Student-athletes and coaches at Sonoma State University are preparing to take legal action against the university following its announcement that it will eliminate all NCAA Division II sports programs and cut several academic offerings for the upcoming school year.

Save Seawolves Athletics, a group that's protesting the elimination of athletics at Sonoma State University, has filed a formal civil rights complaint over the decision.

Sonoma State University announced Wednesday that its intercollegiate athletics programs are being discontinued, several academic departments and majors are being eliminated and dozens of faculty members are being laid off to address a budget deficit of nearly $24 million.

Coaches and athletes outlined plans Friday to reverse the university’s decision to cut athletic programs to help balance its budget.

Facing a $23.9 million deficit, Sonoma State University will enact large budget cuts, including laying off faculty and eliminating its intercollegiate athletics program.

The complaint calls for an investigation into the proposed cuts that have “unfairly targeted a student body that is notably diverse, creating a disparate impact on students from underrepresented communities.

A grassroots organization seeking to save Sonoma State University’s athletics department says it has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, calling for an investigation into the university’s decision to cut the entire department.