CEPA is a student power organization that believes in building grassroots power and expanding the political consciousness of the campus. Drawing from the words of Septima Clarke, a South Carolina educator and former Education Director at the Highlander Education & Research Center, "If you can teach people to advocate for themselves, they learn to advocate for others." This embodies the philosophy and vision of CEPA. Our student staff trains, educates, and mobilizes students around issues of education justice, climate justice, and labor rights in order to shift the dynamics of power and make concrete changes within higher education and beyond.

CEPA General Body Meeting

Tuesdays 6:30 - 8:30 pm
SU 423A

PHENOM UMass Amherst Chapter

Wednesdays 7:30 pm
SU 423A

Prison Abolition Collective (PAC)

Mondays 6:30 - 8 pm
SU 423A

SGA Social Justice and Empowerment Committee

Thursdays 6:00 pm
SU 423A or 420

Upcoming Events

Speak Your Debt!! - Open Mic

Come share with us your rage and frustration of having accumulated excessive amounts of debt to attend a public university. Now is the time for all of us to come together to discuss this issue and organize to do something about it.

Thursday, February 22
7 pm
SU 423A

Building Student Power through Research

Creating positive change through student-led campaigns requires a deep understanding of how the university functions and makes decisions. At this workshop learn how to use strategic
research for your organization or campaign, and how to turn these skills into a career.

Tuesday, February 27
6:30 pm
SU 423A

Anti-Racism Training

The anti-racism training will include: group exercises, a panel of UMass students who are organizing against racism, and breakout workshops. We're very excited to announce that Loretta Ross, a nationally-recognized trainer on reproductive justice and anti-racism will be administering a workshop on calling in vs calling out!!

Thursday, March 1
3 pm - 7 pm
Campus Center Auditorium

REGISTER HERE: http://bit.ly/2nJijMw

Advocacy Day

Join Us as we head to Beacon Hill to speak with legislators about the rising costs of hiring education and to ask for more funding to support students. Breakfast, lunch, and transportation provided.

Monday, March 5

7 am - 4 pm
Haigis Mall

REGISTER HERE: bit.ly/PHEAD2018 or https://actionnetwork.org/events/phead18?clear_id=true

Alternative Spring Break - Policy & Practice: Your Role in Advocating for the End of Mass Incarceration

We will be going to Washington, DC over spring break to speak with organizations and congressional leaders about the issue of mass incarceration. Scholarships are available. For more information, please contact Koni Denham at kdenham@umass.edu

March 11 - 16
Washington, DC

USSA National Student Power Summit

Each spring, the United States Student Association (USSA) convenes the National Student Power Summit (NSPS) taking place this year in Washington DC.  This 4 day student convention provides students at every level of organizing and leadership opportunities to:  acquire new skills; network; coordinate strategy; create community; lobby Congressional legislators on student issues; and, demonstrate actions to advance the national student agenda.

April - 5 - 9
Washington, DC

APPLICATION HERE: Apply Now!!

CEPA Campaigns

Affordable Higher Education 

Affordable higher Ed is working to decrease tuition and feed at UMass with the ultimate goal of securing free public college in MA. They are also working to get in state tuition for DACA and undocumented students.

Sustainability 

Restorative Justice

YP4 is a fellowship for the non profit national organization Young People For. This organization works with college youth to establish social change within their community, and my plan for change is to bring Restorative Justice practices to our disciplinary procedures at UMass.

DACA - In-state Tuition

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an immigration option for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before the age of 16. Although DACA does not provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence, it does provide temporary protection from deportation, work authorization, and the ability to apply for a social security number. We will be looking through avenues in which the university can support DACA students if the policy is removed.

Gender-Inclusive Bathrooms

We are working with transgender students living on Spectrum floor in Baker and UMass ResLife Administration on getting gender inclusive bathrooms back on Spectrum floor and more broadly on campus. 

Food Security

The Food security Advisory Board is working on creating food access on campus for students in need. We're hoping to set up food drives and open a food pantry.

DIVEST

In 2016, UMass students occupied Whitmore Administrative building to pressure the university to divest from Fossil Fuels. We succeeded in getting the university to commit to divesting however, we would like to hold the administration accountable for removing its endowment with fossil fuels and lobbying around discouraging these private endowments.