YSU students Leah Franke of Boardman, left, Jamie Beasley of Hubbard, center, and Lindsay DeLullo of Poland protest the changes coming to YSU, along with others outside Tod Hall late Wednesday afternoon.

YOUNGSTOWN — As many as 100 students and alumni gathered Wednesday in front of Tod Hall on the campus of Youngstown State University to protest cutting programs and laying off faculty in various programs, including the highly regarded Dana School of Music.

The university recently announced plans to eliminate some programs that it says are not economically sustainable. On Wednesday, the faculty senate held a meeting during which acting Provost Jennifer Pintar presented plans to cut the Dana School of Music bachelor’s degree programs in composition and music, and the master’s level programs in composition and jazz studies.

If the cuts are finalized, the university said as many as 13 faculty could lose their jobs. It also said it will offer a voluntary separation package for affected instructors.

“The effects of losses in these programs will be felt well beyond the walls of YSU,” YSU-OEA Faculty Union President Mark Vopat said Wednesday in a news release. “There may be needed revisions in some of these programs, but cutting faculty before those changes are made and we have accurate data on our staffing needs is premature at this time.”

Music and arts students and some alumni gathered outside Tod Hall with signs, bullhorns and some with their musical instruments. They loudly castigated Pintar, university trustees, Gray Associates — the analytics firm that provided enrollment and employment data about the majors, upon which the university based its decisions — and newly hired president and former U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson.

“No more secrets! No more lies! No more silence money buys!” the crowd began. They soon followed with “Y-S-U, Shame on you!” Later in the protest, they adapted a fight song beloved among Ohio State Buckeyes fans: “We don’t give a damn about the trustees of YSU … and for Johnson too.”

Rachel Gardner, a Dana graduate student, said the protests are here to stay and Wednesday’s event was just to prove they have a voice.

“They think we’re just a small school, but we’re not that small. We have a voice and we want them to listen,” she said. “They don’t seem to realize that if you cut one of these programs, it starts to chip away at all of them.”

“They already got rid of Music Theory 4. Mine is the last class for that course,” said Nicholas Komara, a junior music education major. “If they cut these classes, they’re cutting part of my major.”

Komara, a saxophone player, said another musician could not instruct him in classical saxophone, and many faculty teach specialized courses that every student in the school needs.

“They see only a number, a dollar sign. What they don’t understand is the specialty. Every single music major needs to work with all of these professors,” he said.

Alumnus Caitlin Hedge said she does not believe administrators understand the value of the programs or the school.

“We’re very disappointed with the administration cutting these essential programs,” she said. “They’ve already gutted some of it, and the more they keep gutting the school, the less likely that it will last.”

Hedge said the decisions show an ignorance on the YSU’s part about exactly how far-reaching an impact the Dana School has.

“Our alumni are globally successful,” she said.

As the protest began, students announced that the Ohio Education Association — the statewide union for the state’s teachers and collegiate faculty — had provided a link to the livestream of the faculty senate meeting. Students all logged on and viewed and commented on the meeting in real time. About 250 people were watching it at one point.

Students also spread information about the petition they have circulated, which has more than 20,000 signatures as of Wednesday. The petition calls for the trustees and the incoming president to disregard the administration’s recommended cuts. It also alleges that administrators have based the cuts on information provided by Gray Associates that has been proven flawed or inaccurate and that administrators knew this and proceeded with the cuts anyway.

Protesters said the petition at save-dana.com has been blocked by the university’s web administrators so it cannot be accessed using the university’s WiFi.

Regarding the protest, university spokeswoman Becky Rose said: “Students are at the center of everything we do, and their voices are essential in shaping the direction of our institution. We understand the passion and commitment that students have for their education and the programs that have been affected.”