What we need the most in Bilkent is positivity. We, the Bilkent people in general, don't seem to appreciate all the opportunities we have and, as a result, lack the self-confidence to use them properly. For example, the food prices issue would have been solved much sooner had those in charge and the complainers been a little more optimistic. The smiling faces around you make you feel good and give you motivation in your life and studies. So why not encourage each other to feel happier about simple stuff? We might have an awesome library, very cool newspaper, and perfect teachers. Yet, without people being aware of all these, what good are they? We should try to taste the beauty this university offers. What are waiting for? Let's be happy!

I have some other humble suggestions. Why not build a clock tower? It will be very useful in helping people keep up with lecture hours, service bus schedules, and a bunch of other things. Another thing is the chaos people go through at the Tunus and Sıhhiye bus stops downtown. Building iron guiding bars like the ones on East Campus should help.

(Burak Subaşı EE-III)

For the past month, whenever I go to Table d'hote Cafeteria I encounter the same situation. Although it is only 30 or 45 minutes after the start of the service, either some fixed menu dishes or other choices missing or are different than what was announced. I talked about this with the supervisor a number of times. His usual response was that they had underestimated the demand, that is, more meals were demanded than expected. This I cannot understand. Demand for that cafeteria should be more or less predictable because fluctuations in the the number of customers are not common during the semester. But, if demand cannot be anticipated accurately by Bilintur, technical aid could be requested from the Industrial Engineering Department. Working on this problem could be a potential IE 478 project for the spring semester. A team of four senior IE students could suggest and implement appropriate techniques for accurate demand forecasting. No matter how it is achieved, a quick and effective solution is necessary. Otherwise, Bilintur will start to lose customers due to a minor detail that is probably overlooked by its management.

(Çağrı Haksöz IE-IV)