The Faculty Senate met Wednesday afternoon for its first meeting of the fall semester.Topics of discussion that concern students included Gustav cleanup and Moodle technical problems. Chancellor Michael Martin spoke amid the familiar sounds of Student Union renovations. He praised the timely hurricane cleanup and laid out plans for the Flagship Agenda and building a better University. Martin commended faculty, staff and students for the “very impressive response” to Hurricane Gustav. The resilience of the University allowed classes to resume Sept. 8.”We cannot allow [the University] to lapse … What we do is so important,” Martin said. “If a coffee shop can reopen, so can we.”A Faculty Senate Resolution titled “Commendation of the Emergency Operations Center” illustrated the appreciation of the EOC. The resolution recognized and congratulated its members for their “coordination, compassion, communication and overall competence that was exemplary for all emergency personnel…” Martin also briefed members on his plans for the Flagship Agenda. He said there is a need to revise and re-energize the plan and emphasized the need to attract donors to the University. He said increasing donations will raise the rate of return for University progress.”People with money are willing to bet on a winner,” Martin said.  His comments also focused on future faculty members, which are a vital component to a successful university.A firm and hard commitment is needed to recruit and retain commendable young faculty members to replace the baby boomer generation of professors, he said.Brian Voss, vice chancellor and chief information officer, updated the Senate on plans for Moodle. The course management system, which is not run from campus, had problems during the first week of the semester. The issues were related to system overloads and coding issues. He said developers are working out the kinks and helping faculty transition to the new program.”We are very disappointed that we had these problems, but it is a good program,” Voss said. Faculty and students are still adjusting to Moodle. Edward Song, assistant professor of philosophy and senate member, opted for a “more streamlined design” to make the site easier to navigate.Voss reminded faculty that Information Technology help desks around campus are ready and willing to assist students and faculty with any problems they may encounter.  He also told faculty members to      report any technical issues so they can be resolved in a timely manner.The next Faculty Senate meeting will take place Oct. 7. – – – -Contact Erica Warren at [email protected]