As part of the May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth, and Sports Day activities, a conference titled “The First Step of the National Struggle: May 19, 1919,” which delves into the historical background of the national struggle period and significant events of that time, was held at Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU). At the end of the conference, awards were presented to the winning teams of the 2024 Sports Tournaments organized by the HKU Sports Club.
Following a moment of silence for our martyrs and the singing of the National Anthem, the program commenced with the screening of the documentary “May 19,” prepared by TRT, at the HKU Cine Amphi. Attendees included HKU Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Kezban Bayramlar, Dean of Students Dr. Özgür Osman Demir, HKU General Secretary Ümit Şahnaoğlu, faculty members, and students.
In his opening speech, HKU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola stated, “May 19, 1919, is the date when the seeds of our national struggle were first sown by the founder of our Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, marking the first step taken by our nation on the path to independence and freedom. Today, we are proud to be with our young people on this significant day. I believe that the productive youth of HKU will lead in sports, science, art, literature, and all fields, and will carry their vision forward. On this special day that brings us together, I sincerely wish you all a happy May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth, and Sports Day.”
In the conference titled “The First Step of the National Struggle: May 19, 1919,” where Dr. Murat Erkoç, a faculty member of the Elementary Education Department at HKU’s Faculty of Education, participated as a speaker, the significance of May 19, 1919, in the foundation of the Republic of Turkey and the details of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s initiation of the National Struggle by landing in Samsun were shared.
After the conference, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. Kezban Bayramlar, who spoke at the award ceremony of the 2024 Sports Tournaments organized by the HKU Sports Club under her advisement, stated, “It was a multifaceted activity. We thank everyone who supported it, especially our rectorate and the board of trustees. I congratulate all the students who participated in the tournament.
As part of the award ceremony, medals and trophies found their recipients!
In the football tournament, the Health Sciences Faculty Football Team won first place, the ‘Fizyo United’ team from the Health Sciences Faculty secured second place, and the ‘SHK Air’ team from the Vocational School took third place. In the basketball tournament, the ‘İHA Basketball’ team from the Vocational School came in first, the Engineering Faculty basketball team took second, and the Communication Faculty basketball team achieved third place. The volleyball tournament saw the ‘Mashup’ volleyball team from the Engineering Faculty win first place, followed by another volleyball team from the Engineering Faculty in second, and the Education Faculty volleyball team in third. In the Table Tennis Tournament, Enes Cıkcık from the Engineering Faculty took first place, Arş. Gör. Mahmut Ceran from the Communication Faculty came in second, and Esat Efe Karalar, also from the Engineering Faculty, placed third. Overall, the Engineering Faculty, having won awards in all categories, was awarded the 2024 Rector’s Cup.
