The Rutgers Senate Friday voted no confidence in Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway; the vote was 89 to 47. The Rutgers Senate is a democratically elected group of faculty, staff and students.

During hour-long testimony, many faculty members said Holloway showed contempt for the diverse community across Rutgers campuses, especially that in Newark, which one speaker called the “stepchild” of the university. Speakers also claimed Holloway threatened to have faculty arrested when they went on strike months ago in the first ever strike in the university’s history.

“This is about accountability,” said Heather Pierce who represents adjunct professors. “President Holloway has had many chances to address the issues of shared governance … and has not done so. And, at this point, passing this resolution is a formal statement that we have lost confidence.”

The vote comes after a tumultuous year at the state’s flagship university. The university’s board of governors made the controversial move to merge Rutgers’ medical schools in Newark and New Brunswick. And, recently, Holloway decided not to reappoint the popular Rutgers-Newark chancellor, Nancy Cantor. Friday’s vote is largely symbolic as the University Senate does not have the power to remove a president from office.