Bulu: Our students, academics don’t see the big picture

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Amid criticisms of students and academics and detention of over 20 people for protesting his appointment, Prof. Melih Bulu addressed the public in the Main News Bulletin at HaberTürk TV last evening (January 5).

Appointed by President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 1, Prof. Melih Bulu, an academic outside Boğaziçi's community, was also a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections for Erdoğan's AKP in 2015. This appointment has caused an outrage among both the students and academics.

Speaking to Veyis Ateş from HaberTürk within this context, he said the following about the police intervention against students protesting his appointment in front of the South Campus of the university:

He defended police intervention

"What I did not like was the following: If you also notice, only two of the 17 [detained] students are the students of Boğaziçi University. As far as I understand, they are the members of some organizations. As far as I understand, the students of Boğaziçi University were used.

"They could not enter anyway. They tried to enter. But the gate was broken and they apparently used handcuffs to keep it together. The police chief found such a practical solution. The police did the right thing there."

CLICK - 17 students detained for protesting new president of Boğaziçi

Arguing that "Turkey's system of appointing university presidents complies with world standards," Bulu said that he officially took office yesterday.

When asked, "Will you resign," Bulu answered, "No, why should I? When we come to know together in time, students will also see how efficiently we actually work. There is perhaps a misevaluation now. I belong to Boğaziçi more than several people there, I spent my eight years at Boğaziçi."

'I quit politics in 2009'

Melih Bulu also said that his relationship with the AKP started while he was doing his PhD at Boğaziçi University and added:

"I quit politics in 2009. I became a candidate for nomination for the last time, but I was not elected. I did not think that there would be such provocation, either. If there had not been these provocations, I would have seen the protest culture of Boğaziçi. I would have talked to students and they would have seen that I was one of them."

Responding to the allegations of plagiarism against him, Bulu defined these allegations as "slander" and said, "All they are troubled with is that I did not write some things between quotation marks. We did not have something written available. There were different rules. Did you write the sources of the things that you had taken in the end? Yes, we did."

"If we become one of the 10 leading countries in the world, Boğaziçi is a must for this. So, we must protect and care for it like the apple of our eye, not even the tiniest thing should happen to it. I approach Boğaziçi with this reflex. Because, perhaps, our students and perhaps our academics might not be seeing the big picture from where they stand," said Bulu.

'I see the big picture'

He continued his remarks briefly as follows: "When you look at the big picture... As a person sitting at the very top, I see this picture. There is perhaps a reflex to harm Boğaziçi. We need to prevent it.

"There might be different struggles, but this should not happen through Boğaziçi. We need to discuss the issues about us among us. If we call partisan people, people from right or left, it gets bigger and Boğaziçi turns into an unnecessary field of struggle. This is not a right thing at all."

CLICK - Police attack students with pepper gas at Boğaziçi

'More Boğaziçi alumni should be in Ankara'

Reiterating that the system of appointing university president is better, Bulu said, "You are taken to an interview. There is a commission, after all. There is an experienced academic group at the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). If Boğaziçi makes time for the YÖK, there will be more people from Boğaziçi at the YÖK. But Boğaziçi has put itself in an ivory tower now. There need to be more people from Boğaziçi in Ankara."

According to Prof. Melih Bulu, when he was asked by the academics, "Will you do anything to the culture of Boğaziçi University", he answered this question as "Never, it will never happen."

"I am from Boğaziçi, too. I am even a university president who listens to hard rock," added the appointed president of Boğaziçi University. (DŞ/SD)