Undergraduate law program approved by Boğaziçi senate without due process

* Photo: Can Candan - Burak Şuşut (Our senate has been seized!)

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Shortly after Prof. Melih Bulu was appointed as a rector to Boğaziçi University by a Presidential decision of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, two new faculties, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Communication, were also established by Erdoğan's Presidential decision in February 2021.

Almost a year after this decision, which has caused serious backlash amid ongoing protests against the rector appointments, the undergraduate law program has passed the Boğaziçi University Senate.

The program was taken to vote to be sent to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). In response, the members of Boğaziçi University Senate underlined that the undergraduate law program could not be discussed without passing the relevant sub-committees and commissions. They underlined that taking such an action would be against the due process.

Despite the objections of the Senate members, the program, with a majority of votes, has passed the Senate to be sent to the YÖK.

A group of academics from the Boğaziçi University Senate have released a statement following the meeting and said:

"At the meeting attended by 17 people, the quorum of decision was declared as 12 by including the dean's offices substituted and held under responsibility in the count. In the vote that was taken, the Law Faculty undergraduate program was approved with 12 votes of 7 people."

The academics have underlined that as required by the decision taken in 2017, the decision to open an undergraduate program can be brought to the agenda of the Boğaziçi University Senate after it is debated, voted and approved by the Undergraduate Commission, Commission of Academic Councils and Senate Rules and Procedures Commission.

The statement has noted that "warnings made about this issue were not taken into consideration during the meeting, the program was approved at the Senate and it was said that after it was sent to the YÖK, the relevant committees and commissions would work on the necessary revisions."

The academics have denounced the decision, saying: "With this practice that has rendered the Senate, commissions and committees completely non-functional, our institutional structure has received yet another heavy blow, which will cause irreparable damage to our university." (RT/SD)