Language Barrier
Since the early 19th century, Ukraine has melded with Russian culture: First under the control of the Russian Empire and later as part of the Soviet Union.
Although Ukraine became an independent country in the early 1990s, in many cases Russian continues to displace the country's native language.
Close to 4,000 miles away in Western Pennsylvania, Ukrainian also is at risk. In order to continue, a long-standing language program at the University of Pittsburgh must amass a $250,000 endowment.
“Only 18 schools (in the country) have a Ukrainian language program, but Russian is offered basically in every university,” said Nataliya DiDomenico, 34, of Butler, who recently began teaching Ukrainian at Pitt.
A native Ukrainian, DiDomenico began transitioning last year into the position held by Kateryna Dowbenko of Gibsonia, 87, who started the school's Ukrainian language program.
Although Dowbenko was hired to teach Russian in 1975, she soon learned her native tongue was absent from languages offered in Pitt's Slavic languages department.
“I started immediately to teach Ukrainian on my own, because the university didn't recognize Ukrainian,” Dowbenko said. “I thought, ‘It's the Slavic department. I has to be all Slavic languages.'”
Dowbenko said enrollment in Pitt's other Slavic language classes is equal to Ukrainian enrollment — often about 10 students. But those programs have endowments to keep them going.
At one time, the local Ukrainian community raised money toward perpetuating the language, but that money was gifted to Harvard University to help endow the program there.
“On the one hand, it was a good strategy to put (our money) into this big school like that — but how many students can actually get in there?”
DiDomenico said, explaining no one predicted Pitt's program eventually would be threatened.“It wasn't that they made a mistake, but nobody could predict how things would develop,” she said.For 35 years, Dowbenko volunteered as a Ukrainian teacher, so the program needed little support.“After the change in Pennsylvania labor laws, the university would not permit a volunteer basis position anymore. ... They had to come up with some money to finance this course, since it was offered and there were students,” DiDomenico said.According to Roman Kyshakevych, co-chairman of the Ukrainian Language Fund at the University of Pittsburgh, the group has raised $50,000 of the $250,000 needed to endow the program.“The dean has graciously given us two years to raise the money,” Kyshakevych said. “The University of Pittsburgh is going to pay for the instructor for the next two years. That will give us a leg up, give us a chance to start raising (the endowment).”To raise funds, the group recently co-hosted a bandura chorus from Detroit. Other event organizers included a handful of departments from Pitt and Ridna Shkola, or “Our School,” a Pittsburgh school that teaches Ukrainian to youths.The fund also hosted a dinner in July to honor Dowbenko.Along with campus fundraisers, the Ukrainian Language Fund is reaching out to the larger community via Michael Komichak's Ukrainian weekly radio program that broadcasts on Sundays on 730 AM.The group also has appealed to ethnic churches like SS. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Lyndora.“We've had a few meetings at our church, which my wife and I have directed,” said 64-year-old Victor Pawluk, a member of the church's executive board.According to Pawluk, the church has hosted informational talks by DiDomenico and has publicized the issue in the church bulletin.“We've had checks written and we've forwarded checks from our parishioners, but we're not through. It's an ongoing thing,” Pawluk said.“We want to make sure the Ukrainian language is preserved and the University of Pittsburgh has the program. We want to keep it going,” he said.“If we don't have our language then Ukraine ceases to exist as a state. It's critical for us: That's why we're wanting to make sure the language continues down there. It's like a beacon of light for our community.”Kyshakevych said those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to the program can do so by sending funds to: Mr. Yaroslaw Hodowanec, Manager, Attn: Ukrainian Language Program at Pitt, Ukrainian Selfreliance of W. Pennsylvania Federal Credit Union, 95 S. Seventh St., Pittsburgh PA 15203-1026.
