev. Myron Stasiw.

Also present were several honorary members of the UNA General Assembly: Stephen Kuropas, Jaroslaw Padoch, Anna Chopek, Mary Dushnyck, Bohdan Hnatiuk, Myron Kuropas, Walter Sochan, John O. Flis, Joseph Lesawyer and Wasyl Didiuk, as well as the editors-in-chief of Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, respectively, Zenon Snylyk and Ms. Hadzewycz.

Vice-Presidentess Anya Dydyk-Petrenko, and Advisors Alex Chudolij and Nick Diakiwsky expressed regrets that they could not be present at the annual meeting. Also unable to attend were Genevieve Zerebniak, the Rt. Rev. Stephan Bilak and Anna Haras, honorary members of the Assembly.

The meeting was opened with the traditional ceremony honoring the patron of the Ukrainian National Association, Taras Shevchenko. Due to a steady drizzle, the ceremony was held inside the lobby of the Main House instead of at the estate's Shevchenko monument. Brief remarks written by Ms. Dydyk-Petrenko, who was not present due to illness, were read by Mrs. Moroz. Afterwards all present sang Shevchenko's "Testament" ("Zapovit").

The deliberations then began with opening remarks by President Diachuk who noted several important milestones that were marked in 1996: the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear accident, the debut of independent Ukraine at the Summer Olympics and the fifth anniversary of Ukraine's independence.

She went on to note that the UNA must proceed in its activity, but must take note of the spirit of the times while staying true to its tradition of caring for the well-being of its members and the Ukrainian community at large.

Mrs. Diachuk then called for a moment of silence for all departed UNA activists and members, after which the Rev. Stasiw delivered an invocation. After approval of both the agenda for the 1996 annual meeting and the minutes of the May 1995 annual meeting and the November 1995 special meeting, the General Assembly proceeded to create committees that were to report back to the entire body with recommendations on all facets of UNA activity: organizing, finances, sports, advertising/publicity, publications, fraternal activities, Soyuzivka, Canadian matters, youth affairs, seniors' affairs, scholarship policy and aid to Ukraine. A Resolutions Committee also was created to draft the General Assembly's greetings, resolutions and recommendations.

Next on the agenda were the reports of advisors, auditors and executive officers. Due to the fact that copies of reports had been distributed to all present, Assembly members limited their oral reports to addenda or clarifications to their written report.

UNA president's report

Noting that her report was written in the English language, the president summarized its major points in Ukrainian. Among the report's findings:

In 1995, branch organizers and individual members enrolled 742 new members insured for $6,508,000, while the professional sales force enrolled 145 new members in the United States insured for $3.3 million and 144 in Canada insured for $8.9 million; thus, 65 percent of all new insurance written reflected the work of professional salespersons. The total number of policies issued in 1995 was 1,031, for $18.75 million of life insurance.
The UNA's total income for 1995 was $12,699,277, or $91,000 less than in the previous year. Disbursements in 1995 totaled $11,295,796, a decrease of nearly $1 million from 1994. Assets grew by $1,651,147 to $73,366,868 as of December 31, 1995; and the ratio of admitted assets to total liabilities stood at 113.4 percent as of the end of 1995.
In 1995, the UNA lost 1,201 active members; during the first nine months of 1996 the number of active members lost was 1,190. As of September 1996, the UNA had 59,813 members.
The Svoboda Press Publishing House (which includes the Ukrainian-language daily Svoboda, The Ukrainian Weekly, the administration and bookstore) had income during 1995 of $1,168,182, while in 1994 it was $784,719. In 1995 the UNA advanced an additional $502,289 as a subsidy to the publishing house, while in 1994 that subsidy had amounted to $989,866. Though the amount collected for subscriptions had increased substantially in 1995 due to the new rates approved by the General Assembly meeting in May of that year, the number of subscribers to both Svoboda and The Weekly fell markedly. Expenses at the publishing house decreased from 1994 by $67,135 and in 1995 totaled $1,694,716. During the first nine months of the current year, income stood at $1,007,739, while disbursements were $1,193,702, continuing the trend of the previous year of rising income and declining expenses. The decline in subscribers also continued into 1996.
At Soyuzivka, income in 1995 was $1,111,908, while expenses totaled $1,441,055. During the first three quarters of 1996, income at the resort was $946,337, and expenses were $1,317,590.
The Ukrainian National Urban Renewal Corp. (UNURC) had income in 1995 of $3,420,405, while disbursements totaled $3,871,639. (Income in that year decreased by $26,302, while expenses increased by $66,063 from 1994. The net operating deficit for 1995 was $447,180.) During the first nine months of 1995, both income and expenses increased from the previous year, with income totaling $2,521,344 and expenses adding up to $2,170,908.
The UNA headquarters building was put up for sale in accordance with the May 1995 decision of the General Assembly. The UNA signed an exclusive contract for marketing the building with Cushman/Wakefield, the largest commercial real estate company in New Jersey. The State of New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, in a recent letter to the UNA, indicated that the sale of the headquarters building would be desirable in view of the fact the UNA's loan to the UNURC has a negative effect on the surplus of the UNA.
UNA executive officers have inspected several available properties in Morris County that may be suitable for the UNA's new home office.
The proposed merger involving the Ukrainian National Aid Association of America is now awaiting completion of a due diligence review of its operations and financial condition. A five-year projection of the block of insurance business represented by the UNAAA is nearly complete.
The proposed merger involving the Ukrainian Fraternal Association is stalled until such time as the Verkhovyna resort owned by the UFA is sold by its owner, which will greatly improve that society's surplus position. This is the stand taken by New Jersey state insurance authorities.
Donations to the UNA Fund for the Rebirth of Ukraine totaled $33,424 in 1995; in the first nine months of 1996 donations were down to $16,663.
During 1995, the UNA's Teaching English in Ukraine program provided instructors for 53 courses taught in 22 cities in Ukraine. In 1996 that program, now called English Teachers for Ukraine, resulted in 25 courses taught in 14 cities. The parallel Summer Institute on Current Methods and Practices in TESOL (for Ukraine's teachers of the English language) continued in 1996 with programs in Lutsk and Vinnytsia. Since 1993, permanent resource centers for teachers have been established in Kyiv, Lutsk, Kharkiv and Vinnytsia.

