Augustana’s Prison Education Program (APEP) received a $50,900 grant from the Bard Prison Initiative to install a new computer lab, as well as an additional $20,000 from the Regional Development Authority in Davenport, Iowa to fund an administrator for the APEP students to assist them after their release from the facilities. 

Receiving a total of $70,900 in grants, APEP was first established in the fall of 2021. After going two years without, the addition of a computer lab has been long awaited by both APEP instructors and students. 

Roughly 30 students are currently enrolled in APEP, with eight courses available within the East Moline Correctional Center this fall semester. Two of these eight courses are Augustana’s required first-year inquiry class, and study hall is also offered. 

Administrative Assistant of APEP Bonnie Jessee said there are some aspects of the computer lab that will take some getting used to, such as the use of only one thumb drive shared among all APEP professors. Professors will have to download each student’s work from the computers after every use.

“This is something we’ve got to try to figure out, logistically, what’s going to work for us,” Jessee said. 

According to Jessee, they will start by focusing on keyboard and typing skills so that APEP students can get the most out of this computer lab. Although students will not have access to wi-fi, there will be software downloaded to the computers to make the research process much easier for the students.

“They never had any opportunity to type, so right now we just have a sheet of paper where they can see where the keys are and learn where they’re at,” Jessee said.

Executive Director of APEP Sharon Varallo said that before the computer lab, students would handwrite all their assignments. Some APEP students were never taught how to type or have never worked with computers, so it will be a huge change that students will need some time to get used to. 

Prior to the new installation, on-campus Augustana students would find and print sources that would be beneficial to APEP students’ research and assignments. Now, APEP students will be able to find their own sources digitally. 

“Finding the resources to help you answer the questions that you are learning how to ask and develop is a huge part of a liberal arts education,” Varallo said. “The computer lab is absolutely necessary for preparing people for re-entry into this world.”

Professor and computer lab liaison Amy Blommer is also excited about the new computer lab and the doors it opens for students and their education. APEP students will have access to tools such as spell check and a dictionary that will not only make writing easier but faster. “It is a basic requirement for us now, for students [and] for faculty to have access to computers,” Blommer said.

The installation process of the computer lab is not completely finished, but the computers are in the classroom. The process of the computer lab’s installment has not been short or easy. However, students and faculty alike share the excitement and appreciation for this upcoming milestone in APEP.

“I’m just excited for the progress,” Blommer said. “Every day it seems like, ‘Okay, this is happening.’ One more thing that’s going to improve the quality of the education and its accessibility.”