KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan University's faculty union members will decide Friday whether they have confidence in Provost Tim Greene.

Faculty members who authorized the vote cited several behaviors, including Greene's decision not to renew College of Arts and Sciences Dean Alex Enyedi's contract. Supporters of Enyedi packed a WMU Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, holding signs that read "Alex Enyedi is CAS" and "I stand with Alex."

Other reasons for authorizing the vote include "concerns about a perceived lack of respect for the faculty and for shared governance, lack of transparency in decision-making, mishandling of gender equity cases, failure to communicate appropriately with the faculty," according to a press release from the WMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

The faculty had directed WMU-AAUP leadership to call the special meeting for discussion and deliberation. The meeting is slated for 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30 in rooms 157-159 of the Bernhard Center.

Though faculty has galvanized in the wake of Greene not renewing Enyedi's contract, faculty at the union's Jan. 23 meeting "emphasized an ongoing pattern of decisions and actions on the part of the provost that extend beyond the College of Arts and Sciences and affect faculty, staff, and students campuswide," the press release stated.

The WMU-AAUP includes WMU's 870 board-appointed faculty.