All the students in the Department of Theatre and Dance received notice of an emergency 1 p.m. meeting on Thursday at Wadleigh Theatre.

Knowing that the university’s budget was expected to be announced today, the students braced for possible cuts of various positions within the department.

Theatre instructor Ray Pritchard’s first words struck like a death blow.

“The College of Liberal Arts has completely cut the theatre and dance (department),” he said.

The department is not going down quietly.

“At the budget rally they said we had no reason to be concerned,” said Katy Nuttman, a junior theatre arts and English major. “This is a reason to be concerned.” More than 100 students, faculty and staff returned to the theater at 5 p.m., when the leaders of STAGE, the WSU student theatre group, made plans to protest the elimination of their department.

Nuttman said theatre and dance majors – as well as other supporters of the group’s cause – planned to camp out on Glenn Terrell Mall as soon as possible.

The group aims to educate people on the issue and create letters to be sent to the administration, she said.

STAGE President Starr Peters, a senior theatre arts major, said the group will explore all opportunities, which includes looking into the rest of the budget to try and understand the decision and to examine what departments at other state universities are doing.

“I would like the budget committee to rethink it and see this was the easy solution, but not the best solution,” she said.

Dance instructor Crystal Fullmer, who received a faculty position in August, said the department knew some cuts were coming. The classes she teaches are not required for any major or minor.

“I personally assumed my position would be affected, but I had no inkling it would be the entire department,” she said.

Fullmer said there was no definite timeline, and the status of students certified as majors and minors was uncertain.

“They said there were going to phase out the department, but they would not be specific,” she said. “A year or two years.” The dance program affects students from all over the university, Fullmer said, as WSU does not offer dance as a major.

Jamie Ellis, a junior biology major, was preparing for Thursday night’s WSU Dance: In Concert performance when she heard the news.

“It was ultimate shock,” she said. “We worked so hard last summer to keep this program and to emphasize the importance of the arts.” Senior theatre arts major Ryan Dittmer said the removal of the department would affect more than just the department’s major. He highlighted the department’s cross-over classes, including the department’s playwriting and visual communication classes.

Bailey Nelson, a junior communication major and theatre arts minor, said the program has been special to its majors because of the variety of skills it provides, and how it prepares theatre arts majors for future aspirations.

“It’s embarrassing for a school this size to not have a theatre major,” she said. “We should stress a well-rounded education.” Reporter Dan Herman contributed to this article.