Saturday, September 20, 2008

Ramazan with Rumi

Ramazan with Rumi: Bayram Celebration

Thursday, October 2, 2008
8:00 - 9:30 PM
Assembly Hall, Campus Center
Uptown Campus, University at Albany
1400 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12222

Event Program
8:00 – 8:10 Welcome and initial remarks
8:10 – 8:30 Coffee & Turkish Desserts

8:30 – 9:00
Dr. İsmail Acar
Visiting Fellow at Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School
& Visiting Assistant Professor of Islam, Bard College
"The Place of Rumi in Turkish Tradition"

9:00 – 9:25
Peter Rogen & Arsalaan
www.poetryofrumi.com
"Reading of Rumi poetry with nay music"

9:25 – 9:30 Closure and thanks

Monday, September 15, 2008

Turksa Officers

Current Officers
Asil Ali Özdoğru, President (2006- )
Çağrı Özköse-Bıyık, Vice President (2006- )
Ozan Varlı , Treasurer (2008- )
Bilge Avcı, Secretary (2007- )

Volunteers
Deniz Ortaçtepe
Evrim Vural
Hamide Yılmaz

Former Officers
Cüneyt Gözü, Treasurer (2006-2008)
Ümit Boz, Public Relations Officer (2006-2008)
Arzu Ayşin Tekindor, Secretary (2006-2007)

Call for Turksa Service
Turkish Student Association always welcomes people who want to serve the organization. Interested persons can serve either as an officer or a volunteer.

Elections for officer positions are held as long as there are multiple candidates for a position at the designated nomination dates for each academic year. Anyone interested in running for a position should nominate themselves or another person by contacting us between June 1st and August 1st of every year. Elections are organized and monitored by the President, if s/he is not running for a position. In the other case, President appoints an independent person for the electoral process.

We value and appreciate contributions of our volunteers. Volunteers can contact us at any time of the year to serve in various capacities.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Handbook of Turkish Language

'Türkçe' in Brief

Turksa makes available an online handbook for Turkish language developed by the National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC) for those people who are interested in learning Turkish. The 34-page handbook contains following sections as well as many useful Web links:

  1. A brief introduction to Turkish language and culture
  2. Studying Turkish - “From one student to another”
  3. Resources for students of Turkish.

NMELRC is funded through US Department of Education and aims to "both increase and improve opportunities for learning the languages of the Middle East."

The handbook is available for download from Turksa Web site.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Fall 2008 Events

Turkish Movie Night - 12
Saturday, November 22, 2008, 8:00pm in Campus Center Terrace Lounge
Karpuz Kabuğundan Gemiler Yapmak “Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds”
It is the story of two adolescents who live in a small village, work in temporary summer jobs in a small town near their village, and have a passion for cinema. One of the boys works in a barber shop, the other sells watermelons. Whenever they find time, they work on their old little machine to show motion pictures from disposed films they collect from the local movie-theater. (IMDB). Refreshments will be served.

Turkish Movie Night - 11
Saturday, October 25, 2008, 8:00pm in Campus Center Terrace Lounge
Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali “The Last Ottoman: Yandım Ali”
After the World War I, allies occupied Istanbul. Our main character (Yandım Ali) is discharged from the navy and he doesn't believe that the country can be saved until he meets Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk), who wants to start a resistance against the occupiers (IMDB). Refreshments will be served.

Ramazan with Rumi
Thursday, October 2, 2008, 8:00–9:30pm in Campus Center Assembly Hall
Celebration of Ramazan Bayramı with a guest speaker from Harvard to talk on Rumi and Sufi performers to read Rumi poetry with nay music. Coffee and Turkish desserts will be served.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Turkish Info for Newcomers

Ev Arkadasi Bulmak Icin
Cuneyt Gozu - July 7, 2008

Roommate bulmak konusunda ise bizim Turk Ogrenci Dernegi gibi Graduate Student Organization catisi altinda kurulan ogrenci derneklerine (Public Affairs Students Association, Educational Psychology & Methodology RGSO, Chinese , Korean, Muslim vs.) roommate aradiginiza dair ilan verebilirsiniz. Mevcut kuluplere su linklerden erisebilirsiniz. http://www.albany.edu/~gso/RGSO.htm#CSSA http://www.albanyinternationaleducation.com/iss/node.php?nodeid=96

Gorusmek uzere, her sey gonlunuzce olsun.
Cuneyt



SUNY ogrencileri icin Albany'de ev tutma bilgileri :)
Bahadir Akcam - May 19, 2005

Ev tutulabilecek yerler konusunda tarife baslamadan genel bir downtown albany bakisi yapalim:) 3-4 tane avenue paralel olarak downtown dan updown campus e dogru uzaniyor. Bunlarin en yukarisinda ki Central, ortadakiler Washington and Western, bir de Madison var ki bu Western Avenue ile birlesiyor. Birlestikleri yeri kuzey-guney istikametiden kesen sokak'in adi Allen. Guney de kalan sokak south allen, kuzeyde kalan north allen.

