"Undressing Rooms" No Longer! Now They're "Dressing Rooms", at Gaziantep University's Gym

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Cumhuriyet Newspaper, 16 May 2022) 

             Compared it to landing a man on the moon. 

The rector of Gaziantep University, Prof. Dr. Arif Özaydın, has had the

signs in front of the locker rooms at the Gaünsporium sports center 

changed from "soyunma odası" (undressing room) to "giyinme odası"

(dressing room) after 10 years.  In their places, Özaydın has had signs

for men's and women's "dressing rooms".  (!)

At an event at the university where President Erdoğan's son Bilal 

Erdoğan was the guest speaker, Özaydın displayed the announcement

of the semantic change, which he called a "great implementation", on a 

big TV screen.  (!) 

The students at the event were taken aback by this announcement, 

which was soundly ridiculed on social media. "Santa Cruz University

completed the first gene map of human beings; East Finland University

discovered that tomatoes can be beneficial in preventing strokes.  At

Gaziantep University the locker room signs have been changed from 

'undressing room' to 'dressing room'."

Meanwhile, Hasan Şencan, a CHP (opposition party) chief from the

Şahinbey municipality in Gaziantep noted that "Gaziantep University

has gained fame for contract irregularities and appointing officials

without competition. Now this! Gaziantep Univesity doesn't deserve

this." 

Özaydın is under investigation for plagiarism by the senior Turkish

education authority YÖK and has been criticized for telling theology

students to "engage in trade, you can't pray if you don't have any 

money in your pocket."