Sandra Fluke '03 returns to campus for a public discussion on women and civic responsibility, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in Statler Auditorium.

Fluke and Rebecca Stoltzfus, M.S. '88, Ph.D. '92, will lead the discussion on the importance of civic activism and the role of women in health initiatives. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Fluke also will meet with students while on campus to discuss her Cornell experience and career choices.

Fluke became a household name in February when she advocated for women's reproductive health rights to Congressional Democrats. She had previously been denied admittance as a witness before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's discussion of religious exceptions to health care plans with contraception mandates. The 30-year-old law student had intended to speak in support of requiring insurance plans to cover birth control, and later spoke only to House Democrats, which led to public attacks on her by right-wing commentators. She addressed the 2012 Democratic National Convention in September.

She earned her Cornell B.S. with an interdepartmental major in policy analysis and management and feminist, gender and sexuality studies. As a student, she organized activities around feminist and gender equity causes, beginning a career in advocacy and activism.

After Cornell, she worked with the New York City nonprofit Sanctuary for Families until she entered Georgetown Law in 2009. Her work there included co-founding the New York Statewide Coalition for Fair Access to Family Court, which successfully advocated for legislation granting access to civil orders of protection for unmarried domestic violence victims, including teens and LGBT victims. She also served on the Manhattan Borough President's Taskforce on Domestic Violence and other city and state coalitions that successfully advocated for improving policies that affect domestic violence victims.

At Georgetown University Law Center, Fluke represented victims of domestic violence and human trafficking and received a public interest grant to produce a video on how to take out a restraining order. She was development editor for the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, co-president of Law Students for Reproductive Justice and vice president of the Georgetown Law Women's Legal Alliance. She graduated cum laude in 2012.

Stoltzfus is a professor of nutritional science, the Provost's Fellow for Public Engagement, and director of the College of Human Ecology's programs in international nutrition and global health.

The event is presented by Engaged Cornell, the College of Human Ecology and the Cornell Democrats.