It is with great sadness that we read today’s Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, overturning Roe v. Wade and eliminating a constitutional right for all Americans. Today, we are all faced with the new reality that our right to make appropriate health care and reproductive decisions has been severely curtailed and the federal protections we have enjoyed for three generations are gone.

We take some comfort that here in New York, our state and local governments have acted to protect access to reproductive healthcare and our right to choose. Nevertheless, the ramifications of this Supreme Court decision will be dangerous and far-reaching. As the dissent in Dobbs notes, “[r]especting a woman as an autonomous being, and granting her full equality, meant giving her substantial choice over this most personal and most consequential of all life decisions.” Pace Women’s Justice Center has spent the past 30 years working to ensure that our clients can exercise their legal rights and have access to justice. It is now more important than ever that we continue to do so.

— Cindy Kanusher, Executive Director

Statement from Cindy Kanusher, Executive Director of the Pace Women’s Justice Center on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:

“It is with great sadness that we read today’s Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, overturning Roe v. Wade and eliminating a constitutional right for all Americans. Today, we are all faced with the new reality that our right to make appropriate health care and reproductive decisions has been severely curtailed and the federal protections we have enjoyed for three generations are gone.

“We take some comfort that here in New York, our state and local governments have acted to protect access to reproductive healthcare and our right to choose. Nevertheless, the ramifications of this Supreme Court decision will be dangerous and far-reaching. As the dissent in Dobbs notes, “[r]especting a woman as an autonomous being, and granting her full equality, meant giving her substantial choice over this most personal and most consequential of all life decisions.” Pace Women’s Justice Center has spent the past 30 years working to ensure that our clients can exercise their legal rights and have access to justice. It is now more important than ever that we continue to do so.”

It’s not unusual for working adults to consider a new career path. We develop new interests and learn how our lifestyles motivate us to succeed. Lauren Pappalardo did more than consider—she is making it happen.

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Lauren began her career with a degree in business management. She spent over five years working at various health and wellness media outlets, including Women’s Health Magazine and Well+Good while always prioritizing nutrition, fitness, and overall healthy living. Despite her already wholesome habits, she developed health issues that required her to make some changes to her lifestyle. She began working with registered dieticians and was inspired by how they were able to make such a positive impact on her. This fostered her passion and motivated her to enroll in the College of Health Professions Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics program.

Lauren is passionate about improving women’s chances for bearing children, based on dietary changes. She has focused her studies on preconception, concentrating on the hormonal condition Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and how poor nutrition can affect a woman’s ability to conceive.

In her favorite course, Nutrition Across the Lifespan, Lauren developed a recipe for a black bean chocolate walnut muffin to help support and manage PCOS. “Balancing blood sugar levels and reducing inflammation are essential for women with PCOS,” Lauren explained. “This recipe contains properties that address both factors. It contains beans, a high-fiber carbohydrate to help keep blood sugar levels balanced and walnuts and avocado oil that contain omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce inflammation.”

Lauren’s background in business management will be an asset to following her new career path. She hopes to utilize her combined education and experience to open a private practice that utilizes medical nutrition therapy and integrative nutrition practices. “I am excited to get to my goal of helping people with autoimmune diseases, PCOS, and gastrointestinal issues improve their lifestyle and continue to thrive,” said Lauren. Lauren Pappalardo did more than consider, she is a #PaceGoGetter and making it happen.

Pleasantville, N.Y., June 23, 2022 – Following a successful run of theater showings at four venues in Pleasantville and across Cape Cod, Pace University’s documentary film team – PaceDocs – is pleased to announce the online premiere of Tide to Table: The Remarkable Journey of Oysters is set for 7 p.m. on Monday June 27.

The documentary will be available for viewing on YouTube, and, along with other documentaries made as part of the program, will be available on-demand at Dyson College’s Media, Communications and Visual Arts’ YouTube channel.

“This year marks the first time in the program’s history that we have showed our film in four movie theaters,” said Professor Maria Luskay. “The audience response has been great, and it has been truly gratifying taking our show on the road.”

“The film process continues to be a fantastic experience for our students, who not only learned first-hand about the plight of the oyster farmer braving the elements, but also the grit and determination required to complete the film in 14 weeks,” Professor Luskay continued. “It has been a rewarding hands-on experience for us from start to finish.”

