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Safe Campus – Services of Security Directorate

Safe Campus Environment

The Bilkent University Security Office staff members, operating in accordance with the stipulations of Private Security Law No. 5188, are on duty 24/7 to provide a safe campus environment for your security and protection throughout your time at the University.

Please make sure that you follow the regulations set out below, which help us protect you while on the University campus. In addition, please heed security officers’ instructions and warnings at all times.

University Entrance

Everyone entering our campus area must go through the ID and car sticker checkpoints located at the entrance gates and security booths on campus. Students who enter the campus driving their own car with a valid Bilkent sticker affixed, and no accompanying passengers, can pass through the gates without stopping. However, if the student is not alone, passengers may be asked to go through a security check. Also, please note that unauthorized student cars or other cars without a sticker are not allowed to enter the university campus. Instead, cars can be parked in Parking Lot 3, located just across from the main entrance gate, or Parking Lot 1, outside the Odeon.

In line with he general campus safety rules, there may be a vehicle inspection at the campus entrance and exit points by the security officers, as needed.

Proper Campus Driving Behavior

You should refrain from listening to music at high volume while in your car, and should never drive in a careless or disrespectful manner on campus roads. Loud music, engine noise and screeching tires may disturb students who are studying or resting.

In campus vicinity, physical violence is considered an unacceptable behavior and may be required a disciplinary action.

All fliers and other documents that are requested to be put on campus bulletin boards and department buildings should be first approved by the Dean of Student Office.

Tips on Recognizing and dealing with suspicious people and vehicles:

It is also very important to develop awareness for all sorts of activities around you in order to identify the suspicious ones. Followings are precautions to be taken while recognizing and dealing with these situations:

If you have a hitchhiker in your car picked up on your way to the University campus, please make a short stop at the entrance for a security check and tell the offices about his/her status.

If you notice a car on your way to the campus that is parked in places such as no parking zones by the intersection, please report it to the security officer nearby or call the emergency line at 290 6666.

Please immediately call the security , if you see any indivisual behaving in an unusual or suspicious manner ( acting nervously and disorderly, looking intoxicated, getting physical with others etc…) As the suspicious people tend to leave the scene after being seen by the aothorities, iti is important to notify the security by calling the emergency line at 290 6666 as soon as possible.

Safe Campus Environment

Patrolling: Bilkent University security staff provides 24 – hour safety by making regular rounds around the buildings, facilities and the green areas located in vicinity of campus. On foot, bicycles and in cars, our security staff patrols the campus and responds to alarm calls.

Emergency Call Center: Bilkent University emergency call center works 24/7. In case of emergency, please call our emergency phone line at 290 66 66.

Lost and Found: Cell phones, electronic appliances, keys, valets and clothes are among the most commonly lost and found items on the University campus.

In the case of a lost item, please immediately contact the security staff of the building where the items were lost. If you cannot find your item at the building security desk, contact the main Security Office -AKA MERKEZ- located in the basement of the G Building (Main Campus)in Room # B-09.

(Phone: 290 10 12)

BASIC SAFETY RULES:

Personal Safety: You are safe on campus!…However, for your personal  protection and safety, refrain from hitchhiking and use shuttle buses or public transportation instead. Also, do not hesitate to report a suspicious behavior or an activity to the campus security (290 66 66).

Safety Rules While Walking, Riding a Bicycle and Doing Other Activities: At night time, prefer to walk or ride your bicycle on the roads with lighting instead of dark ones, and wear bright color clothing items. You may also want to use glowing light bulb on your bikes, so that it can be visible from all sides in the dark. Please do not wear earphones while riding your bicycle.

Safety Rules with Wild and Stray Animals: Avoid interacting with stray animals, as they may not have been vaccinated against certain illnesses, such as rabies. In the case that you contact with a stray animal and get a scratch mark or a bite, immediately go to the Health Center as a precaution against rabies. Also, report this incident to the security by calling the emergency phone line at 290 66 66.

Smoking Ban on Campus: Please do not smoke in smoke -free areas located on campus. Note that individuals who do not comply with smoking ban are subject to a fine.

Smoke Free Areas on Campus: Enclosed places, building entrances and the places designated as smoke- free areas.

Safety in Cars: While you are driving off campus, always make sure to keep your doors locked at all times and try not to roll down your windows as you pass by crowded areas. Also, do not forget to lock the doors again when you stop the engine.  As mentioned earlier, if you come across with a suspicious behavior or an activity while driving, please report it to the police (155) or to the security (290 66 66).

