Students left on the street at MSGSÜ! Rector Handan İnci refuses to meet with students and does not respond to petitions...

Hazal Güven - 12punto.com.tr

At Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ), one of Turkey's most established universities, 222 students have been left on the street. A housing crisis began for the students after the university's Ortaköy Girls' Dormitory was closed on the grounds of a 'need for educational space.' Stating that it is difficult to find a new dormitory or apartment under current economic conditions, the students are reacting to the process, asking, "How will education continue when there is no housing?" 

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT MADE WHILE STUDENTS WERE ON VACATION!

The information regarding the closure of the dormitory was first announced by the university administration in August 2024, while students were on summer break. Through an announcement shared only on the school's website, students were suddenly left homeless. 

Thanks to the determination of the students who reacted to the situation, the school administration issued a second announcement stating that they had postponed the decision for 1 year. 

NO RESPONSE TO PETITIONS, QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED…  

During this period, the students took action and prepared petitions for university rector Handan İnci to address. However, no response was received to any of the petitions. Protests were held in front of the rectorate and meetings were requested, but all these attempts went unheeded. The vice-rector told the students, "Handan İnci does not want to meet." 

‘IT IS DIFFICULT TO RENT A HOUSE IN ISTANBUL’

Speaking to 12punto about the grievance she is experiencing, one student said, "It is economically difficult to rent a house in Istanbul; we do not want to lose this building." Reminding that the building in question had previously undergone reinforcement work twice to make it earthquake-resistant, the student added, "There is a serious earthquake risk in Istanbul. We experienced and saw it recently. This place has been made earthquake-resistant. How are we, as students, supposed to rent an earthquake-resistant house in Istanbul? This building is very important for this reason as well." 

‘SUITABLE FOR FINE ARTS STUDENTS’

The students also emphasize that the rooms in the dormitory in question are parallel to the departments they study in and their educational lives. Students, who are predominantly enrolled in departments affiliated with the Faculty of Fine Arts such as painting, sculpture, and ceramics, point out that the rooms in the closed dormitory provided the sufficient space they needed for their respective fields.

Since they have not received a response through any of the channels they have tried, the students have no information about how the process will proceed. The students, left without a dormitory, are trying to overcome the housing crisis by either talking to private dormitories or looking for rental houses. 

News Source: Hazal Güven