Bogazici rectorate bans alcohol sales at in-campus club
One of Turkey’s most prestigious universities made headlines when the rectorate banned the sale of alcohol in the club of the Association of Bogazici Alumni (BUMED) which is located on the university’s campus. BUMED said that the rectorate fined the club five times, but the fines were illegal because the club had a liqueur license.
An alumni group called BUMEDeger claimed that the access to the campus of the alumni who were in the management of BUMED was restricted and an email was sent to them detailing how alcohol sales were banned in the facility by the rectorate.
According to the email, the sale of alcohol in the club was banned because despite it having a liqueur license, it still resided within the confines of the university and the practice clashed with the strict non-alcohol policy of the management of the university. BUMED announced that they would pursue legal avenues to overturn the decision.
On the other hand, BUMEDeger reacted to the decision on social media. “We will not abandon neither the alumni association nor the university to impositions of this kind. We call on the trustee management responsible for this to resign immediately,” the group tweeted.
(2/3) BÜMEDeğer olarak ne mezunlar derneğini, ne de üniversiteyi yaşam tarzı dayatmasına teslim etmeyeceğimizi ifade ediyor, sorumlu kayyum yönetimini derhal istifaya çağırıyoruz.
— BÜMEDeğer (@BumeDeger) July 28, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, the group called on all Bogazici alumni, saying “we invite you to fight tirelessly against the unlawful actions and violations of the trustee management that does everything in its power to keep our free campus under pressure.”
(3/3) Tüm Boğaziçi Üniversitesi mezunlarını özgür kampüsümüzü baskı altında tutmak için elinden geleni yapan kayyumluğun hukuk dışı uygulama ve ihlallerine karşı yılmadan mücadeleye devam etmeye davet ediyoruz.#KayyumlarGidecekBizKalacağız
— BÜMEDeğer (@BumeDeger) July 28, 2022
Bogazici has been mired in controversy since the appointment of a pro-government rector, Melih Bulu, back in 2021. Bulu, who said that he did not think of resigning, was dismissed unceremoniously by President Erdogan by a presidential decree seven months into his rectorship following mass protests by students and academics.
Deputy rector Naci Inci took over his post and has been running the university ever since.
