When we’re talking about a cappella, we’re talking about regionals, jazz hands, five-part harmonies. But don’t be mistaken, this isn’t anything like Pitch Perfect–

Actually…never mind. It kind of is.

At least according to the leaders of Pace’s NYC a cappella group Frequency, Mia Lastrella ’24 and Saloni Shah ‘24. This was their first year as the group’s leaders, and their first time attending the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Northeast Quarterfinals. “We were just told it was just like Pitch Perfect,” Shah explains, “and it really was, right down to the goofy person hosting it.” Aca-awesome.

Frequency formed back in 2017 but membership dwindled over the years—especially during the pandemic. Shah and Lastrella both joined in 2020, after the group began meeting virtually. With membership falling, they decided to take over and re-launch the group.

“Frequency is a place to build family and make your soul happy.”

Now, Frequency has 22 members, 18 of whom competed on March 5 in the ICCA Northeast Quarterfinals against nine other teams. It was nearly every member’s first time competing at all—and, nerve-rackingly, they were randomly selected to perform first. That didn’t stop them. Their pop-medley, including a jazzy rendition of Britney Spears’ Toxic, clinched third place for the team. What’s more, their enthusiasm garnered an invitation to the semifinals in Boston, despite historically being offered only to first and second place.

Despite their success, the group has always focused more on creativity than competition. “A lot of our members are non-musical theater or performance majors,” Lastrella explains. “It’s just a great outlet for them. For some people it’s the only non-STEM part of their day.”

Shah and Lastrella both hope to see Frequency continue to grow, and they’re seeking music-loving members who want a creative outlet with a focus on community and fun. And in return, new members will find a melodious welcome. As Shah says, “Frequency is a place to build family and make your soul happy.”

To learn more or join Frequency, email pacefrequency@gmail.com or follow them on Instagram.

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On Monday, March 28, current law students and alumni from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University joined together for a networking event on the Haub Law Campus. The event offered students the opportunity to network with recent alumni and learn more about the various potential career avenues after graduating from law school. In attendance were 15 alumni who have successful careers in both the public and private sectors, along with approximately 50 law students. This event was part of the semester-long wellness initiative, “Haub Law’s Hub of Belonging: the 8 Pillars of Wellness.” Through a semester-long series of programming and campus initiatives focused on incorporating the eight pillars of wellness, law students will be offered a path towards optimal wellbeing during their time in law school and thereafter. Pace University’s Chief Wellness Officer awarded a grant to the Office of Student & Campus Affairs to support the success of this exciting and new initiative. This student and alumni networking event, coordinated by the Office of Student & Campus Affairs, the Center for Career and Professional Development (“CCPD”), and the Public Interest Law Students Organization (“PILSO”), fulfilled the occupational wellness pillar of the aforementioned initiative. Overall, the series of programming and campus initiatives have and will focus on the following areas of wellness: mental and emotional, social, intellectual, financial, spiritual, physical, occupational, and environmental. Each of these pillars of wellness will be addressed throughout the Spring 2022 semester, with the underlying overall commitment to help students find fulfillment across all facets of well-being and inclusion. The programming will also incorporate elements of diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly when focusing on the mental and emotional pillar, as well as the social pillar.

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On Wednesday, March 30, Haub Law presented its inaugural Pace Access to Justice (A2J) Workshop with a spotlight on housing access. The Workshop brought together community leaders, legal services lawyers, advocates, and law school faculty, staff, and students to engage in dialogue centering on the critical importance of housing access, the current housing crisis, the status of “right to counsel” in eviction cases, and public service careers in housing law and related fields. The Workshop was hosted by Haub Law Professor Elyse Diamond, Director of the Public Interest Law Center and moderated by both Professor Diamond and Jason Mays, Director of Litigation at the Hudson Valley Justice Center. Panelists included: Andrew Scherer, Policy Director, Impact Center for Public Interest Law & Visiting Associate Professor, New York Law School, Marika Dias, Managing Director, Safety Net Project, Urban Justice Center, Marcie Kobak, Director of Litigation, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, and Marilyn Martinez, a tenant panelist who shared her long (and ultimately successful) journey navigating Westchester’s complex housing court proceedings with critical help from her Legal Services of the Hudson Valley attorney team.

This workshop is part of the larger initiative launched by Haub Law, the Pace Access to Justice Project. Pace A2J, housed and coordinated within Haub Law’s existing Public Interest Law Center, is serving as a hub for community collaborations, programs, scholarship, policy initiatives, and hands-on innovative academic and non-credit bearing experiential law student and alumni opportunities. Together, Pace A2J is designed to more actively engage students in learning about and contributing to real-world efforts to address the access to justice gap. This engagement will happen through the Access to Justice Seminar and the complementary Access to Justice Lab. Professor Elyse Diamond coordinates Pace A2J, designing and teaching both the Lab and Seminar.

Professor Diamond noted, “I am incredibly excited to have hosted our Inaugural Pace A2J workshop, and am so grateful for our generous panelists and contributors who educated attendees about housing access gaps, advocacy and representation in our local and broader community. This program also provided a forum to bring the community together to discuss innovative ways the law school and its students and community partners are and can continue contributing to efforts to address the gaps in housing access in our area. Our students and Haub Law community were moved by the panelist’s words and experiences. We look forward to many more opportunities for engagement, learning, and problem solving.”