President's conclusions

Afterwards President Diachuk distributed a copy of her conclusions, written in the Ukrainian language. Among the comments in this section of her report were the following:

The older generation is leaving the scene of Ukrainian community life; the middle generation is active in Ukrainian schools, youth organizations, aid to Ukrainian and cultural endeavors; while the young generation, those age 25 to 35 is occupied with careers and families. New immigrants, meanwhile, are not joining the ranks of Ukrainian organizations. This reality of our community life means that there are fewer and fewer potential members for the UNA, and potential readers of Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly.
Svoboda readership continues to decline, and new immigrants to this country do not find the paper interesting. The paper needs to be revamped from top to bottom, and editorial staff must adjust to new times. Due to the drop in the number of subscribers, the paper's deficit is increasing. The report proposed that Svoboda be published and mailed twice a week (the first issue, to encompass 12 pages, to be composed of editions normally published on the first three days of the week, the second, an eight-page edition to include materials for the other two days of the work week). This measure would save $200,000 per year.
The decline of subscribers to The Weekly may be due to several factors: cancellations due to cost; apathy of the younger generation, selection of materials that is too serious for the average reader; lack of information on what those who are not now readers of the paper would like to see published.
The only way to drastically cut costs at Soyuzivka is to close it down. We have to seriously consider whether the resort is needed by our organization and whether we can continue to support it. The discount of 10 percent offered to UNA members at the resort should perhaps be lowered, and prices should be increased as they are now 30 to 40 percent lower than in other hotels in the area.
Due to the decreasing number and advancing age of branch secretaries, it is clear that the UNA must rely more and more on professional sales personnel, and the network of such professionals must be expanded. New branch secretaries also require the Home Office's attention, as they must be encouraged in their work and trained to do their jobs.
Canada has great potential. The UNA's sales office in the Toronto area has yet to achieve its full potential due to the lack of professional salespersons of Ukrainian or Slavic ancestry.
Mergers with other fraternal organizations are inevitable as costs of running a fraternal benefit society continue to go up and the pool of potential members continues to shrink.

In conclusion, Mrs. Diachuk noted: "The year 1995 was marked by persistent efforts to bring down the costs of our publishing house and Soyuzivka. Some progress was made, but there are also many disappointments. The year 1996 brought problems regarding mergers."

During the discussion of the reports, which began on Thursday, November 7 and continued into the next day, the topics raised included: the condition of the UNA headquarters building, the further fate of UNA publications, the morale of employees at the Home Office, the need for a mission statement for the UNA, the importance of fraternal activities to the growth of the UNA, whether the UNA is being forced by New Jersey insurance officials to sell its headquarters building, how to improve delivery of UNA newspapers, the possibility of selling insurance in Ukraine, the popularity of Soyuzivka and the role of UNA district committees.

Once the discussion of General Assembly members' reports was concluded, the focus of attention shifted to the reports delivered by the manager of Soyuzivka, John A. Flis; and the editors-in-chief of Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, respectively, Mr. Snylyk and Ms. Hadzewycz.

Next the General Assembly was asked to approve the composition of a new By-Laws Committee that is charged with preparing amendments to the UNA By-Laws in time for the next convention, which will take place in May 1998 in Toronto. Named to the committee were: Mrs. Diachuk, Mr. Olesnycky, Dr. Savaryn and Mrs. Lysko of the Executive Committee; Messrs. Pastuszek and Doroshenko from the Auditing Committee; Messrs. Serafyn, Iwanciw, Korchynsky, Diakiwsky and Szmagala, advisors; and Mr. Flis and Dr. Kuropas, honorary members of the General Assembly.

