INSIDE:• Ukrainian World Congress accredited at U.N. — page 3. • Immigration and language of Ukrainians in the U.S. — page 13. • New sculptures by Natalia Laluque — page 15. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXXI HE No.KRAINIAN 41 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2003 EEKLY$1/$2 in Ukraine T U Ukraine gets Wassurances that its future Ukrainian Studies Fund raises $750,000 includes membership in European Union for Columbia’sby Andrew Nynka inter-disciplinary program by Roman Woronowycz Economic Space framework treaty Kyiv Press Bureau among Russia, Belarus, Kazakstan and PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The goal of Ukraine, should not hinder Ukraine’s establishing a permanent program of KYIV – Ukraine finally received the chance to join the EU, reported Interfax- inter-disciplinary Ukrainian studies at assurance it had sought for several years Ukraine. Columbia University took a major step when European Commission (EC) “The deepening of relations between forward recently as officials at the President Romano Prodi told journalists Ukraine and Russia is not an obstacle to Ukrainian Studies Fund (USF) in Yalta on October 7 that Ukraine would the development of relations between announced that funding for the project eventually attain European Union mem- Ukraine and the European Union,” said had reached $750,000. bership. Mr. Prodi. “I’m of course elated and grateful “Without any doubt Ukraine is a Although both sides were quick to to the Ukrainian community for its European country. We did not discuss a state that no date had been set for generosity and its vote of confidence date, but (membership) is on the agen- Ukrainian membership and any such in our Columbia efforts to rebuild da,” explained Mr. Prodi, who heads the action was a long way off, it was a day Ukrainian studies here,” said Dr. Mark government arm of the European Union on which the leaders discussed in specif- von Hagen, a professor of history at (EU). Dr. Mark von Hagen ic terms, perhaps for the first time, the the university. Mr. Prodi’s statement came at a press road Ukraine must travel if it is to meet The sum of $750,000 – the first part Ukrainian Cultural Renaissance, 1917- conference after a three-hour session the requirements for membership of what is hoped will be a larger 1934.” Dr. Chernetsky’s course is between himself and Ukraine’s President Mr. Prodi enumerated the stages to EU endowment – will support a course on offered through the department of Leonid Kuchma, a meeting that was also membership for Ukraine, which he said 20th century Ukrainian history that Slavic languages, which also provides attended by most of the senior EU leader- were to include intensification of rela- will be taught by Dr. von Hagen and elementary and intermediate ship, including Javier Solana, the high tions and trade at first, followed by Dr. Frank Sysyn of the University of Ukrainian language courses. An representative for foreign and security Ukraine’s acceptance into the World Toronto. The course – the first benefi- advanced Ukrainian language course policy, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Trade Organization, and then recognition ciary of the USF’s Columbia is planned for the spring of 2004. Berlusconi, whose country this year of Ukraine as a free market economy by University Project – will be offered in The university is also planning a holds the rotating chair of the EU. the EU, which would be followed by the the spring of 2004. series of lectures, seminars and confer- Mr. Prodi also noted that closer eco- development of a free trade zone In addition to the current funding, ences focusing on Ukraine during the nomic ties between Ukraine and Russia, between the EU and Ukraine, then asso- faculty at the university and officials course of the 2003-2004 academic which has become a major issue in Kyiv at the USF are hoping to raise a total year. In cooperation with Columbia’s after the signing of the Common (Continued on page 23) of $5 million in order to endow a larg- Harriman Institute, the university’s er program of Ukrainian studies at the School of International and Public Ivy League school. Affairs has regularly brought Russia appears to back down Such a vision, Dr. von Hagen said, Ukrainian politicians and diplomats to would include funding a visiting pro- speak at the university and has a tradi- fessor of history every other year, tion of focusing on Eastern Europe. in territorial dispute in Kerch Strait establishing a position in Ukrainian Dr. von Hagen said that endowing a language teaching, and endowing a Ukrainian Studies Program at the by Roman Woronowycz “This means that this building effort permanent chair that might move school is a logical next step. Kyiv Press Bureau cannot pierce the line in the Kerch Strait between the history and Slavic lan- An initial donation of $250,000 that Ukraine considers its territorial KYIV – Russia looks to have backed