our response to the war

URDC’s first initiative involved disseminating accurate and useful information to the general public. Hayduk and Somchynsky created a “Guide to Support Ukraine” composed of a list of organizations collecting donations, reputable news sources, and suggestions for how people can get involved in the community. Dr. Jeff Stepnisky teamed up with MacEwan librarian Lindsey Whitson to create the URDC Library Guide: A guide for understanding Ukraine and current events featuring a carefully curated selection of academic and literary texts, films, and podcasts. The guide was last updated in the spring of 2023 and it is available via the web to the MacEwan community and the general public.

On February 25, 2022, the team organized a university-wide information session on Ukraine where URDC provided a summary of current events in historical context and shared our “Guide to Support Ukraine” and URDC Library Guide. The meeting was attended by over 80 staff, faculty, and students who showed their strong solidarity with Ukraine. URDC extended continual support to the MacEwan community by holding Ukraine Support Forum—informal weekly gatherings with the PAWSS volunteers. At these weekly meetings attended by 5-15 people, we read poetry, diaries of the war, and engaged in discussions. In September 2022, the Forums were joined by newcomer Ukrainian students and continued to serve as weekly emotional support meetings.

MacEwan President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Annette Trimbee, has been a strong supporter for the Ukrainian community at MacEwan by attending URDC’s university-wide information sessions and composing a message of empathy for Ukrainian community: Message from the president and vice-chancellor - MacEwan University. Through various projects, President Trimbee and university senior administration continue to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian students at MacEwan.

The Faculty of Arts and Science included the Ukrainian flag and a story about URDC and Ukraine related initiatives as part of their contribution to the MacEwan’s Time Capsule, which will be opened on MacEwan’s 100th anniversary in 2071.

URDC is grateful for the ongoing support from MacEwan.

The war forced URDC to shift its programming in response to the growing needs of students, faculty, and the Ukrainian community while continuing and adapting previously planned events as necessary. One example was the “Traces of Chornobyl'' panel organized as part of MacEwan’s university-wide Interdisciplinary Dialogue Project (IDP). In 2022, the IDP panels explored the theme of “recovery.” The panel was originally planned to explore the lessons learned from the Chornobyl Nuclear Explosion on April 26, 1986 and its aftermath; however, the group was faced with the challenging prospect of addressing recovery in the midst of the full-scale Russian invasion in Ukraine. In the days leading up to the panel, the Choronobyl and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Powerplants were both occupied by Russian forces and anxiety was high that another nuclear catastrophe was imminent. The speakers invited to participate in the panel included Dr. Lindsey Freeman (atmosphere, memory, and poetics in nuclear zones), Dr. Maryana Kravtsenyuk (personal and familial recollections of Chornobyl), Dr. Lesia Kulchynska (contemporary Ukrainian art: conflict, censorship, and societal change), and Dr. Timothy Mousseau (effects of radiation and contaminants on organisms in radioactive zones) and was moderated by MacEwan’s Dr. Jeff Stepnisky. Together, the diverse panel addressed both Chornobyl and the ongoing war in Ukraine by sharing personal stories and experiences analyzed with both criticality and care.

The relationship between MacEwan and our Ukrainian partner universities is strong. Our scholarly collaborations were forced to adapt their programs to the current circumstances. Three Collaborative Online Integrated Learning (COIL) courses co-developed with our Ukrainian partners and planned for the Winter and Spring 2022 term were disrupted by the war.

These courses included SOCI 395 (taught by Dr. Michael Gulayets and UCU), POLS 398, International Organizations (taught by Dr. Chaldeans Mensah, Dr Halyna Protsyk from UCU and Dr. Galyna Soloviy from NaUKMA), and HSLT 400, Global Health Perspectives (taught by Dr. Burgess-Pinto and Dr. Svitlana Yastremska, Dr. Svitlana Danchak, Dr. Lyudmyla Mazur from TNMU). In Fall 2022, Dr. Sergiy Yakovenko introduced the first iteration of English 383: Topics in World Literature: Tales from Ukraine: Culture and Politics at MacEwan, introducing students to a representative body of the twentieth-century Ukrainian literature in translation with a specific focus on philosophical allegory. Students read and discuss, among others, works of Lesia Ukrainka, Mykhaylo Kotsiubynsky, Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Valerian Pidmohylny, and Valeriy Shevchuk. The course was made available to select students at NaUKMA in a synchronous format and included guest speakers from Ukraine.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine raised the importance of these collaboration courses. Despite initial disruptions, all the courses have been resumed in 2023 thanks to the tireless efforts of MacEwan faculty.

In 2023, URDC offered six non-residential grants to support the academics in our partner universities in Ukraine. You can read more about the academics and the research that have been awarded here.