Downtown campus Washington ve Western Avenue larin kesistigi yerde yahoo map'de "state teacher's college" diye gosteriliyor. Updown campus buraya gore bati da kaliyor ve o da Washington ve Western Avenue'lar arasinda.

Ev tutma konusunda yurtta kalmadigim icin bir karsilastirma yapamayacagim, ancak disarida ev tutmanin daha ucuz oldugu bir gercek. Ev tutmak icin Washington ve Western Avenue arasindaki sokaklara bakabilirsiniz. Hem Washington hem de Western uzerinden okula ucretsiz otobus ve servis gidiyor. Arabaniz olmayacaksa kesinlikle bu sokaklarda ev tutamanizi oneririm. Buradaki otobus sistemi TR'dekine hic benzemiyor. Ozellikle kisin otobus duraklarina yakin ev tutmadiginiz icin cok uzulebilirsiniz.

Eger dersleriniz updown campus te ise North Allen'dan Updown campuse kadar olan sokaklar, downtown campuste ise North Allen'dan downtown campuse kadar olan sokaklarda ev tutmaya bakmalisiniz. Benim her iki kampuste de dersim oldugu ve arabam olmadigi icin north allen uzerinde yasamaktan mutlu olmustum:))

Simdi ev tutmanin iyi olmayacagi yerleri tarif ediyorum. Washington Avenue'nun kuzeyinde kalan yerler, manning blvd'in dogusunda ise kotu, batisinda ise iyidir. Ancak hic bir zaman central avenue'ya yaklasmamalisiniz. Clinton Avenue diye bir yer duyarsaniz tam ters istikamate dogru kacin:) Clinton avenue uzerinde bir ev bakmistim, hikayesini baska zaman anlatirim:)) Washington ile western arasinda olsa bile bence Main avenue'nun batisinda kalan yerler tercih edilmelidir. Dogusu da tehlikeli bolge statusune girebilir.

Eger derslerinizin hepsi bir kampuste ise o kampuse en yakin, hatta mumkunse yurume mesafesindeki evleri tercih etmelisiniz. Ama downtown kampus icin daha once soyledigim washington avenue'nun kuzeyi tehlikeli bolge kurali gecerlidir. Ayrica downtown campusun batisindan Main Avenue a kadar olan yerler de pek uygun degil. Downtown campus icin hemen washington park kenarinda eski (yada tarihi diyelim) ancak sirin evler ve apartmanlar bulunmaktadir. Bunun disinda hemen downtown campus'un guneyinde Lake Avenue uzerinde de ilginc yerler var. Updown campus icin ise; hemen updown campus'un batisinda ve guney batisinda washington ve western avenue'lar arasinda kalan sokaklari goreceksiniz. Bence cok guzel yerler ancak cok az ev bulunmakta buralarda. Sahsen ucu ucuna orada bir oda tutma olayini kacirdim. Isin kotu yani buralarda oturdugunuzda kisin (yaklasik 5 ay) yuruyerek okula gidip geleceksiniz. Ozellikle karlarin yagdigi zamanlarda bu durum sizi uzebilir. Okul zamani 1-2 ay suresince bisiklet ile yolculuk yapabilirsiniz. Ancak benim gibi washington avenue uzerinde pedal cevirmeye calisirsaniz, trafigi iyi takip edin, heyecanli olabilir bazen:))

Arabaniz yoksa oturdugunuz yere yurume mesafesinde market (genelde price chopper yada hannaford) onemlidir. Yukaridaki tarifim albany'de oturup arabasi olmayacaklar icin daha cok gecerlidir. Arabaniz varsa alternatifleriniz cogaliyor, hayat kolaylasiyor.

Ev kiralarken dikkat edilecek hususlar:- Location (yukarida bahsettik:)- Kiraya dahil diger masraflar (utility: isitma, sicaksu, elektrik...) . Bence en cok dikkat etmeniz gereken hususlardan biri de isitmanin kiraya dahil oldugu yerleri bulmak. Eger isitma iyiyse kisin bu kararinizdan cok memnun olacaksiniz. - Roommate (bu sans isi, az kalsin nijeryalilarla roommate oluyordum, yabancilarla kalmak cok istedim ama sonunda bir turk arkadasla paylastim evi. Cok da iyi oldu. Ama her ikimizinde "keske soyle eli yuzu duzgun bir amerikali bulsaydik da hem ingilizcemizde daha guzel gelisseydi" dedik) Eli yuzu duzgun derken yanlis anlasilmasin iyi huylu demek istedim:))- Arabaniz varsa park yerinin olmasi onemli, yol uzerine park etmek kisin sorun, ayrica belli gunlerde temizlik nedeniyle park yasak, zahmetli is anlayacaginiz. - Lease yaparken yanlizca okul donemi icin (9 aylik) yapmaya calisin. Yazin TR'e donmek isterseniz bosu bosuna 3 ay kira odememis yada yaz icin sublease yapmamis olursunuz.
Universite'nin web sayfasi uzerinden roommate bulabilirsiniz. Ayrica hali hazirda ev kiralamis ve yanlizca bir odasini kiralamaya calisanlarin ilanlari da var.
http://www.albany. edu/housing/ living/rl_ offcampushousing .html

