The University of Massachusetts’ Faculty Senate vote to voice its disapproval of the football program’s recent move to the Football Bowl Subdivision fell short by one vote during its meeting on Thursday.

With 38 voting members present, the vote to call for a reconsidering of the move to the FBS was rejected by a vote of 19-18, with one abstaining member.

Prior to the poll, UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy declared that the school’s administration would not reverse its decision, regardless of the result of the vote, according to a report on Masslive.com.

The call to vote on the issue was brought up in a meeting in December, during which a number of Senate members voiced negative opinions on the administration’s decision to move to the top level of college football.

According to an interim report presented by an ad hoc committee charged with assessing the program’s finances at a meeting in December, the University spent $8.22 million on the football program in 2012, an immense leap from the $3.16 million spent in 2010 when the team was still a member of the lower-level Football Championship Subdivision.

In its inaugural FBS season, the team finished with a 1-11 record and was dead last in average points per game (12.7) out of the 124 participating teams, while finishing 121st in points allowed per game (40.2).

McGuirk Alumni Stadium is scheduled to begin a $34.5 million renovation project in March, which will meet the contract requirements the University agreed to with the Mid-American Conference in March of 2011.

Taylor Snow can be reached at [email protected]