EDITORIAL: The UNA's 35th Convention (05/26/02)

EDITORIAL

The UNA's 35th Convention

As this issue of The Weekly goes to press on Friday morning, May 24, the opening gavel of the 35th Regular Convention of the Ukrainian National Association is about to sound. During the next five days, delegates from the UNA's branches throughout the United States and Canada - 142 are slated to arrive - as well as members and honorary members of the UNA General Assembly will hear officers' reports; engage in discussion on the activity, both successes and failures, during the past four-year term; vote on proposed changes to the UNA By-Laws; determine the fate of Soyuzivka; and discuss the future of the UNA in Canada. (Some of these issues, in particular the by-laws proposals, were covered in an editorial published on April 28.)

In particular, delegates will be asked to consider reducing the size of the General Assembly from the current 25 members, down to 14. The issue is: is less more? Or to put it another way: are fewer members of the General Assembly - fewer officers, fewer auditors, fewer advisors - better for the UNA as a whole? Opinions are mixed: perhaps there should be fewer auditors, but the same number of officers; perhaps the number of advisors can be reduced somewhat, or perhaps it should remain the same. We urge the delegates to deliberate with care and caution.

The fate of Soyuzivka hangs in the balance. Some will urge simply selling the resort because it has been a serious drain on the UNA's finances for years. Others will urge taking a more creative approach to save what many consider our community's treasure. Again, we ask the delegates to tread carefully. A decision on Soyuzivka affects much more than the UNA's bottom line; the issue is much more complex than a simple arithmetic can indicate. Soyuzivka is an institution; it is part and parcel of the UNA's public face.

In between the discussions on these and other issues, there will be all sorts of politicking and posturing, as the convention elects a new UNA leadership for the next four years. Yet again, we encourage delegates to listen carefully, to read the officers' reports, to ask questions and insist on getting answers, and then to cast their votes wisely.

Also, between the lines, there will be fundamental questions. What is the UNA to be? Will the UNA stay true to its founding principles? Will fraternalism continue to serve as its foundation?

The decisions made by convention delegates have ramifications that go beyond the UNA. After all, history has shown us that the fates of the UNA and our community have been inextricably linked. We wish the delegates to the Ukrainian National Association's 35th Convention patience, tenacity, strength and, above all, wisdom that will benefit future generations of UNA'ers and our community.

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