It was claimed they had a campus gate built for 11 million: First statement from the university

A statement has been issued regarding the news published in the national media concerning the campus gate constructed by Kastamonu University.

In the written statement regarding the news published under the headline, "The Rector is having a palace gate built for 11 million," it was stated that the tender covered not only the gate but also rainwater drainage and infrastructure, perimeter walls, entry-exit turnstile systems, security infrastructure, rooms and facilities for security personnel, electrical and central connection systems, camera security connections, lighting, landscaping, and visual elements.

"CONTINUING IN LINE WITH PLANNING"

The statement, which noted that the work was carried out in accordance with the tender mentioned in the news to prevent the university's building infrastructure from being affected by rainwater, included the following remarks:

"On the other hand, as seen in the example of the flood disaster that occurred in 2021 and also affected our university, rainwater coming due to the sloped structure of the campus and the insufficient drainage infrastructure of the urban road connected to the main entrance gate negatively affects the campus entrance line and the infrastructure of our buildings located further down. For this reason, the campus was handled as a whole and subjected to planning within the scope of protecting the foundations and infrastructure of the buildings. By sharing all projects and costs with the relevant institutions, the foundation drainage, roof improvements, and landscaping of the structures posing a risk have been carried out, and the work is continuing in line with the aforementioned planning. Within the scope of the planning, it was evaluated that the rainwater coming to the campus entrance via surface runoff from the high-density residential area located in the upper part of the campus poses a serious threat in terms of infrastructure and building safety, and it was decided that the infrastructure and drainage problem of the entry-exit section needed to be solved.

In addition to this, a project was prepared in 2023 to ensure the entry-exit security of the campus, install turnstile and guest entry-exit systems, establish camera infrastructure and connect it to the central information system, prevent congestion at the entrance, build perimeter walls, establish security infrastructure, meet the room and other needs of security personnel, complete electrical and water infrastructure, and make the entrance functional; this work was 'included in the 2024 project and planning studies and added to the work program.' Following the completion of the architectural, static, mechanical, and electrical projects of the work, an entry was made into the EKAP system on May 9, 2024, a tender date was set for June 4, 2024, and the tender was held on that date. In the published news, it is seen that an attempt is being made to damage the reputation of our University by creating a perception over the tender price, questioning whether the gate and its additions are needed, not mentioning other work items included in the tender content, and by giving the total figure and stating that only a gate was built without considering other work items, thereby reflecting a legitimate process carried out in line with needs as a suspicious and arbitrary act in the eyes of the public. However, the gate construction work mentioned in the headline of the news includes not only the gate but also rainwater drainage and infrastructure, perimeter walls, entry-exit turnstile systems, security infrastructure, rooms and needs of security personnel, electrical and central connection systems, camera security connections, lighting, landscaping, and visual elements.

"IT IS OBSERVED THAT IT IS AIMED AT DISCREDITING"

Considering that the amount expressed as the tender price for the gate alone, as given in the news headline, also includes the listed technical, mechanical, and infrastructure elements, it is observed that the news in question, in terms of its headline and content, provides incomplete and speculative information, aiming to create a negative perception of the institution and to discredit it. The news in question, which was prepared specifically with purposeful and intentional, baseless claims without obtaining any information from our University, damages our institution's reputation in the eyes of the public and constitutes an attack on the personal rights of our University and our administrators. This statement has been made in order to inform the public correctly."