Future of Student Clubs Workshop at ITU

The Future of Student Clubs Workshop aims to put forward a model for carrying out club activities at ITU in a more efficient and inclusive manner.

“The Future of Student Clubs Workshop”, organized by ITU Cultural Services Branch Directorate at Disaster Management Institute Conference Hall, took place with the participation of our Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Şule Itır Satoğlu, Faculty of Mines Dean Prof. Dr.  Mustafa Kumral, Cultural Services Branch Director and Advisor to the Rector Yusuf Ziya Öztürk, academics, administrative personnel, and representatives of our student clubs. 

After the opening speeches of Sports Clubs Student Representative Ömer Filiz and Faculty of Mines Dean Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kumral, the workshop continued with the speech of our Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Şule Itır Satoğlu.

The Future of Student Clubs Workshop aims that the student clubs operating at ITU carry out their activities in a systematic and regular manner within a set calendar. It was emphasized that the most important output aimed to be achieved with the workshop is the effort to create a model for the activities of student clubs. In this way, it is envisaged that an inclusive method will be determined for the establishment of student clubs, creating their activity calendars or carrying out their routine activities. 

Emphasizing in her speech the contribution of student clubs to ITU students, Prof. Dr. Satoğlu said, “You both gain professional experience in your field and have a wide socialization opportunity. On the other hand, it is possible to meet and mingle with the upper classes in the club you join. In most cases, these acquaintances can turn into a wider business environment in the future. For these reasons, we especially encourage our students to join our student clubs as soon as they step into ITU, starting from the preparatory class.”

Prof. Dr. Satoğlu expressed the following about the activities of student clubs at ITU: “Today, 288 student clubs are operating at ITU. Some of our clubs, which work in many different fields from engineering to robotics, from software to artificial intelligence, from philosophy to theater, also organize very regular and systematic events. As the Rectorate, we try to support our student clubs as much as we can.” In the workshop attended by more than 100 club presidents and board members from 70 student clubs, various problems in the functioning of the clubs were discussed and permanent solutions were offered to these problems. In addition, the participants shared their views on the clubs’ loss of activeness after the pandemic, sponsorship efforts, Student Clubs and Student Activities Coordination Directive, event permission processes, branding efforts, culture of working together, joint events, communication with relevant units and equipment support.

The workshop, which took place in four sessions, was held by making focus meetings with the participants who were divided into groups in order to find permanent and effective solutions to the problems of student clubs, and it was decided to hold these meetings regularly at certain times in the following periods.