guage departments. from the Self Reliance (New York) boundary. Of course, Ukraine will con- down from a secretive attempt to con- Both Columbia University and the Federal Credit Union makes up the tinue to monitor the situation in the Tuzla struct a dam to reconnect a small penin- USF have also said that additional bulk of the current endowment for the region,” explained Mr. Lubkivskyi. sula in the Kerch Strait with an island on funding could support a position at the Ukrainian program. Since that dona- The massive effort to reconnect the Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian diplomats school that would be responsible for tion was announced in The Ukrainian peninsula with the island via a 4.5-kilo- called the effort, which is now on hold, archiving, processing and expanding Weekly on April 6 the endowment has meter dam, which involved hundreds of an attempt by Moscow to give it leverage the university library’s Ukrainian received $25,000 each from the workers and dozens of earth-moving in negotiations over delimitation of water materials. Shevchenko Scientific Society machinery, first came to the attention of boundaries with Kyiv. There is interest also in supporting (NTSh), the Heritage Foundation of Ukrainian diplomatic and government visiting scholars from American and First Security Federal Savings Bank of In Moscow on October 4 Russia’s officials when stories appeared at the end foreign schools who would use the Chicago and an anonymous donor. Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov assured his of September in several Moscow news- university’s Ucrainica collection for The endowment also received a gift of Ukrainian counterpart, Kostyantyn papers, including Rosiyskii Novyny and research purposes. $7,500 from Ivan Stebelskyi, formerly Gryshchenko, that Mosco Komsomolskaya Pravda. Additionally, the USF and of Colorado and now a resident of w had no intention of violating They described a speedy and some- Columbia University hope to create a Sambir, Ukraine. Ukraine’s territorial integrity or interna- what secretive attempt to reconnect the system of scholarships and stipends As part of its gift, NTSh also said it tional law by developing a man-made finger-like abutment by building a long for undergraduate and graduate stu- will donate $25,000 a year for the next joint to connect the Taman Peninsula dam to the island from the end of the dents whose work would involve five years. That news, university offi- with the island of Tuzla. peninsula. Komsomolskaya Pravda went Ukrainian studies. Dr. von Hagen said cials said, meant that they would allow “I assured [the Ukrainian side] that the so far as to state that a border point was that teaching and research would be the course to take place in the spring work would not violate any existing planned for Tuzla proper, on Ukrainian paramount in Columbia’s Ukrainian of 2004 even though an original agree- treaty agreements between the two territory in effect, and that Russian Studies Program, although it might ment between Columbia University sides,” explained Mr. Ivanov after a President Vladimir Putin would preside occasionally be used to publish and the USF stipulated that such a meeting with Mr. Gryshchenko, reported over the ribbon-cutting ceremony that Ukrainian material. course could only proceed once the Interfax-Ukraine. would open it. In addition to the planned sum of $1 million was collected. In an official reply, the spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Ukrainian history course, Columbia The Ukrainian Studies Fund was Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, maintained an official line which had that University offers a course on founded in 1957 by students of the Markian Lubkivskyi, said it was impor- the construction project was not support- Ukrainian literature, taught by Dr. tant that Moscow had finally offered an ed by Moscow, but initiated as a result of Vitaly Chernetsky, called “The (Continued on page 25) official explanation and expressed its intention to uphold existing agreements. (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2003 No. 41 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Donetsk: most dangerous place PM says Ukraine has market economy they are refusing to vote in the Verkhovna Rada until a draft bill stipulating parlia- in Ukraine for journalists WASHINGTON – Ukraine’s Prime mentary elections under a fully proportion- Minister Viktor Yanukovych told a confer- al party-list system is included on the cur- by Taras Kuzio The two Donbas oblasts (and city of ence called “Ukraine’s Quest for Mature rent session’s agenda, the UNIAN and RFE/RL Media Matters Sevastopol) were the only regions of Nation Statehood: Ukraine’s Transition to Interfax news services reported. According Ukraine where Our Ukraine failed to a Developed Market Economy” in Although they are the wealthiest oli- to both caucuses, the parliamentary leader- cross the 4 percent threshold.