The Kule Chair of Ukrainian Community and International Development, Dr. Jeff Stepnisky has been active writing and presenting on Ukraine to educate the public and dispel disinformation. Stepnisky wrote a piece for The Conversation Canada entitled “We should all be concerned that Putin is trying to destroy Ukrainian culture” drawing attention to the destruction of Ukrainian Culture as a key component of Russia’s war in Ukraine. On April 12, 2022, Dr. Stepnisky participated in a panel with Dr. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, Director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, and Dr. Jars Balan, Director of the Kule Ukrainian Canadian Studies Centre, for the virtual event “A Conversation About Ukraine” as part of the Edmonton Public Library City of Learners Program. On April 19, 2022, Dr. Stepnisky participated in a panel organized by the Canadian Sociological Association entitled “The Invasion of Ukraine: A Sociological Conversation about the Realities on the Ground, the Politics, and the Resistance.” The panel included Dr. Yuliya Bidenko from Karazin University, Ukraine, Dr. Tamara Martsenyuk, University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine, and Dr. Victor Satzewich, McMaster University, Canada. Professor Stepnisky has been presenting at various national and international conferences, raising awareness about Ukraine.

Despite the immense challenges presented by the war, the Model UN Clubs from NaUKMA and UCU–supported by the Model UN Club at MacEwan University, Dr. Chaldeans Mensah, and Larisa Hayduk–persevered to attend the National Model UN Conference in New York. This was the first time a Ukrainian delegation had participated in the global conference. NMUN New York 2022 was an opportune moment for the delegation to represent Ukraine in an international context and the team took advantage of this moment by holding a press conference led by their faculty advisor Galyna Protsyk. They also had the opportunity to meet the Ukrainian permanent representative of the United Nations. URDC is honored to have facilitated this unforgettable experience for these well deserving students. In 2023, the URDC supported a combined delegation from UCU and NaUKMA partner universities in Ukraine. Two of the Ukrainian students won the best position paper awards, showing promising results for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. You can read more about this project through coverage by MacEwan University, Associated Press, and UCU.

The Canada Ukraine Model UN team presented at the national Canadian Bureau on International Education (CBIE) annual conference, sharing the story of resilience and bravery and the importance of bringing the Ukrainian voice to the NMUN New York conference.

Also, In November 2022, MacEwan’s Dr. Chaldeans Mensah and Dr. Jeff Stepnisky were invited to present at the Fulda University Autumn School, an event of the project “Transnational Governance and Human Rights” that promotes the cooperation between the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and six partner universities: These include SUNY Cortland (USA), MacEwan University (Canada), German Jordanian University (Jordan), Birzeit University (Palestine), Sciences Po Toulouse (France), and the University College London (UK).

In the winter of 2023, URDC introduced the campus’s first Ukraine Week: Adversity to Inspiration. This week filled MacEwan campus with cultural and informative events to help better understand the Ukrainian culture and the current situation in the country. During this week, the campus is filled with social, cultural, and informative events allowing MacEwan and broader community members to immerse themselves into Ukrainian culture and experience the diversity of Edmonton’s heritage.

From the very first moments of the war, Hayduk maintained frequent communication with MacEwan’s partner universities in Ukraine. Conversations with partner universities revealed that they were concerned about how the war may trigger brain drain in Ukraine. One suggestion was for URDC to establish programs for students and faculty to come to MacEwan for short term study (a one year period). URDC established weekly meetings with representatives of MacEwan Administration and MacEwan International to discuss opportunities for Ukrainian students and faculty to study at MacEwan with academic, mental health, immigration, and financial assistance. Seven students from MacEwan’s partner universities began their studies at MacEwan between May-September 2022. Please read a story about Kateryna Kuzmuk, a student from the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA). MacEwan also accepted international students from Ukraine fleeing the war, URDC, with the donation from UFCE, offered twenty $1,500 settlement grants.

MacEwan International has been instrumental in supporting students from Ukraine. We are grateful for their immense support and dedication.

MacEwan University stands with Ukraine. We have opened our doors to students who have fled the war in Ukraine and are ensuring that they have the supports they need to succeed here in Canada. MacEwan has fully sponsored 8 visiting students from our partner institutions in Ukraine to study for one academic year (2022-2023) at our university. Additionally, MacEwan has offered an international tuition differential to 12 students from Ukraine and 5 students from Africa who had to leave their education in Ukraine; they have been assessed the same tuition rates as domestic students. Two of the visiting Ukrainian students launched a podcast, Imagine Ukraine, with the help of Dr. Lucille Mazo and the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications. “We wanted to tell as many people as possible about Ukraine. Why our country is so great and why we love it so much.” -Maksym Kohutiak and Sabina Mamedova, visiting students from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy about their podcast project.

MacEwan University has established an International Crisis Assistance Fund to support all international students who are experiencing difficulties due to crises in their home countries. MacEwan also offers other emergency loans and bursaries.

In total, 20 students from Ukraine have received funding to help cover tuition and associated fees, textbooks, MacEwan Residence, and food and other living expenses. Many of these emergency supports have been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre, the Provost’s Office, the Office of the University Registrar, MacEwan Residence, Nursing faculty, MacEwan International, and donors in our community. MacEwan is committed to supporting students from Ukraine in 2023-2024.

International students who fled Ukraine and are interested in applying to MacEwan University can contact MacEwan International for more information on available supports and help with applying. Please email international@macewan.ca and enter UKRAINE 2022 in the subject line.

