In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, many universities have beefed up efforts of safety and prevention on their campuses. Today the Iowa Board of Regents approved a plan to put firearms in the hands of police officers stationed at the state’s public universities, according to The Des Moines Register.

Some board members disagreed, saying guns would not improve safety or help avoid problems stemming from drug and alcohol abuse, which are much more common and in need of attention. The board’s vote was 6 to 2. The new plan, which the University of Iowa’s president said she hoped to carry out in a matter of weeks, will reverse a no-gun policy that has been in place for 40 years. —Anna Weggel