YOUNGSTOWN — Many people remain angry at the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees’ recent decision to hire U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson as the next university president, as well as what they contend was the secretive and undemocratic process used in the selection.

Some of those people are converting their feelings to action.

“It’s a very sad decision on my part. I feel sad that my plan of giving scholarships is not going to happen now,” Jane Reid of Las Vegas said Tuesday.

About three years ago, Reid, who attended YSU from 1969 to 1973 and majored in advertising and public relations, made plans to give her estate to the university and fund two scholarships — one each in her name and that of her late husband for students interested in marketing.

On Nov. 22 — after having learned of Johnson’s hiring — she sent an email to the YSU Foundation to inquire about “how to negate this decision I made.” After contacting her, the foundation said “with regret” it would place the correspondence in a file, she explained.

As a result, Reid is trying to work out certain details that will allow her instead to donate to an animal organization in the Las Vegas area, she said.

Reid, who also worked in YSU’s marketing department, took issue with Johnson, R-Marietta, being named YSU president and the methods used to hire him for the university’s top post.

“You need to have all of the stakeholders of the university involved in meeting with the client,” Reid said, adding that she feels Johnson is unqualified for the position. “They didn’t follow the right process.”

Also determined to withdraw monetary and other support from YSU because of the hiring is Tina Costarella, a biology major who graduated from YSU in 1987 before earning a doctorate degree in zoology from the University of Hawaii and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine degree from The Ohio State University.

Costarella, who lives near Steubenville, said she and her husband, Adam Costarella, who was an emergency room physician, donated money annually to the university, and that they had planned to include YSU in their will. This year, however, they intend to withdraw such donations and are confident they will change their will, explained Tina Costarella, who also was an adjunct faculty member.

“We’re not giving a penny this year. It’s deeply troubling that there was no democracy, no input, no vetting of the candidate,” she said.

Costarella, who worked as a veterinarian and practices veterinary medicine, blasted what she felt was the nontransparent process the trustees used when they voted 8-1 in an emergency meeting Nov. 16 to hire Johnson. Trustee Molly Seals cast the lone “no” vote.

“It just blew my mind,” Costarella said, adding, “It was just thrust on the community.”

By contrast, the decision to hire Jim Tressel as YSU president was “a very, very open situation” for stakeholders, who knew well ahead of time that he was being considered for the post, as well as the names and qualifications of the other candidates at the time, she continued.

Tressel retired in February after having served nine years at the position. Since then, Helen K. Lafferty has been interim president.

“We’ve been seeing for the last few days that closed doors means closed wallets,” said Madeline Grimes of Pittsburgh, who graduated from YSU in December 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing management and arts administration.

Grimes added that she cherishes deep connections she has with the university, where she met her husband and several close friends. Other connections include having organized a concert at Stambaugh Auditorium to honor the late Stephen L. Gage, YSU’s longtime director of bands and orchestra, which drew about 2,200 people, as well as a lot of voluntary engagement as an alumni member and as a liaison to connect students with resources for careers and technology. In addition, she initiated a clothing drive for the YSU student pantry and reached out to the alumni office to be connected with mentorship opportunities and help students be prepared for careers after college.

Grimes also recalled having been in the first class of the university’s Presidential Mentorship Program, where she and the others met monthly with Tressel to, in part, work toward improving leadership opportunities and overall campus life.

This year, however, she intends to withhold monetary donations to the foundation, have her name, image and achievements removed from marketing materials and withhold participation in alumni volunteer opportunities, including mentorship and career-development efforts, Grimes explained. She stressed that all of these are painful decisions for her.

Grimes also was among five university alums who signed their names to a letter to the YSU community that details other actions alumni members plan to take, such as ending or changing their minds about creating university scholarships in their name or that of loved ones and canceling speaking engagements at YSU.

In a letter he wrote Monday to the YSU Foundation, Mike Braun, a 1977 graduate who also edited The Jambar newspaper and was a member of the Academic Senate, stated his intention to withdraw from active status as co-organizer of a new YSU alumni chapter in Naples, Florida. He also followed in Grimes’ footsteps, via expressing a wish to have his name and accomplishments removed from university marketing and recruiting materials.

“It pains me to no end to have to withdraw due to the recent selection of a new and highly unqualified YSU president and the process involved in that selection. … All of this will remain in place until the university reverses its decision, and I will be more than happy to and willing to return if and when the university board of trustees comes to its senses,” his letter also states.

The YSU Foundation issued a statement Tuesday expressing concerns related to the search saying it “would have preferred a more inclusive process that represented the university’s students, faculty and staff, along with its donor base, supporters and alumni.”

The foundation also is concerned about the presidential search and the possible effects on its mission as a support organization for student scholarships and other educational endeavors, according to the statement.

Also Tuesday, the president of the board of trustees sent an email to the campus community that outlined its view regarding the presidential search. The first step was to find a leader who it felt could “build upon the successes of President Tressel,” which included leadership, expanding regional recognition, fundraising and building relationships with students.

During the process, YSU community input was sought, with more than 600 stakeholders responding, then WittKiefer, a national search firm, was enlisted and advised the university to conduct a confidential — not a secret or closed — search to attract the most qualified candidates, according to the email.

Also, higher education institutions often use such search processes, and in the case of YSU, the approach was shared with the campus community. Specifically, the university launched a presidential search website in August and sent an email to the campus community “outlining the process and next steps, including our intentions to ensure the confidentiality of this search,” Tuesday’s email states.

Nevertheless, Grimes said she still can’t understand why the board of trustees feels Johnson should be selected as a best candidate. In addition, she worries that some minority and underserved students likely will feel unsafe on campus because of what she sees as Johnson’s extreme political views, Grimes added.