METU faculty members demand annulment of decree that rendered rector elections void
SERBAY MANSUROĞLU
serbaymansur@birgun.net / @serbaymansur
Middle Eastern Technical University’s (METU) faculty members gave a statement calling for annulment of decree (676) that ordered for rector elections at universities to be lifted.
Having gathered today (November 8) at noon on their campus with their gowns on, faculty members emphasized in their statement that ‘the political practices of the government were worrisome’ and included in their message the following notes: “As METU faculty members, we request a university providing a ground that is democratic, participatory, and in peace with humans and nature. We see it as our responsibility and duty to give effort for this to be achieved.”
Parts of the message of METU faculty members are as follows: “Democracy is one of the most significant achievements in history of humankind. This practice which allows people to live together with all their differences has been established after painful historical processes. Today, we are witnessing in our country worrisome political interventionss in institutions, parliament, judiciaary, political parties, and the media, which are all vital for democracy to be sustained. This process that we have been going through has entered a new and frightening phase within the past week.
... With the decree 676 – announced on 29 October 2016 -, the rector elections which give a voice to faculty members in selecting their university’s management was abolished... We find the annulment of this practice as unacceptable...
We would like to remind that for universities to be able to provide knoweldge and contribute to societal advancement the most rudimentary prerequisite is ‘autonomy’... As METU faculty members, we request a university providing a ground that is democratic, participatory, and in peace with humans and nature. We see it as our responsibility and duty to give effort for this to be achieved.”
Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/odtu-ogretim-uyeleri-cuppeleri-giydi-aciklama-yapti-134728.html