Bilkent Pays Homage to Atatürk

November 10, 2011, marked the 73th anniversary of the death of Turkey's beloved Atatürk. Bilkent University commemorated the landmark date with a ceremony in memory of Atatürk.

On November 10, the Bilkent community gathered in front of the Atatürk Monument near the main entrance to the campus and paid homage with a moment of silence. The commemoration of Atatürk will continue on Tuesday, November 15, with a mini concert and a memorial speech to be given by Dr. Akif Kireçci at Mithat Çoruh Auditorium.
Tuesday, November 15
4:30 p.m. at Mithat Çoruh Auditorium
Moment of Silence and National Anthem
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Mini Concert
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“Atatürk’ün Vizyonu ve Geleceğin Türkiye’si” by Dr. Akif Kireçci

Election Campaign Continues in Departments

A total of 161 candidates are running for election to serve as Department Representatives to the Bilkent University Student Council. The campaign is now underway and will continue until 5 p.m. on November 21. The winning candidates will be representing you, their fellow students. In order to make a more informed decision, get to know the candidates before voting! Visit www.bilkent.edu.tr/konsey for names, photographs and the departments the candidates are hoping to represent.

The first round of elections for Department Representatives will take place on Tuesday, November 22. If voter turnout on that date is less than 50 percent, the election will continue with a second and a third round. These will be held Wednesday, November 23 and Thursday, November 24, respectively.

Changes Made in Minor Program Regulations

According to a decision made by the University Senate at its meeting on November 4, 2011, a student enrolled in a minor program may take a maximum of two minor courses per semester. An additional minor course may be taken only if approved by the relevant dean or director. In addition, the Senate has decided that it will no longer be possible to transfer courses from the minor program to the major program upon terminating enrollment in a minor program. Minor courses will be listed in the minor transcript even if the minor program is terminated.

The Senate has also approved two new minor programs. In the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, the Department of Communication and Design and the Department of Graphic Design will start their minor programs next semester. The last day to apply for admission to a minor program for the 2011-2012 spring semester will be January 9, 2012.

Bilkent Students Attend UNESCO Youth Forum


The 7th UNESCO Youth Forum took place October 17-21 in Paris, France. Among the youth from all over the world who participated in the forum as delegates were two Bilkent students, Eser Özgirgin (IR/II) and Sinan Kalpaklı (LAUD/II). The conference, which aims to find solutions to problems that are common to youth worldwide, takes place every two years right before the general conference of UNESCO. This allows for transmission to the General Assembly of a resolution prepared by forum attendees. In addition to providing a venue for youth from around the world to meet and exchange ideas, the principal aim of the forum is the preparation of this resolution. The preparation process requires votes from all countries of each region. Following this, the youth forum's General Assembly carries out a final review of the resolution before sending it to the official UNESCO conference. In this way, the opinions of the youth representatives are officially legitimized in the two-year decree prepared by UNESCO. The message delivered to the youth delegates throughout this year's conference was "Raise Your Voice!" The emblem of the forum, "YÖUTH," depicted this message, with the use of "Ö" instead of "O" creating a shouting emoticon. The conference encouraged delegates to participate actively in the discussion of various topics, giving them the chance to freely express their opinions as well as to hear those of youth from other countries.

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Bilkent Loses Mustafa Berkay İskeç, Department of Political Science Prep Student

Mustafa Berkay İskeç, a preparatory student in the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, passed away on Monday, November 7, 2011, in a fatal traffic accident in Kırklareli. We are deeply saddened by the loss of our student, and wish to extend our condolences to his family, friends, and the Bilkent community.



Young Entrepreneurs Club/Cyberpark Start- Up Summit for Web/ Mobile Applications

The Bilkent Young Entrepreneurs Club and Bilkent Cyberpark have teamed up to organize the first Ankara Internet Entrepreneurship Start-Up Summit. Do you have a web/mobile applications project that you've developed to the start-up level, but now aren't sure how to reach the appropriate investors for guidance and financial help?

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