Students at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) staged a protest on May 23 against the closure of the Ortaköy Girls’ Dormitory by the university administration, which cited “space requirements” as the reason.
Organized by the MSGSÜ Women’s Rights Group, the protest took place in front of the dormitory building and drew support from students at other universities as well.
One student carried a large plush elephant, while a large teddy bear was visible in the background. Wearing pajamas and carrying pillows, students also hung a banner on the dorm building reading: “We will bring down the palaces of those who seize our dormitories.”
In a joint statement on behalf of the dorm residents, students said:
“We cannot afford private dormitories – one of the few remaining options. Our friends have died in poorly maintained elevators in state-run KYK dorms. Religious foundation dorms subject us to pressure and completely lack government oversight. Rental housing is no longer a basic right – it has become a luxury. This decision by the trustee rector is effectively pushing us out of the city, out of our campuses, and away from a safe life.”
“We don’t want to be thrown out”
“Closing this dorm is absolutely unacceptable,” a first-year Animation student told bianet. “There is no alternative. They’re not even trying to offer us one. We have a right to housing – we don’t want to be thrown out.” The student also emphasized that fine arts students need quiet and functional spaces to work.
“Private dorms are unaffordable for all of us,” another Animation student explained. “Getting an apartment is simply not possible. Most of our families work low-wage jobs or survive on retirement income. I can’t see what’s ahead for me. I worked hard to get into this university, but now I don’t have a place to live, and I don’t know what to do.”
“We won’t let them shut the dorm – and we’ll reclaim Balmumcu too”
A Cinema and Television student, who is supposed to be relocated to the dorm, recalled that no restoration work has been done since the Balmumcu building was closed in 2019:
“The Balmumcu building is part of Turkey’s cinema heritage. All the Yeşilçam films were restored there. The government-appointed rector, Handan İnci, closed it in 2019, citing earthquake risk. We’ve been taking classes at the Fındıklı Fine Arts Campus since then – but there are no proper facilities, no labs like we had in Balmumcu. Last year, they also tried to shut down the dorm, but protests forced them to delay it. In the past year, no solutions were offered – neither for dorm residents nor for cinema students. Now they’re trying to close it again. We won’t let them shut down our dorm, and we’ll reclaim Balmumcu too.”
(AD/DT)