The successful free theater showings were a first for the program and marked the first in-person events for the documentary program since 2019, before the pandemic.

The filmed premiered in May to a full house at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. That was followed by showings to capacity crowds at Wellfleet Preservation Hall in Wellfleet, the Chatham Orpheum in Chatham, and Cape Cinema in Dennis, Ma. during the month of June.

The film documents how oysters rely on the ebb and flow of the tide for flavor. One oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day; their survival is determined by their farmers, deeply rooted in their tradition and connection to the sea. The documentary, filmed on-location across the flats of Cape Cod, the shores of Connecticut’s Long Island Sound, and the urban waterways of New York City, features scientists, historians, shellfish constables, and farmers. It explores the serendipitous relationship between nature, oyster farmers, modern aquaculture technology, and a movement to better understand their ecological value, while showing how oysters are thriving in areas such as Cape Cod and being restored in once depleted regions such as Connecticut and New York City as a means of improving water quality.

The documentary is produced by Professors Luskay and Lou Guarneri. The popular class, ‘Producing the Documentary,’ is part of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace University’s highly regarded film program that requires students complete a full-length environmentally themed documentary within 14 weeks. During the process, they learn teamwork, problem-solving, research, and organization, along with technical skills such as lighting, sound, camera work, interviewing, and other real-life lessons necessary to complete a film.

Tide to Table continues Pace University’s distinguished tradition of producing documentaries that shine a light on important environmental issues. In recent years, Pace filmmakers have produced documentaries around the globe focusing on a number of topics, including the importance of bees as pollinators in our food supply (2021); the impact of earthquakes in Hawaii (2019); the endurance of the people of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria (2018); Cuba at a cultural crossroads (2016); reviving Curacao’s coral reefs (2015); as well as many other poignant films.

“The PaceDocs team, under the leadership of Professor Maria Luskay, has once again produced an extraordinary, meaningful, and professional film,” said Marvin Krislov, president of Pace University. “ ‘Tide to Table’ is another great example of the hands-on experience and valuable environmental lessons that Pace students receive when they take this course. I marvel at the consistent excellence and talent in this program and am incredibly impressed by this group of budding filmmakers.”

“Dyson College’s student filmmakers have produced another moving documentary that delves into an important ecological issue,” said Tresmaine R. Grimes, dean, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education. “The students learn and perfect their craft while educating us all. I am so moved by the talents of this team and the compelling film they have made. Congratulations to them and Professors Luskay and Guarneri for another impressive PaceDocs production.”

About Pace University

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. Follow us on Twitter or on the Pace News website.

About Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Pace University’s liberal arts college, Dyson College, offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as many courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices.

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Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University Professors Bridget J. Crawford and Emily Gold Waldman announce the release of their book “Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law’s Silence on Periods,” published by NYU Press. The book explores the burgeoning menstrual advocacy movement and analyzes how law should evolve to take menstruation into account. It asks what the law currently says about menstruation and provides a roadmap for legal reform that can move society closer to a world where no one is held back or disadvantaged by menstruation.

Professor Crawford and Waldman used their years of research, experience, and knowledge to author this fascinating book. “In this book, we ask what the law would look like if it took menstruation into account,” said Waldman. “Our goal is to create a blueprint for a society where no one is held back by an involuntary biological process like menstruation.”

Throughout the book, Professors Crawford and Waldman examine these issues in a wide range of contexts, from schools to workplaces to prisons to tax policies and more. “The more we delved into the subject, the more we discovered new intersections of menstruation and law,” said Crawford. “Taxation, education, poverty law, constitutional law, prisoners’ rights, business law, employment law, disability rights, environmental law, consumer health and safety, human rights, urban design, public and private procurement policies — all of these areas allow us to see in a new way a common bodily process that has too long been the source of stigma and shame.”

The book has received critical acclaim from a variety of scholars, authors, politicians, publications, and more, including famed author Judy Blume, Publishers Weekly magazine, the Library Journal, First Minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, and more. In its review, the Library Journal states “Crawford and Waldman present an insightful analysis of policies regarding menstruation in this groundbreaking work. An eye-opening look at how law could be used to better protect those who menstruate by providing a framework for how period products ought to be studied for health and environmental safety, how sensitive health information being sold by menstruation apps is being turned into a big business, and how incarcerated individuals face financial barriers to accessing menstrual products.”

