Launching the new community service center

Last spring Princeton announced the establishment of the University Center for Community Service. A few weeks later, Sasa Olessi Montano was named the center's first director. 'Prince' staff writer Natasha Mitra sat down with Montano this week to discuss the center's initial goals.

'Prince': What role will the new Center for Community Service play in the Princeton community?

Montano: There are different types of things that the center is supposed to be doing. It's not supposed to take the place of any of the community service organizations on campus like SVC or Community House.

Basically, it's supposed to be a point of entry into the community service system on campus and then from there, students, staff, alumni or a community organization who wants to be involved in service can be filtered out to the different service organizations or service activities that are going on on campus.

It's also a repository of information of all of those initiatives that are going on. One of the things that I have found here — I've only been here for two months — is that service is very decentralized. One goal is to try to centralize the information in one place.

The center is also going to put a lot of its resources into training opportunities for students. We're blessed because we do have a significant amount of resources. The center is endowed to about eight million dollars. Everything from basic training — like Community Service 101 — to training at a higher level in terms of social justice issues, issues behind service.

The existing service organizations do an excellent job of reaching out into the community and providing traditional opportunities for service. The center is not only supposed to support those initiatives, but enhance them through training opportunities.

P: What was the primary source of funding and inspiration for this project?

M: I have to really attribute a lot of this to Professor Burt Malkiel, an economist here at Princeton. My vision of economists was very narrow. As part of my interview process I went and met with him, and I was just so impressed that an economist sat there and had a vision that service would really round out the experience of the undergraduates here at Princeton.

Essentially what we are trying to espouse is that service is not given. Service is a give and take. Students need to be open to also receive from the people who they are providing service to. Only when that happens will students achieve a meaningful relationship with them, whether it is in a leadership opportunity or in the non-profit sector.

P: Will the facility provide students with entirely new service opportunities?

M: Several of the donors have given money for new service opportunities. How exactly that is going to play out, we're not sure yet.

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I'm in discussions with Janet Dickerson about specifically providing the seed money for community service opportunities for students, maybe in the summertime for service projects in their own communities.

That's one possibility. The exact details haven't been worked out yet. We in no way want to duplicate what anyone else is doing. We just want to bring people together, see the value of collaborating.

P: How do you suggest that students access and take advantage of this new resource?

M: First of all come see us. We're located at 246 Frist on the second floor. Right now it's just me, but I'm in the midst of trying to hire a program assistant. I'm looking for work-study students as well. If anyone would like to really get involved, please do. It's a wonderful opportunity.

What we're trying to do is make this a suite available to students and organizations in service. We have a laser printer and copy machines that they can use. It's supposed to eventually be a thriving place with a lot of people in here, working on those two sections of service. We invite people to certainly stop by.

I've also realized that in the non-profit sector, we are very behind in technology. In coming here, it was a shock in terms of the wonderful resources. If you don't have a virtual presence here, you're basically nothing! We're working on trying to get our webpage up.

P: What personal experience and background to you bring to the center?

M: One of the things that I have not mentioned is Princeton's real desire to build more bridges into Trenton. I have been in the non-profit sector, specifically Trenton, for about 11 years. I started my own program for Latinos and have worked in a faith-based organization as well as headed the YWCA of Trenton for about three and one-half years. My experience is significantly in the non-profit world in Trenton.

I think that the fact that Princeton hired someone with that background shows in earnest their desire to build more bridges into that community, which is so mush desiring of that and could really benefit from all the resources that the University community could bring to them. The community is one our biggest allies in this. They see the various instances to work with them in the hope that down the road they may choose this sector as a career.

P: What plans are you currently developing or pursing as director?

M: On Oct. 18, we are hosting here the executive directors and board members of about 15 prominent non-profit organizations for a "Mega Board Meeting." The executive directors will be educating their boards about the larger social issues that they see in their everyday work such as homelessness, poverty, hunger, lack of affordable housing, lack of jobs.

Then they will be breaking them into groups to strategize on how to bring these issues to the community at large-public sector, private sector, the media-in a convincing way to get them to buy into this. This is something it would be great to have volunteers for.

P: Ultimately, what is your vision for the future of this center?

M: I want to see students in the Mayor's office, with county executives, with the organizations that are trying to effect social policy and social change.

I want to get students to think of service in different ways, in non-traditional ways. There is no value-judgement there. It is just enhancing what they are already doing. When you're out there mentoring and tutoring, you are helping effect change for whomever it is that you are working with. But you need to also be open to understand why do you need to tutor this child, why are you working with this homeless person to understand the issues in our urban environments, in our society.

This is something I hope the center will be able to accomplish. Hopefully, students will get to see the larger picture as they progress through the continuum — to start with service and then move into other leadership opportunities within the sector.