Doğuş University Fires Academic Signing Peace Declaration
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Doğuş University has cancelled the contract of Assist. Prof. Dr. Aslı Vatansever who had signed the declaration entitled “We will not be a party to this crime”.
The decision text claimed that the declaration “defines State of Republic of Turkey’s fight against terror in Southeast as ‘massacre’, ‘deliberate and planned slaughter’, and ‘conscious exile’”.
University disciplinary committee made the decision
The declaration issued by Academics for Peace calling on the state of Turkey to end violence and prepare conditions of negotiations was announced on January 11 with 1,128 signatures.
Doğuş University has launched investigation into the two signatory academics. It had eased Prof. Dr. Serdar. M. Değirmencioğlu out his duty of department presidency temporarily.
The notice about Assist. Prof. Dr. Aslı Vatansever was served on her on April 29.
The disciplinary punishment decision taken in the meeting on April 21 by the University Disciplinary Committee was declared by Chancellor Prof. Dr. Abdullah Dinçkol.
The decision text alleged that signing the declaration constitutes the elements of crime of “discharge of civil service” of Civil Servants Law Article No. 657 Clause 125/E*.
“It is worrying in terms of future of free thought”
Vatansever interpreted the period of her being discharged for signing the declaration as “It is signification of a general corruption”.
“What we witness at the universities is reflection of a general corruption. It is tragic for the universities to take part as places where anti-intellectualism crosses economic and political precarity, or even reinforce these elements. It is worrying in terms of future of free thought that the science institutions, which have to realize self-transformation reflex in this country, have become like this and fixed to the government to this extent”.
“Process is being experienced much more rapidly and ugly at foundation universities”
After the declaration, over 20 academics have been discharged; 18 of them were from the foundation universities.
Vatansever said the process is being experienced much more rapidly and ugly.
“From discharging people in one day without taking notice period into consideration to not paying compensation, from launching probes over and over to mobbing at school, the foundation universities have resorted to all ugly way. I myself have been exposed to similar things.
“They have revealed that they are not organizations qualifying to be university in any way”.
Vatansever added that it is not possible to continue with the current structures, and that we have erase it all, start over and transform it.
About Aslı Vatansever
She was born in İstanbul in 1980. She graduated from German School İstanbul in 1999, and Mimar Sinan University, Department of Sociology in 2003. She completed her doctorate at Hamburg University, Department of Sociology in 2011.
Vatansever was working at the Doğuş University since 2010.
In the book titled “We Lecture Anything: Transformation of Academic to Unqualified Worker” prepared by her and academic Meral Gezici Yalçın, they touched upon the problems academics face at foundation universities. (BK/TK)
* The Article No. 657 Clause 125/E: Publishing, copying, distributing or hanging any kind of prohibited publication or political or ideological declaration on any places of the institutions or expose them.