By Mo Siegel, Secretary of Urantia Foundation, Colorado, USA
The Expanded Board of Urantia Foundation met in Los Angeles for the July 2008 quarterly board meeting. Some of the areas of decision making included:
1. Policy on Multiple Translations into a Given Language
Due to the decision to print a second Spanish translation specifically for the European market, the Board approved the following policy regarding multiple translations: Urantia Foundation strongly prefers sponsoring and publishing a single translation for each language. If special circumstances arise that cause the Board to, after thorough consideration, that antranslation is advisable, an exception can be made.
2. Branch Offices
Due to the rapidly changing needs of the global book industry, Urantia Foundation is assessing our worldwide book-distribution system. Within the next 12 months some of the branch offices may be closed and replaced by commercial book distributors.
3. Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS)
The Expanded Board discussed the loving service and unselfish devotion that have gone into the building of UBIS. Members expressed their deep appreciation to, and respect for, everyone involved in this project — especially Dorothy Elder, who conceived, initiated, and continues to nurture UBIS.
4. Quotation and Trademark "Safe Harbor" Policies of 1998
The Board asked the Governance Committee to review the "Safe Harbor" Quotation and Trademark Policies and, if necessary, to submit a recommendation for further action. The "Safe Harbor" policies are:
- The Policy Regarding Use of "Urantia," "Urantian," and the Three-Concentric Circles Symbol.
- The Internet Downloading and Printing Policy.
- The Permission-to-Quote Policy for Labors-of-Love.
- The Permission-to-Copy Policy for Educational Purposes.
- The Permission-to-Copy Policy for Commercial Works.
5. Funding the Estonian, Hungarian, and Swedish Translations
The Board discussed the inventories of The Urantia Book and its translations to determine which ones need to be printed or reprinted. Urantia Foundation will reprint the German, Lithuanian and Russian translations and print the Estonian translation before year's end. The Board also anticipates publishing the Swedish translation in the first half of 2009 and the Hungarian in 2009 or 2010. The printing of all these translations requires funding.