On the first day of the Opening Week and Orientation Programs, our Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar, our Dean of Students Arda Çakır and our Coordinator of the International Relations Unit, Lecturer. Fatma Füsun Hepdinç addressed our students.

“Freedom in college comes with responsibility.”

Addressing our students, our Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Ali Karasar pointed out that university life is not only a period of gaining academic knowledge and pointed out the importance of students taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the university.

Karasar stated that the university transforms people's knowledge as well as their character, reasoning, language, environment and outlook on the future. “The day you start university, not only does the name of your school change; the way you look at life also changes. You have a wider range of motion in college. This freedom is more precious than anything else. But the cost of freedom is also responsibility. “The first lesson of college life is this: Your choices belong entirely to your free will, but the consequences will be entirely yours,” he said.

Karasar also addressed the basic qualities that the university should give students, saying, “A university should give you four basic strengths. The first is reasoning; in a large amount of information, you gain the ability to distinguish between true and false, important and insignificant, information that is true, and information that is not true. The second is the ability to express oneself: the ability to express your thoughts in Turkish, clearly, properly and convincingly. That is why we attach great importance to Turkish at our university. The third is the profession: to be able to adapt the knowledge of your field to real-life problems. Fourth, in fact, the most important quality of all of us is character,” he added.

“Reason, Morality, Justice and Justice are at the Basis of Our Understanding of Education”

Karasar stated that the educational conception of the University of Cappadocia is based on the concepts of “reason, morality, justice and adoration”, “Reason is not accepting everything you hear, but seeking evidence and thinking correctly. Morality is not only to follow the rules, but to do what is actually right when no one sees it. Justice is handing over the right, even if it conflicts with our own interest. Adap, on the other hand, is to maintain measure in our relationships with people, knowledge, space, institution. A strong professional equipment will often do more harm than good to society when it lacks these values,” he said.

The Importance of Student Council in Students' Participation in University Life Is Underlined

Our Dean of Students, Arda Çakır, in his speech addressed the importance of active participation of students in university life with the activities of the Dean of Students.

“It is our duty to guide you, organize for you, provide material and spiritual resources to carry out your activities,” Çakır said.

Çakır pointed out that the Student Council plays an important role in reflecting students' opinions and suggestions into university life, and pointed out that the council is one of the structures that strengthen communication between students and the university administration. Çakır said, “The Student Council makes a serious contribution to school administration. The group that communicates your views is the Student Council,” he said.

Çakır, which invites students to actively participate in council elections, also informs about “One Knower”, which supports students who are just starting university, “We have a Knower”. They are our experienced students, you can also contact them if you have a question and they will help you too. I thank you in advance and wish you a successful year.”

The Contribution of International Experience to University Life Is Emphasized

Our International Relations Unit Coordinator Lecturer Fatma Füsun Hepdinç told the students about the opportunities offered by gaining international experience during their university years.

Hepdinç stated that university life is an important period in which students meet different people and cultures. “University life is not only about entering classes and graduating, but also when we develop ourselves, meet different people and cultures and begin to open up to the world. As the International Office, we work so that students can benefit from opportunities to study in different countries, do internships, get to know different cultures and gain international experience. We believe that our students' use of international opportunities will make a significant contribution to university life.”