ASI FCU's Cerise Has it Right

Three cheers for Audrey Cerise, CEO/President of ASI Federal Credit Union! Her letter published in the June 18, 2003 issue of Credit Union Times ("CUs Need to Take More Independent Initiatives") was right on target. Her criticism of CUNA for blindly supporting poor leagues and their refusal of membership to credit unions who are not willing to support ineffective leagues really hit home. I feel that I can speak with first-hand experience on this subject since I serve as chairman of RiverLand Credit Union and I have served as a Louisiana Credit Union League director, a member of the League's Insurance Services Committee and as Chairman of the Credit Committee of Louisiana's Central Credit Union. RiverLand Credit Union chose not to renew our League membership in 1996 due to what we viewed as the arrogance of the League's leadership and an air of incompetence that permeated their staff. Our credit union has repeatedly tried to send our staff and directors to CUNA educational seminars only to be blocked by senior League officials. We feel that their preventing our attendance at these seminars is purely mean-spirited retribution because we are not League affiliated. We contacted CUNA several times regarding attendance at their educational seminars and their senior management has either failed to respond or refused our appeals. We continue to attend non-CUNA educational seminars in order to develop our board, committees and staff because we take pride in the exemplary manner in which we serve our members. My only hope is that enough Louisiana credit unions will eventually abandon their League memberships and literally force CUNA and the Louisiana Credit Union League to make the necessary changes for the good of the credit union movement. Jack Hanemann Chairman RiverLand Credit Union New Orleans, La.