Over the Phone Threads: Be careful with the threads from people who introduce themselves as a police or prosecutor over the phone. Please disregard their request and immediately report to the police (155) or to the campus emergency phone line (290 66 66).

Fire Situation: In the event of a fire, please call 290 6666 immediately to report the situation, but do not panic. If the fire is very small and you know how to use a fire extinguisher, look for one nearby and try to put out the fire; otherwise, ask for the fire service to come rather than attempt to extinguish a serious fire yourself.

Traffic at Bilkent: Bilkent University places a great deal of emphasis on promoting respectful driving on campus. Always remember that on campus roadways, pedestrians are given priority over vehicles. All vehicles are required to stop and wait for pedestrians to cross the street.

Also, all vehicles passing through the gates must have a valid parking sticker in order to use the campus parking lots.

Parking Stickers and Campus Entrance Cards: Bilkent University campus entrance rules and regulations were updated in the spring of 2013. At that time, all University staff and their family members residing in faculty housing units were provided with a card for use in opening the gates at the entrance to the campus and the faculty housing unit areas.

The new regulations stipulate that all academic, administrative and support personnel and students must obtain a parking sticker and display it on their vehicle in order to enter the campus and open the parking and faculty housing area gates. Family members of University personnel residing in faculty housing units should also obtain entrance cards (from the Security Office located in Room Z-51 of the FEASS Building) in order to be able to open the gates. Note that those who have only the temporary campus access cards (also known as “bus cards”) provided by the Security Office to facilitate family members’ entrance to the campus cannot open the gates.

Also note that all University academic, administrative and support personnel who enter the campus for a time with a different vehicle (without a sticker)—for instance, while their own vehicle is being repaired—can pass through the gates by presenting their University ID cards.

Students without a valid parking sticker on their vehicle will not be able to use their ID card to open the gates.

If an entrance card is lost, please call the emergency phone line at 290 6666 or 290 1439 – 2424 to inform security officers. The use of a lost card will be blocked immediately after the loss is reported.

Campus Entrance and Parking Rules for Visitors

All faculty members should inform Main or East Campus security officers about any visitors they are expecting. Visitors who arrive at the entrance without prior notice will be allowed to pass through the gates and enter the faculty housing area only after security has contacted the faculty member and received approval. Notification about expected visitors can be made directly to the Security Office by e-mail or telephone.

At the request of a University department, an individual who has been working on a joint project in collaboration with that department and has not previously been given an ID card by the Personnel Office can be provided with a temporary campus access card and a free parking ticket by the Security Office.

Visitors or others who enter the University campus in a vehicle without a parking sticker and stay on campus more than an hour will be charged a parking fee (see below under “Special Notes” for exceptions). Parking is free for up to one hour. For a longer stay of up to four hours, the fee is  20 TL; those who remain on campus more than four hours will be charged a 40 TL parking fee. Payment of the fee is to be made to authorized security officers at the campus entrance gates.

Visitors who are given a “parking ticket” at the entrance can only use parking areas that are not reserved for the University’s academic and administrative personnel.

In case of the loss of a “guest card” given to visitors in exchange for their ID card or passport at the entrance, a payment of 80 TL is to be made to the Accounting Office, located in the Rectorate Building. The receipt for the payment should then be presented to the security officer at the entrance gate in order to get the ID card or passport back. Also note that those who lose a parking ticket given to them at the entrance will be charged 40 TL when they leave the campus.

SPECIAL NOTES:  

  • Visitors of academic and administrative personnel will be exempt from parking fees regardless of how long they stay. To this end, all personnel will be provided with free “parking tickets” to be given to their visitors after they arrive on campus, allowing them to park without charge. Visitors then return the tickets to the security officers at the gate as they leave the campus. Also, as mentioned above, academic and administrative personnel can notify security officers in advance about expected visitors by contacting the Main Campus entrance gate at 1700 – 1701 or the East Campus entrance gate (1) at 5348 – 5346, in which case their guests will not be charged a parking fee as they leave the campus.
  • Visitors who enter the University campus to attend seminars and conferences will not be charged a parking fee provided the relevant department or unit notifies the Security Office about such visitors.
  • Owners of vehicles that are banned from entering the University campus will not be allowed to use their ID cards to enter the gates until the restriction is lifted by the Bilkent Computer Center.