Universities to ramp up security on campuses, education board says after lecturer murder

ANKARA

New security measures are underway for university campuses, Turkey’s Higher Education Board (YÖK) said on Jan. 15 following the murder of a lecturer on the campus of an Ankara university earlier this month.

A study to ensure the peace and security of academics was initiated and several decisions have been made,” said a statement released after a meeting on Jan. 15 of a joint commission between YÖK and the Interior Ministry.

“The decision to take measures include the collection of security data from all campuses, including public and private universities, for risk analysis; increasing preemptive security measures implemented by private security details; increasing the quality and quantity of equipment which help enhance the physical security and encouraging scientific researches on the causes of such violent incidents,” it added.

YÖK’s joint commission with the Interior Ministry convened for the first time on Jan. 15 in a working meeting under the title “Enhancing Security and Peace in Universities,” following a decision for the commission’s establishment between YÖK head Yekta Saraç and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on Jan. 5.

The decision came in the wake of the murder of Ceren Damar Şenel, a research assistant at Çankaya University in Ankara.

Şenel was shot dead by a student after she caught him cheating in an exam. The Çankaya University law school student, identified only as İsmail H., first stabbed Şenel, and then shot her dead with a gun.

The commission consists of Saraç, YÖK members, Deputy Interior Minister Muhterem İnce, high-ranking officials from the police and gendarmerie, and academics from relevant fields.