‘We once again demand the resignation of appointed rector’

* Photos: Can Candan, Behram Evlice

Click to read the article in Turkish

After ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Prof. Melih Bulu as a new rector to Boğaziçi University on January 2, both the students and academics have been protesting this appointment at their campus since January 4.

It was on January 5, 2021 when the academics first turned their backs to the Rector's Office at the South Campus in İstanbul, saying, "We don't accept, we don't give up." The academics once again gathered in front of the Rector's Office today (February 8) and protested the recent developments as well as the appointment of Melih Bulu.

Reading out a joint statement, the academics have demanded the annulment of the Presidential decree that has opened faculties of law and communication at the university. They have also condemned Erdoğan's remarks targeting academic Prof. Ayşe Buğra.

'We don't accept it!'

Emphasizing the importance of academic autonomy and referring to the opening of new faculties, the academics have reminded the public that "it is the second time, after the military regime of September 12, 1980, that the university's will is disregarded with a decision imposed on Boğaziçi."

"This anti-democratic decision has been taken even though the academic boards of the university did not have any request or preparation and the permission of the university senate was not taken," the academics have said.

"With this step, the principle of academic autonomy safeguarded by our Constitution has been once again openly violated. We don't accept it!"

'Academic staff based on loyalty'

The statement of the academics has emphasized that "even opening a new department or a program necessitates decision-making processes based on transparent negotiations and principle of accountability."

They have noted that "only in case of these processes, an environment of learning and scientific research complying with universal criteria and an academic staff based on meritocracy, not on loyalty, can be created."

Stressing the importance of institutionalizing autonomy to ensure proper functioning of these processes, the academics have said, "For this very reason, we have been demanding academic autonomy and a democratic university for five weeks. We don't give up!"

Accordingly, the academics have demanded the annulment of the decree opening new faculties at Boğaziçi University and reiterated their call to the appointed rector to resign from office. They have also requested that the police blockade on the campuses be lifted and the students who have been arrested or placed under house arrest be released.

Reiterating their call to the public to initiate a democratic reform process that will encompass all universities across Turkey, the academics have also condemned the attack on Prof. Ayşe Buğra regretfully.

Letter to arrested students

Students have also gathered at South Campus and written letters to their friends who have been arrested over Boğaziçi University protests.

'We won't look down'

The students of Boğaziçi University gathered in front of what they now call the "Trustee's Office" at the South Campus at 5 p.m. today (February 8). "We will take it from here," they said and demanded the immediate release of their arrested friends. Carrying banners with the names of the arrested students, they chanted the slogan, "We will not look down".

The students then walked in groups to the main entrance of the South Campus and made a statement for the press there. Addressing their friends under arrest and house arrest, they chanted the slogan, "You will never walk alone." Reiterating their call for Melih Bulu's resignation, they have demanded that democratic rector elections be held in all universities.

Students listed the following demands:

1- All trustees, primarily Melih Bulu, must resign.
2- All students under detention, arrest or house arrest must be released immediately.
3- The Council of Higher Education, which is an institution of the coup period, must be closed.
4- Police blockade at the campuses must be lifted.
5- LGBTI+ students and fundamental human rights and all Constitutional rights of all LGBTI+s must be recognized.

Kampüsün tüm bileşenleriyle, kampüste güvenli yaşam sahası isteyen her canlıyla birlikte “Kayyum rektör istemiyoruz.” diyoruz.#BoğaziçiResistance pic.twitter.com/z63wcJ9JDd
— Boğaziçi Dayanışması (@boundayanisma) February 8, 2021

What happened?

Prof. Melih Bulu was appointed as the President of Boğaziçi University in a Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette on January 1, 2021. The appointment of Bulu sparked harsh criticisms among both the students and academics of the university as well as in the academic community.

Appointed to Boğaziçi, one of the most prestigious universities in Turkey, from outside its community, Bulu was a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections in 2015 for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The students and several students' clubs of the university campaigned on social media under the hashtag #kayyımrektöristemiyoruz (We don't want a trustee-rector). The call of the students was also supported by the faculty members of the university, who released a joint statement on January 3.

"An academic outside Bogazici University community was appointed as rector (university president), which is a practice introduced for the first time after the 1980s military tutelage," read their statement.

Amid harsh criticisms of students and faculty members, Prof. Bulu shared a message on his Twitter account, welcoming his appointment to the position, saying, "We are all in the same boat."

The students protested the appointment of Bulu in front of the South Campus of the university in İstanbul on January 4. However, the police intervened into the protest with pepper gas and plastic bullets.

Next day, it was reported that there were detention warrants against 28 people for "violating the law on meetings and demonstrations" and "resisting the officer on duty." Later in the day, 22 of them were detained.

40 people in total were detained over the protests. All of the detained were released on January 7 and 8, 2021.

The protests of students and faculty members at the South Campus of Boğaziçi University have been going on since January 4.

Taken into custody over a picture of the Kaaba, a sacred site in Islam, with a Shahmaran figure and four LGBTI+ flags on its corners, two students were arrested and two were placed under house arrest over this picture displayed at an exhibition as part of the protests at the South Campus.

On February 1, police stormed the South Campus and intervened into the students' protests. Earlier in the day, the students gathered in front of the campus for the protest. Police hindered the protest while also preventing the students inside the South Campus from joining their friends outside.

With the 51 students taken into custody inside the campus in the evening, the number of detained increased to 159. In a statement released by the İstanbul Governor's Office in the early morning hours on February 2, it was announced that 98 students were released from detention.

On February 2, Boğaziçi University students gathered in Kadıköy Rıhtım for another protest, which was attacked by the police with plastic bullets and tear gas. 134 people were taken into custody by the police. Two of the protesters were arrested by the court afterwards.

On February 6, four more people were arrested and two others were placed under house arrest over their participation in Boğaziçi protests in Kadıköy.

On the same day, Erdoğan issued a Presidential decree to open two new faculties at the university. In response to this, the Boğaziçi Solidarity platform addressed an open letter to the "12th President of Turkey."

A day later, student Beyza Buldağ was taken into custody for allegedly administering the "Boğaziçi Solidarity" Twitter account and arrested for "provoking the public to hatred, enmity and hostility" and "provoking to commit crimes" over both the letter and other Twitter posts.

As of 10 a.m. on February 8, nine people in total were arrested for supporting or joining the protets against the appointed rector of Boğaziçi University.

About Melih Bulu

Prof. Melih Bulu was appointed as the President of Haliç University on January 17, 2020. In office in this foundation university for less than a year, he has been appointed as the President of Boğaziçi University.

He was a Dean and University President at the İstinye University from 2016 to 2019. Between the years of 2010 and 2016, he was the Head of the Business Management Department of İstanbul Şehir University's Business Management and Management Science Faculty.

He was the General Coordinator of International Competitiveness Research Institute (URAK), an NGO working on economic competitiveness of cities and countries, from the year 2017 to 2019. Since 2011, he has been the Executive Board member of the İstanbul Electric-Electronic Machinery and Informatics Exporters R&D Market.

In 2002, he founded the Sarıyer District Organization of the ruling AKP in İstanbul. In 2015, he was a candidate for nomination to run in the Parliamentary elections from the AKP in the first election district in İstanbul.

He studied Industrial Engineering at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara in 1992. He did his MBA and PhD at Boğaziçi University's Department of Management.

(DŞ/SD)

BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY ACADEMICS