Campus public safety officials will be armed with Tasers if the Board of Regents approves a recommendation from ISU President Gregory Geoffroy.

“My final recommendation is based on a belief that allowing Iowa State public safety officers to carry Tasers will significantly enhance the safety of everyone on the Iowa State campus – especially our students,” Geoffroy said in a statement.

If the recommendation is approved by the regents, ISU public safety officers could begin carrying them sometime next semester after undergoing training, according to a Dec. 12 news release on the ISU Web site, www.iastate.edu.

Geoffroy announced his decision at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting after speaking with individuals and student groups.

Undergraduate students were strongly in favor of the Tasers and graduate students were mostly in favor, Geoffroy said.

The Government of the Student Body voted 30-2 in favor of Geoffroy’s proposal. GSB Vice President Charlie Johnson said Geoffroy’s recommendation is “definitely a step in the right direction.”

“We feel that really expresses the sentiments of the students that DPS officers are not as equipped as they should be,” he said.

The Faculty Senate informally voted against the Taser proposal in November.

However, Geoffroy said individuals were mostly supportive of making the recommendation, though not all feedback was positive.

The University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa also are considering the use of Tasers, Geoffroy said.

The Faculty Senate also voted to back Geoffroy’s recommendation to the regents to change the name of DPS’s “Law Enforcement Division” to “Police Division.”

There has been confusion in names between the ISU Department of Public Safety and the State of Iowa Department of Public Safety, said DPS Interim Director Jerry Stewart.

Officials hope the name change would make the role of law enforcement in DPS more clear, he said.

“Changing the name to police makes it very clear to parents, students and visitors,” Stewart said.