The battle over cuts at Youngstown State University continued Thursday.

Several grassroots community organizations and concerned groups of YSU students gathered near the Kilcawley Center to demand the stop of what they call "needless and harmless cuts" to academic departments.

The release says the cuts are being done as a "proactive cost-saving measure" despite multiple public admissions that the university is fiscally sound at the moment.

YSU-OEA, the faculty union at YSU, has joined the groups to host the rally.

"Administration needs to know that the YSU community is not on board with cutting academics, sunsetting programs, and retrenching faculty, especially when administration refuses to audit or institute cost savings within any of the university's non-academic units," YSU OEA President Susan Clutter said.

According to the release, YSU has threatened cuts to 26 academic programs including the Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies, the Center for Islamic Studies and the NEOMFA program.