WATERLOO — A Wilfrid Laurier University student who is featured in a new Laurier promotional video has attacked a plan that could see programs cut.

"I've been an advocate for Laurier for a long time now," fourth-year student Connor Young told the university's board of governors meeting on Thursday. "If this document passes in its current form, I will not in good conscience be able to promote this university any longer."

Young was referring to recommendations in a report drawn up following an 18-month academic and administrative program review, called integrated planning and resource management.

The board of governors approved the report following impassioned pleas by Young and other students and faculty members.

The report could affect 18 academic programs or courses, everything from anthropology to cultural studies. The Robert Langen Art Gallery could be shut and operating funding for the Wilfrid Laurier University Press could be withdrawn.

The board's approval does not seal any program's fate. A future process will determine which academic programs and administrative programs will be cut.

More than 100 people showed up at the board meeting. About a dozen people lined up to give their opinion to the board.

After speaking for a few minutes in defence of her program, Natasha Pravaz, associate professor of anthropology, was asked by board chair Jamie Martin to make her point. Soon after Pravaz started speaking again, Martin asked her to sit down.

That drew howls of protest from the audience and prompted board member Peter Eglin to get involved.

"This will not stand!" an angry Eglin told Martin.

"Peter, please," Martin responded.

"No, I will not be quiet, Jamie," Eglin said. "You will not stop people from talking. This is a university, Jamie."

Pravaz continued speaking. When she finished, she got a round of applause from the audience. Martin asked people not to clap at the board meeting.

Young — who said the video he's featured in on the university's website encourages student to attend Laurier — criticized the students' union for not informing students about the review process and accused the board of governors of being inaccessible.

He said students could not reach board members to discuss the program review.

"Our emails were blocked … and we later found out that your Laurier emails are not public," Young said. "We draw huge issue with this, the fact that we are not able to personally contact our own board of governors about issues that directly affect us.

"We are tired of hearing people tell us that you have a say when in fact we do not. We have been silenced, ignored or kept in the dark throughout every step of this process."

Stephen Preece, a faculty member and chair of Laurier's art committee, defended the Robert Langen Art Gallery, which he said costs Laurier $22,000 a year.

Laurier's art holdings include 2,500 works, including a piece by famed sculptor and artist Henry Moore. The total value of the collection is $2.1 million. The plan is to keep the curator and safely store the art.

"We have a treasure in this art gallery that's taken decades to build the reputation," Preece said. "It's got a stellar reputation.

"For us to shut down the gallery, it not only reduces our ability to expose our students to culture and creativity, it would also burn bridges with other universities with art galleries, it would burn bridges with our arts community and it would simply shrivel our artistic reputation at the university."

He said Laurier would never consider shutting athletic facilities or the concert hall.

"Let's not lose our art gallery."

Garry Potter, associate professor in the sociology department and a Laurier senator, said the university is flush with cash.

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"We have more money now than we've ever had," he told the board.

Potter asked governors to look at Laurier's finances before making "harmful, hurtful" cuts.

He said the hiring of senior administrators has outpaced the increase in the number of students.

"I believe our institution is in trouble," Potter said. "We're being taken into a new Dark Ages."

Anthropology, which could get axed, is "intrinsic" to what a university should be, he said.

Laurier officials have previously said they are tight for cash and looking to cut $10 million for the next fiscal year, although the program review was not launched to find places to trim.

The review prioritized all of Laurier's academic and administrative programs. About 21 per cent of academic areas are earmarked for more resources, while 17 per cent could get less.

The program review was not designed to allocate the university's resources into areas that are the most profitable, Laurier said in a statement. The purpose of the review was to "identify the key principles and priorities that are essential to Laurier's future, then put resources toward those priorities."

Prior to the start of the board meeting, about 40 students staged a silent protest, organized by Laurier Student Voices.

"Students are people, not products!" read one placard held by a protester.

At the start of the meeting, Martin told the crowd there are "strong feelings" about the program review.

"This is a very important topic to the university," he said. "We want to have a good conversation about this."

The report recommendations were earlier approved by Laurier's senate.

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