The third day of deliberations, Saturday, November 9, began with the report of the Auditing Committee, delivered by its chairman, Mr. Hawrysz, and vice-chairman, Mr. Pastuszek. The committee proposed that the reports of executive officers and advisors be approved. Afterwards there was a discussion about Mr. Blahitka's non-fulfillment of his statutory duties as treasurer.

General Assembly committees' reports

The remainder of the day was spent on reports presented by General Assembly committees. (The full texts of their recommendations will be published in a subsequent issue of The Weekly.)

Among the committees' proposals that were approved by the entire Assembly were the following:

Resolutions Committee: that the General Assembly consider and adopt, prior to the termination of the next General Assembly meeting, a concise mission statement setting forth with specificity the role the Ukrainian National Association intends to play within the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities; that the Executive Committee engage an independent management consultant to review the current management structure and policies of the UNA, including its effectiveness, efficiency and employment policies.
Advertising/Publicity Committee: that the Executive Committee contract with a professional advertising company to assist in the development of print and electronic advertisements and promotional brochures; that development of the UNA homepage on the Internet proceed rapidly; that membership cards be issued to all UNA members; that the Executive Committee pursue the issuance, through Ukrainian credit unions, of a UNA affinity credit card.
Committee on Canadian Matters: that the activity of the UNA's Canadian Representation be bolstered and that a separate budget be allocated for this purpose.
Financial Committee: that the UNA budget for 1997 include income of $11,148,000, expenses of $10,356,000, with a projected profit of $792,000; that UNA executive officers receive a cost of living adjustment of 3 percent beginning January 1, 1997.
Fraternal Activities Committee: that the UNA continue to support and subsidize its most important fraternal assets, its newspapers, Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, and its year-round resort, Soyuzivka; that in order to encourage UNA District Committees to become involved in fraternal activities, the UNA should allocate sufficient funds, up to $1,000 per year, to those districts that submit a viable plan for fraternal activities in their region.
Organizing Committee: that annual conferences of district committee chairpersons be held to stimulate UNA activity; that courses for branch secretaries be held at Soyuzivka and in UNA districts to acquaint participants with new classes of insurance offered by the UNA.
Publications Committee: that, in accordance with previous decisions of the UNA Convention and the General Assembly, and in keeping with last year's vote by subscribers, the UNA continued to publish Svoboda on a daily basis, and that its quality be improved; that UNA Almanacs be published in bilingual (Ukrainian-English) editions; that a delegation be dispatched to Washington to the Postmaster General in an effort to secure better delivery of our newspapers via second-class mail; that the UNA consider employing a marketing professional to handle promotion of all UNA-related business, including publications, Soyuzivka and insurance.
Scholarship Policy Committee: that the UNA increase the amounts given to students who are awarded special memorial scholarships and that these be awarded in recognition of academic excellence; that the minimum grade-point average requirement be raised to 2.0; that beginning on January 1, 2000, members who have juvenile term policies no longer be eligible for UNA scholarships.
Seniors Committee: that seniors who are members of the UNA be encouraged to become involved in fraternal activities of their branches and districts; that seniors continue to actively enroll their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the UNA.
Soyuzivka Committee: that the resort's manager present a five-year plan for maintenance and capital improvements to the UNA Executive Committee by January 1, 1997; that the UNA provide sufficient funding for ongoing promotions and marketing of Soyuzivka; that two price structures be implemented at the resort: one for members, the other for non-members; that the Soyuzivka newsletter, Suzy-Q News, be placed on the World Wide Web.
Sports Committee: that the UNA and its members support, develop and form sports teams on the branch and district levels.

Once the committee reports were heard, discussed and approved, the General Assembly members turned their attention on the last day of deliberations to a discussion of the UNA's other fraternal activities. They indicated that the UNA should continue funding gifts to graduates of schools of Ukrainian studies, that the UNA continue to sponsor pedagogical courses for teachers of Ukrainian studies schools, and that the administrative expenses of the Kyiv Press Bureau continue to be funded through the UNA Fund for the Rebirth of Ukraine.

The final item on the agenda was miscellaneous recommendations. Dr. Serafyn proposed that budget assumptions be spelled out in writing when the UNA budget is presented for the coming year. His motion was formalized and passed by the General Assembly members.

Roman Kuropas proposed that, in observance of Veterans' Day, the presence of several veterans at the Assembly sessions be recognized and that departed veterans be remembered with a moment of silence.

Finally, Ms. Hadzewycz touched on the sale of the UNA building and several related issues, which evolved into a lengthy discussion. In the end, her motion that the General Assembly revisit its decision to proceed with the sale of the building was voted down 11-5.

The General Assembly adjourned with the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem.

After the conclusion of the annual meeting, the newly expanded board of directors of the Ukrainian National Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit foundation created by the UNA to support educational, charitable, religious and scientific projects, held a meeting. Present were: Mrs. Diachuk, Mrs. Lysko, Messrs. Olesnycky, Blahitka, Iwanciw, Doroshenko and Sochan, and Ms. Hadzewycz. The remaining member of the board is Ms. Dydyk-Petrenko.