 Hello dear readers. This is my last column of this semester, and at the same time, the last thing you'll ever read from me in Bilkent News. Last year, around this time, I was writing roughly the same things, about the probability that I might never write again as I was graduating and was not sure whether I'd stay at Bilkent for my master's degree. Well, I ended up staying, and I'm very glad with that decision. But it's been a tough year, a year that required me to study more than ever. In addition to studying, I had other things to deal with, and all in all, I strived and fought with time every two weeks to take my place again in this column. Now, after two years and tens of columns in Bilkent News, I have decided that it's time to quit, once and for all. I will be done with my required classes this semester and next year I will be working on my thesis, so I will have very little time and concentration for this column. What is more, new people should be writing here and voicing their opinions, as I feel like I've occupied this space for long enough.
I feel great about having written this column. It's not simply yet another item on my CV. For the last two years, this was the only regular public medium for me to express my happiness or my dissatisfaction with life or things around school, to share what I learnt, to recommend films and activities, to give humble advice for other students - in short, to communicate with the larger Bilkent family of which I am a part of. I have always stated how important I think it is for a school to have a newspaper, and having one like this, in eight full pages, is a chance. I often hear, read and see that people don't care enough as they should've about this publication. They can be unhappy with the content, the features and etc. That is completely understandable. Every single person in this school would have his or her own ideal Bilkent News, and it's of course impossible to satisfy everyone. What is important is that you can always be given a word here. Then simply do it - be the next columnist here and say what you will, or contact the Communication Unit to suggest changes, or write a Letter to the Editor, which will be published here and enable you to share your complaints with the Bilkent community. Simply remember this - this is your school, and if you are unhappy about food, dorms, shuttles, the library or anything else, the responsibility is yours to voice your opinion. If you don't make a move, then nobody will understand your discontent and no one will try to change it.
I would like to thank Nil Bero and Hande Seçkin Onat for bearing with me through all my delays, the Bilkent University administration for making this newspaper possible, and most of all, to my readers for being there, reading this column, giving feedback and showing their support.
For any academic or cinematic advice (or for anything else), feel free to contact me via dokay@bilkent.edu.tr. I wish you all lots of success with your academic/professional work and happiness for the rest of your lives.
PS. My last reminder and piece of news: The 13th Flying Broom (Uçan Süpürge) International Women's Film Festival starts this week. Between May 6 and 13 you will be able to make choices from a program of more than 100 films, including classics, shorts, documentaries, animations, from Turkey and abroad. The venues are Kızılırmak Sineması for feature films and the Goethe Institute for shorts and workshops. I will be co-editing the daily newspaper of the festival with a classmate, and the writers are also from Bilkent. So be sure to get a free copy everyday during the festival from the venues, and check festival.ucansupurge.org for more details on the films and the program.
BY DAMLA OKAY (COMD/V)
dokay@bilkent.edu.tr
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