Over 100 students in Çanakkale kicked out of state dormitory after failing to pay fees

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More than 100 students of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University have been kicked out of the Kerime Sultan Men's Dormitory for failing to pay their fees for September.

Having their status changed from "permanent students" to "guest students," the students requested permission to continue to stay at the dormitory from the Provincial Directorate of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The response they got was, "This is the last permission. Find yourselves a place to stay."

☞ Since the start of the academic year, students across Turkey have faced a housing crisis due to a spike in rents and insufficient dorm capacities.

"Guest students"

A student who asked his name not to be disclosed told bianet that he hadn't been able to make any payments to the Higher Education Student Loans and Dormitories Institution (KYK) since the start of the pandemic.

"I came to the dormitory on October 13. Schools opened on October 11. They deleted our registration because we didn't pay the debt of 270 lira, which was the fee for September.

"They neither sent a message nor called us. They used to send messages about anything.

"They told us, 'It's your responsibility. You should have followed it.' Right now, the only solution to registering in the dormitory is to get a retrospective [medical] report, and it's not legal. There were those who resorted to this, but I didn't want to apply."

Moving from one room to another

"Currently, I have a guest status in the dormitory where I stayed a permanent student before the pandemic. Someone else was placed in my room as a permanent student.

"They told us, 'We'll place you in vacant rooms.' The permanent students take a leave of absence to go to their hometowns for a week. They say, 'Sleep in their beds until they come.' We move from one room to another with suitcases. The environment we are in right now is not hygienic at all.

"I have to study for at least three-four hours a day. When someone passes by the door with a suitcase while I am studying, I wonder whether he has come to replace me."

"I won't be able to graduate"

"Currently, house rents in Çanakkale are three times higher than they used to be. They start from 2,000 lira. I used to be able to make a living with the KYK scholarship, but now I can't. If I can't find a place to stay, I'll have to study for an extra year.

"If I can't find a solution, I'm considering going to my hometown to work and save money so that I can rent a home in Çanakkale next year and graduate from my school."

"We forgot to send a message"

Another student who is having similar problems said they would normally receive a message to pay their fees 10 days before the due date.

"When I came to the dormitory, the officers said, 'Luckily, you have come. Your registration will be deleted, for your information.' I thought they were joking.

"My registration was deleted by the time I arrived at the provincial directorate. When I asked why they didn't message us, the officer at the dormitory said, 'It was very busy, we forgot about you."

"I have no place to stay"

"I don't receive support from the state. I work and save money. I have no place to stay. I apply to the provincial directorate every week and get permission to stay at the dormitory as a guest.

"I benefit from it if there are vacant places. I constantly stay in different rooms. Let alone health conditions, I just want a roof over my head. When I got permission last week, they said, 'This is the last permission.' I have to leave the dormitory but I have no place to stay."

"I can't live alone"

"Rents are too expensive that I can't stay alone for even two months. I'll have to return to my family's home. This is my last year. I'm preparing for the KPSS [Public Personnel Selection Examination]. This situation has affected me a lot, I can't concentrate on the exam.

"Also, we don't stay in the dormitory for free. We pay 105 lira for each week. This fee includes accommodation and meals. Since we are not registered students, we don't have a contract and we can't use the dormitory's internet. As a student, it is a very difficult situation for me. We're lucky if we get up early in the morning and get a seat in the school's computer lab.

"We want our voices to be heard. At the end of the year, the Ministry of Youth and Sport will say on their social media accounts that 'we have hosted so many people in our dormitories this year.' There is such a situation, such a grievance in the background. We want everyone to see this and our problem to be solved." (MFK/RT/VK)