The Board of Regents primarily discussed safety at Iowa schools for the first day of their April meeting Wednesday.

Members of the Regents universities gathered at the Iowa School of the Deaf to discuss changes, collaborations and issues within their campuses. They discussed campus safety and security, student affairs, and terminating and implementing new degree programs.

Iowa State University and their engineers are working with the Iowa School of the Deaf and Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School to upgrade fire panels in their Careers Building.

The engineers are making a new audio alert for the blind students and a visual alert for the deaf students. They are only installing this in their Careers Building as a test before continuing to install this in the rest of the buildings.

Since joining the One Mind campaign, one of Iowa State’s goals in to have 100 percent of their officers trained in first aid and mental health issues. They want their campus police to understand every circumstance that their students may be in.

The Iowa State Police Department has gained international attention through social media and is using that attention to spread safety tips and helping students in the regent universities to remain safe.

Their Donut Disrespect Campaign has spread across the regent universities. They use this program to encourage students to respect everyone on their campuses.

Iowa State’s safe ride program is a program that allows students to get home safely and is available from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The program’s numbers have skyrocketed.

There is a 61 percent increase of students using this program to get to their next location on campus safely and with no questions asked. There were 23,000 riders this school year.

Although Greek houses are not on campus, the safe ride program does take students there.

During the meeting, Iowa State also proposed to terminate the master’s of science in landscape architecture. It is one of two master’s programs offered in landscape architecture. There is no one currently enrolled in this program.

ISU also proposed to start four new degree programs. Doctor of philosophy in population sciences in animal health, master’s of science in real estate development, bachelor of science in actuarial science and bachelor of science in data science.

The doctor of philosophy in population science in animal health would be the first program of its kind in the state of Iowa.

The Board of Regents will continue discussing the universities on Thursday, April 12.