Simdilik aklima gelenler bunlar, kolay gelsin,

Bahadir

Bahadir K. AKCAM
Information Science PhD Student/
Graduate Assistant
University at Albany, SUNY

Friday, June 20, 2008

EURO 2008

After the dramatic win against Crotia in the quarter-final match today in Vienna, Turkey ascends to be one of the top four European national football teams. Turkish Student Association invites you once more to come and join Turkish students to watch and cheer the semi-final match between Turkey and Germany for the EURO 2008 Football Championship.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
2:30 – 4:00pm
Campus Center First Floor
(GSO Office Level)
UAlbany Uptown Campus

Friday, May 9, 2008

Turksa Gives Back

"Gifts in Kind" to Libraries

Turkish Student Association donated 8 items to the University at Albany Libraries in order to enhance resources for the campus community to learn about Turkey and the Turkish culture.

In his meeting with Dr. Mary Casserly, Assistant Director for Collections and User Services, on May 9, 2008, Turksa treasurer Cüneyt Gözü handed over 2 illusrated books and DVDs of 6 Turkish movies to be catalouged for circulation. Turksa purchased the DVDs through RGSO funds and the books were donated by Zeynep Özkan from The College of Saint Rose.

To learn more about gifts in kind and to donate to the University Libraries, please visit their Web site.

List of Donated Items

1- İstanbul [Book] by İlhan Akşit (1981)
2- Marketplaces… Bazaars… [Book] by Eczacıbaşı (2005)
3- İklimler “Climates” [DVD] Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (2006)
4- Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? “Who Killed the Shadows?” [DVD] Directed by Ezel Akay (2006)
5- Dondurmam Gaymak “Ice Cream, I Scream” [DVD] Directed by Yüksel Aksu (2006)
6- Selvi Boylum, Al Yazmalım “The Girl with the Red Scarf” [DVD] Directed by Atıf Yılmaz (1977)
7- Hokkabaz “The Trickster” [DVD] Directed by Ali Taner Baltacı & Cem Yılmaz (2006)
8- Babam ve Oğlum “My Father and My Son” [DVD] Directed by Çağan Irmak (2005)

Sunday, May 4, 2008

GSO Awards Turksa

Graduate Student Organization (GSO) of the University at Albany awarded Turkish Student Association with the

2008 GSO Most Culturally Enriching RGSO Award

for "organizing various multi-cultural events with engaging in alternative ways of fundraising, collaborating with various GSO committees and university offices to improve programming capacity and quality, and utilizing creative ways of outreach and advertising."

Turksa vice president Çağrı Özköse-Bıyık received the award from Dr. Ray Bromley, Director of the Office of International Education, at the GSO End-of-Year Gala and Award Ceremony held at a cruise on Hudson River on Sunday afternoon of May 4th, 2008. After receiving the award on the behalf of Turksa, Çağrı sang an Azeri-Turkish song for the event attendees.

Turksa thanks GSO and the award committee for their decision and looks forward to organizing more activities to contribute to UAlbany community.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Board Materials Available

Turkey on Your Board

In the observation of the celebration of May as the "Turkish Month" in US by some cultural organizations, Turkish Student Association composed a set of promotional materials for cultural boards to advertise Turkey and the Turkish culture.

Materials include information about location of Turkey, quick facts about Turkey, celebration of May as the Turkish month in US, Turkish history timeline, examples from Turkish cuisine, places to visit in Turkey, cultural figures, Turkish holidays, and some trivia information.

Although the initial motivation was specifically for the month of May, board materials can be displayed any time of the year with the exclusion of "Why May" document. All of the materials were retrieved from the specified Internet resources and available free of charge.

If you would like to use our visuals in your school or workplace boards designated for cultural purposes, you can download the materials to print from our Web site.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Turkish National Day Reception

88th National Sovereignty and Children's Day of Turkey

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Patroon Room, Campus Center
Uptown Campus, University at Albany
1400 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12222

Event Program
6:00 – 6:15 Welcome and initial remarks
6:15 – 6:50 Dinner
6:50 – 7:00 Speaker introductions

7:00 – 7:15
Prof. Ümit Cizre
Levin Distinguished Scholar in Turkish Affairs at State University of New York, Binghamton
& Professor of Politics in Department of Political Science, Bilkent University, Ankara
“Perspectives on Turkey's Achievements and Challenges of Political Maturity”

7:15 – 7:30
Dr. Ş. İlgü Özler
Assistant Professor in Department of Political Science, State University of New York, New Paltz
“Turkey’s Role and Importance in the Region and the World”

7:30 – 7:40
Ambassador Robert R. Gosende
Associate Vice Chancellor for International Programs in Office of International Programs, State University of New York System Administration
“YÖK-SUNY Relations as a Proxy to Turkey-US Relations”

7:40 – 7:55 Turkish folk music performance
7:55 – 8:00 Closure and thanks