ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) - The St. Louis University Faculty Senate today voted overwhelmingly in favor of a vote of No Confidence in SLU President Fr. Lawrence Biondi.

The vote was 51 for, 4 against, and 2 abstaining.

This is a largely symbolic measure; it doesn’t remove Biondi, but  it  does send a message to the Board of Trustees, who could fire him.

While debating the vote, many faculty members expressed worry over what would happen if they voted “No Confidence.” Political Science Professor Tim Lomparis says that’s part of the problem.

“I think the problem is there’s just a…a cloud of fear,” he said.

Many faculty members worried that this isn’t the right time for a vote, or that the Board of Trustees wouldn’t care.

But most members say they were outraged with Biondi’s leadership when they watched their US News and World Report ranking drop from 77 to 92nd among Universities in the past decade. There have also been disagreements over tenure and hiring.

After casting the vote, the Senate also voted to invite the Board of Trustees to all future meetings to decide what should be done next.