LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (11/26/00)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Chose Soyuzivka for UNA conclave

Dear Editor:

I recently read the Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the UNA General Assembly in the August 27 edition of the Weekly. The minutes discussed proposed sites for the Ukrainian National Association's convention in the year 2002. One of the sites (which makes much sense) was Soyuzivka. However, as I read the article, I became increasingly irritated.

First of all, for the UNA not to have the convention at Soyuzivka is just simply bad business. The UNA owns Soyuzivka, so many of the expenses associated with hosting such a convention would simply go from its "left pocket" to its "right pocket." In other words, the $350,000 (as mentioned in the minutes) would go from the UNA to Soyuzivka. These badly needed funds can greatly assist Soyuzivka in various upgrade projects. In the business world such intra-corporate utilization of resources is not only common, but is highly recommended, especially in cyclical lean years. What better scenario can you have than taking funds earmarked for such an event and recycling it back into your own organization?

Secondly, according to the minutes, some members of the committee felt that the idea of having the convention at Soyuzivka is not currently a viable option. Apparently, extra rooms would be needed at the Hudson Valley Hotel (about two miles away - big deal!). I'm sure delegates with cars would not mind at all. Another (supposedly major) problem mentioned was transportation from the various airports (Albany and Stewart airports are both within an hour's drive, the three metropolitan airports are two hours away). I guess no one has recently taken a car service from any of the local airports to New York City. That also takes at least an hour.

Besides, if this is the biggest logistics problem, it could be solved fairly easily with just a little bit of planning, and proper scheduling of flights and pick-ups. Any "extra" costs would be more than offset by savings associated with having the convention at Soyuzivka. Furthermore, has anyone considered the cost savings of the vast number of delegates within the tri-state region who would arrive by car and not resort to flying?

Based on the final recommendation made by the Soyuzivka Standing Committee, the convention will not be held at Soyuzivka. It is precisely these types of decisions that made me write this letter to the editor. There have been too many wrong decisions made in the past several years; this one is just another.

People, wake up! This one really is a no-brainer! Being familiar with Soyuzivka, I can honestly say that Soyuzivka can be the convention site, and for all the positive reasons it should be. I grow increasingly concerned over these negative decisions and their impact on wonderful Ukrainian institutions such as Soyuzivka and the UNA.

I think we, as Ukrainians, need to relearn what the term "fraternal" really means. For a fraternal organization to be successful, it must now, more than ever, look at both revenue-producing and cost-savings mechanisms. Unfortunately, by not picking Soyuzivka, both sides of the coin are being minimized.

It appears that the decision has already been made. However, it is not too late. I strongly recommend that Soyuzivka be reconsidered for the UNA 2002 Convention. Any decision to the contrary should not be acceptable to delegates of the convention or members of the UNA. Just do it! It makes good business sense.

Myron Krywulych
Westfield, N.J.

Scythian exhibit and Hrushevsky

Dear Editor:

I read with interest the "Scythians rule New York" by our indefatigable chronicler of New York Ukrainian cultural events, Helen Smindak. We are fortunate to have such treasures from Ukrainian collections shown in so many North American museums. The community owes the Walters Gallery and the San Antonio Museum of Art a debt of gratitude. The community can also take pride in the work of Lada Onyshkevych and Motria Paluch-Fedorko in organizing the exhibit.

The exhibit offers an opportunity to inform the wider community about the ancient history of Ukraine in a broader context. I wish to draw community members' and organizations' attention to Volume 1, "From Prehistory to the Eleventh Century" of Mykhailo Hrushevsky's "History of Ukraine-Rus'." It contains an English text of the great Ukrainian historian's discussion of Scythians and all the other peoples that inhabited Ukraine, in Marta Skorupsky's excellent translation. In addition to Hrushevsky's text, Prof. Andrzej Poppe provides commentary and additional bibliography. Fortuitously, an exquisite detail from the pectoral found in the Tovsta Mohyla barrow, or kurhan, graces the cover.

The members of the staff of the Hrushevsky Translation Project were pleased that the Walters Gallery ordered the volume for its bookshop during the exhibit. We believe that the enthusiasm for the ancient history of Ukraine among community members and the general public should stimulate interest in Hrushevsky's volume.

I urge those involved in assisting the host museums and popularizing the exhibit to make maximum use of "From Prehistory to the Eleventh Century." I might add that the CIUS Press in addition to the volume, has posters of the cover available. (Contact: CIUS Press, 352 Athabasca Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2E8; telephone, (780) 492-2972; fax, (780) 492-4972; e-mail, [email protected].

Frank Sysyn
Edmonton

The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and commentaries on a variety of topics of concern to the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities. Opinions expressed by columnists, commentators and letter-writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either The Weekly editorial staff or its publisher, the Ukrainian National Association.

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