After announcing that MacEwan University would offer students from Ukraine spots in the MacEwan residence, Dr. Elizabeth Burgess-Pinto, the Chair of International Health began collecting donations from staff and faculty from the Faculty of Nursing and MacEwan International. Together, the team collected housewares, toiletries, and $1800 in gift cards to help the newly arriving students feel comfortable and supported at MacEwan.

URDC has been touched by the support of the MacEwan community and eagerness to help Ukraine. The Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications donated proceeds from music performances and a showing of the theatre department’s “A Drowsy Chaperone” at the end of the winter term to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. The overall proceeds totaled $10,052. The John and Maggie Mitchell Gallery (MAG) hosted a post-doctoral researcher from Ukraine for a SSHRC funded research position as part of their research project Articles of Faith.

On September 7, Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Day, Dr. Annette Trimbee, MacEwan’s President and Vice-Chancellor, and Maksym Kohutiak, a visiting student from our partner university in Ukraine (NaUKMA) raised a Ukrainian flag at MacEwan as a symbol of support and solidarity. URDC also organized a Ukrainian cooking session. Dr. Christy Raymond, Dean of Nursing and Professor, and Daria Luciw, a Ukrainian community leader, held a masterclass on making borshch and pyrohy (varenyky) to promote Ukrainian culture and cuisine. The workshop was followed by a presentation on Ukrainian food and identity by Vadym Kuzin.

We are always looking for ways to engage with the visiting Ukrainian students at MacEwan. One of the products of such collaboration was a poster exhibit “Be Brave Like Ukraine” during the first week of the fall 2022 term, and How Do You Say Hello in Ukrainian in December. From October 2022 to January 2023 the Mitchell Art Gallery is presenting Give Me Tomorrow, a video exhibit of contemporary Ukrainian art, in collaboration with the Shcherbenko Art Centre in Kyiv, featuring the works of six Ukrainian artists from Kyiv and Mariupol.

On October 14, 2022, URDC announced the launch of a new program at MacEwan University – the Gene Zwozdesky Artist in Residence Program With the purpose of inspiring meaningful conversations through interdisciplinarity and diverse media, the Program will broaden MacEwan University’s and the wider community’s experience and advance Ukrainian arts. Funding has been generously provided by the Ukrainian Foundation for College Education (UFCE) and the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications. The first recipient will be announced in the summer of 2023, and the inaugural artist will begin their residence at MacEwan in the Fall of 2023.

The Ukrainian Student Organization at MacEwan University, with the support from URDC, held a Ukrainian film screening in January 2023, which featured a film from 2021 modern-day Ukraine and a classic from 1965, portraying the evolution of culture and film industry in Ukraine.

MacEwan University hosted visiting scholars and musicians from Lviv Music Academy, the famous jazz band ShockolaD. The musicians gave a jazz masterclass to MacEwan students and performed for the fundraiser concert in February 2023. All the concert proceeds went to support the Ukrainian students at MacEwan who were affected by the war.

Community-university engagement is a key component of URDC’s mandate, and these partnerships became increasingly important as the Canadian government announced the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) immigration pathway for individuals evacuating Ukraine. Hayduk and Somchynsky began working with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council (UCC-APC) to create a guide for newcomers to help them immigrate and settle in Canada comfortably. The project began as a small section of the Alberta Stands with Ukraine website, and after thorough consultation with community members on the ground helping Ukrainian evacuees, evolved into an independent UCC-APC website dedicated to immigration and settlement. Once Somchynsky and Hayduk established a framework for the website, it was handed over to UCC-APC for sustainable management.

As soon as individuals began arriving from Ukraine, it became apparent that they required access to English language classes in a welcoming and comfortable environment. Hayduk reached out to her network of educators in the Ukrainian community and the English as an Additional Language (EAL) program at MacEwan and launched free English language classes. Hayduk organized three bi-weekly groups set to run through May and June 2022. The classes were partially funded by the Ukrainian Foundation for College Education (UFCE). Volunteers consisting of members of the MacEwan Ukrainian Students’ Club, MacEwan alumni, and members of the Ukrainian Canadian community have supported the classes as teaching assistants. The EAL classes have proven effective in both education and fostering community, providing Ukrainian newcomers welcoming inclusive spaces where they met friends and improved their language skills.

In March 2023, MacEwan University generously donated a space on its campus to two Ukrainian community organizations – Firefighter Aid Ukraine and the Free Store for Ukrainian Newcomers. Both organizations have played a crucial role in assisting Ukraine and its people both in Edmonton and in Ukraine. Thanks to this donation, these two community organizations can continue to do their hard work to support Ukraine, while MacEwan students get numerous Work Integrated Learning opportunities.

Finally, MacEwan University have collected and donated 50 laptops to the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services. The laptops have been distributed to the ones who were most in need – women with children. The newly received laptops have already been put to work at schools, universities, and remote work places. URDC would like to express its gratitude to MacEwan Bookstore, Mauro Sanchez and Marija Vukusic, for all their work in organizing the donation. Furthermore, this outstanding community initiative wouldn’t have been possible without generous strong support from MacEwan’s senior administration.