Professors Crawford and Waldman have been participating in numerous panels connected to their publication. This past spring, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University hosted two virtual book pre-launches for Professors Crawford and Waldman’s book, which included expert Haub Law faculty commenting on connections between their own subject matters (including prisoners’ rights law, education law, environmental law, and international law) and the issues explored in Menstruation Matters. They will also be speaking about the book at a Yale Alumni Nonprofit Alliance event on June 28.

Bridget J. Crawford is a graduate of Yale College (BA), the University of Pennsylvania School of Law (JD), and Griffith University (PhD) in Brisbane, Australia. Prior to joining the Haub Law faculty in 2003, she was a practicing attorney at Milbank LLP, where she specialized in taxation and estate planning. At Haub Law, Crawford teaches Federal Income Taxation; Estate and Gift Taxation; Wills, Trusts and Estates; Tax Policy; Corporations & Partnerships; and Feminist Legal Theory. In 2021, she was appointed as a Distinguished Professor by Pace University, the highest honor the University can bestow upon a faculty member. Crawford’s published work includes three casebooks, four books, and more than 100 scholarly articles and essays. Crawford is one of 26 law professors profiled in the book by Michael Hunter Schwartz et al., What the Best Law Teachers Do, published by Harvard University Press. She has been honored multiple times by graduating students at Haub Law as Outstanding Professor of the Year. She also is a prior recipient of Haub Law’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Goettel Prize for faculty scholarship, and the Ottinger Prize for Faculty Achievement.

Emily Gold Waldman is a graduate of Yale University (BA) and Harvard Law School (JD). She joined the Pace faculty in 2006, after clerking for the Honorable Robert A. Katzmann, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. At Pace, she teaches Constitutional Law, Law & Education, Employment Law Survey, and Civil Procedure. She has also served for many years as the Faculty Director of the law school's Federal Judicial Honors Program, which places students in externships with federal judges in the Second Circuit, Third Circuit, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, and District of Connecticut. From 2003-05, she practiced in the litigation department of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; prior to that, she clerked for the Honorable William G. Young, United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts. She served as the chair of the AALS Section on Education Law during the 2011-12 school year, is a member of the Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Employment Discrimination, and is also a member of the Second Circuit's Judicial Council Committee on Civic Education & Public Engagement. An expert in the areas of education law, employment law, and constitutional law, Professor Waldman frequently presents on and serves as a panelist for programs focused on these topics and is often called upon by the news media for her expertise. Professor Waldman received the law school's Ottinger Award for Faculty Achievement in 2015 and 2018, the Professor of the Year Award from the Black Law Students Association in 2013, and the Goettel Prize for Faculty Scholarship in 2008. She currently serves as the Associate Dean for Faculty Development.

Together, Professor Crawford and Professor Waldman have developed the doctrinal and theoretical foundations for a state-by-state litigation campaign challenging state sales taxes on menstrual products in their article The Unconstitutional Tampon Tax, 53 U. Rich. L. Rev. 439 (2019). They have co-authored numerous other articles focused on menstruation in the law, including "Period Poverty in a Pandemic: Harnessing Law to Achieve Menstrual Equity," 98 Wash. U. L. Rev. 1569 (2021); “Title IX and Menstruation,” 43 Harv. J.L & Gender 225 (2020) (with Margaret E. Johnson); and “The Ground on Which We All Stand: A Conversation About Menstrual Equity Law and Activism,” 26 Mich. J. Gender & Law 341 (2020) (with Margaret E. Johnson, Marcy L. Karin, & Laura Strausfeld). Notably, Professors Crawford and Waldman (along with Naomi R. Cahn) have several forthcoming law review articles focused on the related subject of menopause, including "Managing and Monitoring the Menopausal Body," 2022 U. Chi. Legal Forum (forthcoming 2022), "Contextualizing Menopause in the Law," 43 Harv. J. Gender & Law (forthcoming 2022), and "Working Through Menopause," 99 Wash. U. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2022).

Watch a video of the Menstruation Matters Book Talk featuring the authors, along with a panel of Haub Law faculty experts below.