Students can become advocates outside the usual structure of government, according to former D.C. Planned Parenthood President Karen Mulhouse.

Mulhouse spoke Thursday evening during a School of Public Affairs and Women’s Initiative-sponsored event about the politics of advocacy and women’s reproductive rights.

Fresh organic fruits and vegetables will be available to students for the next 20 weeks, according to Allan Balliett, the biodynamic community-supported agriculture farmer who supplies AU with the produce.

For the third year in a row, students have the opportunity to purchase 20 weeks’ worth of vegetables at a total cost of $525, Balliett said.

Bon Appetit plans to cut down on the beef and cheese it purchases in the coming year, Helene York, director of Bon Appetit Management Company Foundation, said during a presentation Thursday.

The company plans to reduce its purchases of beef and cheese by 10 percent as soon as possible, she said.

The AU men’s rugby team won its appeal against the Recreational Sports and Fitness Department Sunday night and can now keep its school sponsorship, according to rugby team Vice President Nick DiPietro.

The team filed an appeal last week after learning it would lose its school sponsorship due to citations of inconsistencies in paperwork and a probation violation for holding social events.

AU has seen an increased number of flu cases in the first two months of this year, mimicking a trend of higher numbers of flu cases nationwide.

Since Jan. 1, the Student Health Center has reported between 90 and 100 cases of Influenza, according to Dan Bruey, the director of the Health Center.

Three Student Government presidential candidates discussed issues of transparency and bureaucracy and came to a consensus that they would grade current SG President Joe Vidulich’s administration at as a B or B+ during the ATV-Eagle SG Presidential Debate Saturday.

ATV News anchor Daniel Pineda, Eagle editorial page editor Tony Romm and current SG President Joe Vidulich moderated the debate, which ATV broadcast last night. During the debate, Pineda asked about the effectiveness of Vidulich’s year in office.

Some students who received Pell Grants this year may not be eligible for them next year, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid, a Web site offering free student financial aid information.

The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income students.

College students may soon get a break on their financial aid applications if a new bill intended to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid passes in Congress.

Frankie Solomon, a sophomore in the School of Communication, said he dreads applying for financial aid this time of year.

The declaration of independence by what was the Kosovo region of Serbia Feb. 17 has prompted some students to see it as a necessary move, albeit one with questionable methods.

The move for independence follows centuries of tension between Serbia and its southern province of Kosovo, which has a population that is 90 percent ethnic Albanian.

The Undergraduate Senate voted to override Student Government President Joe Vidulich’s veto of the smoking bill the senate passed last week.

The senate voted 19-7-0 in favor, attaining the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto. The bill will create smoke-free courtesy zones prohibiting smoking at all building entrances and shuttle stops and during densely populated outdoor events and evacuations.

CAMPUS BRIEF Students to read Dr. Seuss to local children Students will volunteer at schools in the surrounding community to read Dr. Seuss books to children today. To celebrate Dr. Seuss day, the Community Service Center and Read Across America are teaming up to bring volunteers to read to children and promote reading, according to the Community Service Center’s Web site.

Monday, March 3 Panel Discussion: “Voices of the 20th Century” 6 p.m. WHERE: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, intersection of New Hampshire and Virginia avenues and Rock Creek Parkway N.W. METRO: Foggy Bottom-GWU (orange and blue lines) INFO: Renowned figures from the arts, media, sports and politics will participate in a moderated discussion about the black experience during the last century.