USAC Officer Evaluation: Jonathan Wisner, Community Service Commissioner
By Editorial Board
May 2, 2020 9:41 p.m.
Jonathan Wisner has been an excellent Community Service Commissioner this year. Despite some setbacks, he’s accomplished several of his goals and has strong plans for next year.
The CSC is the largest student-led nonprofit service organization in the country, with over 4,000 students directly involved. Wisner had modest platforms when he ran for CSC last year but managed to accomplish them well and expand in some areas, despite some unexpected setbacks.
CSC hosts a Day of Service each year, where the group organizes and mobilizes an all-day volunteering event. This year, Wisner expanded the day to include a series of several panels to learn about service and its associated skills. This allowed those still interested in service but unable to participate in the daylong project the chance to get involved.
CSC also suffered a substantial loss this year, with four out of 12 vans in its fleet breaking down near the start of the school year. The vans are very significant for service organizations, which use them to transport volunteers to and from projects. This means these projects don’t have to pay for transportation costs or find student drivers with viable transportation, removing a significant barrier for student service organizations.
Four vans down is a significant drawback, even more so as the vans were unable to be replaced at any point during the school year. However, Wisner has managed to replace and expand the fleet for next year, to up to 14, which the commission has been attempting to do for several years.
Beyond CSC, Wisner has also maintained adequate relationships with fellow councilmembers. He’s been generally respectful of everyone on board, recognizing that they are all students and all people.
Wisner has some regrets about this year. He has some platforms for next year that he wished that he had been able to get started on sooner. He wants to provide insurance for student service members in the case of accidents and wants to continue improving CSC’s
transportation service.
But overall, Wisner has managed the commission well.
