About UPEP
The Undergraduate Prison Education Partnership (UPEP) cultivates collaboration between Evanston undergraduates and students in the Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) through prison education initiatives. UPEP’s mission is to bring awareness about mass incarceration and education in the correctional system to the broader Northwestern community.
You can become involved with UPEP by either joining as a general member or applying to join a UPEP committee. There are currently 5 committees including the Operations Committee, Events Committee, Equity & Inclusion Committee, Fundraising Committee, and the Public Relations Committee.
Academic Support
Academic Workshops at Correctional Centers
UPEP organizes workshops and events that support academics within Stateville, Logan, and IDJJ centers with the help of Northwestern institutions and experts. This includes, but is not limited to, workshops focusing on writing, note-taking, and reading skills, as well as extracurricular workshops, such as those focused on toxic masculinity, creative writing, and meditation. There are in-person, virtual, and campus-based opportunities for involvement.
For specific information, please contact Haley Wanner.
Academic Support for NPEP Students
UPEP purchases academic supplies and organizes supply drives in an effort to put together organizational tools for our students at their request to give them what they need to be successful in their courses.
For specific information, please contact Kaili Wegener.
Campus Awareness
UPEP organizes on-campus awareness events such as panels, Q&A sessions, documentary screenings, and other educational events on campus to spread awareness about the harms of mass incarceration and the criminal justice system. UPEP also works alongside NPEP to bring our formerly incarcerated students to campus for speaker events and engagement opportunities.
For specific information, please contact Ji Yoon Yang.
Fundraising
UPEP organizes profit shares, bake sales, and other fundraising activities to support academic supply drives and other initiatives.
For specific information, please contact Kaili Wegener.
Public Relations
UPEP coordinates social media outreach, advertises various events within UPEP, and seeks to inform donors, Northwestern students, and the wider community about UPEP’s mission. This includes promoting various criminal justice reform campaigns.
For specific information, please contact Grayson Welo.
Administrative Support
UPEP digitalizes work by the students for archival purposes, creates certificates for course completion, and more!
For specific information, please contact Ji Hye Choi and/or Annie Bandler.
Equity & Inclusion Efforts
UPEP is committed to continuously improving equity, diversity, and inclusion within UPEP’s recruitment and membership, through collaborations with CARE and through SJE workshops.
For specific information, please contact Lynn Ahn.