2.3.2 Students and staff hunger interventions
INTERVENTION ON STUDENT AND STAFF HUNGER (2024)
Introduction and Objectives
Boğaziçi University aims to achieve zero hunger among students and staff. In line with this goal, various interventions are provided to help students and staff tackle hunger. These interventions aim to eliminate food insecurity and ensure that everyone has access to healthy, nutritious food.
Intervention Strategies and Practices
1. Free and Affordable Food Options: At Boğaziçi University campuses, three meals are available at affordable prices (some of which are paid by the university). In addition, these menus are published on the website and applications.
2. Food Scholarships: Each year, an average of 1,000 students are awarded 3 meals a day scholarships based on achievement and need. Thanks to these scholarships, students have the right to benefit from the menus in the cafeterias free of charge with their student cards. For 2024, a budget of 5,593,600.00 TL has been allocated for these scholarships.
3. Consumption Co-operative (BÜKOOP): Boğaziçi Mensupları Tüketim Kooperatifi (BÜKOOP) is a consumption cooperative that aims to deliver healthy and fair food at affordable prices from small producers to consumers without intermediaries. BÜKOOP, which is not-for-profit and organised by volunteer labour, is open on campus on certain days and hours of the week, making it easier for students and staff to access healthy food. Our sales area, which we call Baraka, is open every weekday between 13:00-13:30 and 17:00-17:30 thanks to our volunteer guards. On the first Saturday of every month, BÜKOOP Baraka is open between 11:30-14:30 during our Long Saturday event.BÜKOOP Baraka is not only an area where products are sold and stored, but also a public space where information is shared first-hand between consumers and producers, where questions about products and production processes are asked and answers are sought together.
4. Takeaway Catering and Catering Services: BURC Student Centre started to serve as a study hall as of Tuesday, 23 May 2023 and remains open 24 hours a day during exam periods. Takeaway food service, vending machines and canteen service are available. In addition, tea-coffee, chocolate, bagel and soup are offered to students at certain times of the day (free of charge).
Expected Impacts
These interventions by Boğaziçi University aim to greatly reduce hunger and food insecurity among students and staff. Access to healthy and nutritious food for the university community will be increased through free and affordable food options, food scholarships, consumer co-operative activities and additional support services. These interventions are expected to have a positive impact on the academic and professional success of students and staff in the long term.
Our university will continue to improve the well-being of our community by enabling healthy, fair and accessible food through the work carried out in this context. You can find more information about these interventions and support services on the website of the Directorate of Health, Sports and Culture.
2024 Sustainability Report SDG-2 (Related Section)
Responding to Student and Staff Hunger: Strategies, Practices, and Solutions to Food Insecurity
Boğaziçi University is committed to achieving zero hunger for its staff and students. In this context, various interventions and initiatives aim to reduce hunger and food insecurity among staff and students to a large extent. Regulations on cafeteria fees, food scholarships, free or affordable food options make healthy, fair and accessible food possible for members of the university.
Arrangement of Meal Fees
In order for everyone at the university to have access to affordable, healthy and nutritious food, cafeteria meal fees are calculated according to the monthly earnings of the staff. The meal fee for students is arranged to be approximately half of the lowest staff meal fee.
For detailed information, you can review the 2023 Annual Report of the Department of Health, Culture and Sports:
https://sks.bogazici.edu.tr/sites/sks.boun.edu.tr_2023/files/sks_2023_faaliyet_raporu.pdf
Food Scholarships
Each year, approximately 1,000 students are awarded food scholarships based on their achievements or needs. Thanks to the food scholarship, students have the right to eat three meals a day free of charge in cafeterias by using their student cards. Accordingly, a budget of TL 2,700,000 was allocated for food scholarships in 2023, and 1078 students were provided with food scholarships.
BURC Student Centre Treats
BURC Student Centre, which is located on an area of approximately 8 acres on the South Campus and has a closed area of 3,000 square metres, was opened as a study hall on 23 May 2023. This facility, which offers areas suitable for students' study and social activities, remains open 24 hours a day, especially during exam periods. In addition, tea, coffee, chocolate, bagel and soup are offered to all students free of charge at certain hours.
Boğaziçi Members Consumption Cooperative (BÜKOOP)
BÜKOOP is a non-profit co-operative organised entirely by volunteer labour, aiming to deliver healthy and fair food from small producers to consumers without intermediaries and at affordable prices. The sales area called Baraka, located in the North Campus, is open every weekday between 13:00-13:30 and 17:00-17:30 with the support of volunteers. It is also open between 11:30- 14:30 as part of the Long Saturday event, which takes place on the first Saturday of every month. BÜKOOP Baraka serves on campus, facilitating student and staff access to healthy and affordable food.
Find out more information:
Free Drinking Water
In order to provide free drinking water to campus residents, Boğaziçi University has installed drinking water fountains connected to a central treatment system. Located on the South and North Campuses, these hygienic fountains provide clean and potable water. The fountains are strategically located to ensure easy access to water for campus residents. In South Campus, the fountains are located on the edge of the sports field next to the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, on the edge of the Albert Long Hall ATM area, next to the newsstand in the Student Activities Building, and on the edge of the central area leading down to the infirmary. It is aimed to meet the need for drinking water by renewing and increasing the number of dispensers placed in closed areas and buildings. The hygienic drinking water need of the North Campus was met with 5 fountains placed on each floor of New Hall, in front of Aptullah Kuran Library and in the Pyramid area.
Zero hunger
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
