Tonight the Student Union Programming Council will transform the George Sherman Union into a club-like venue and, for the first time in recent years, will sell alcohol to students over 21 years old.

‘7.7.5. The Zone’ will also offer music, dancing and free food, as the first event in a Halloween-themed series of events at Boston University known as ‘Freak Week.’ Programming Council Chair Mike Pereira said their goal is to attract students of all ages.

‘We want to provide a safe environment for BU students to enjoy themselves,’ Pereira said. ‘We want to promote and coordinate events that lead to healthy nightlife activities, and we want to program for all students, whether you are 21 or not.’

Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said the event is one students have wanted the school to support and coordinate for them.

‘This event that we’re offering is one of those things that we hear students say, ‘I want to go out with my friends, and some of them are 21 but some of us aren’t, and we want to go to venues where we can all get in,” Elmore said.

After getting approval from Elmore, the council met with the BU Police Department, the Office of Residence Life, the Student Activities Office and dining officials at BU to get final approval and suggestions.

‘The administrators were fine with the event,’ Pereira said. ‘There were certain precautions that they said we had to meet.’

Pereira said the club would require patrons to have a BU ID to get in and a valid license to drink.

Elmore and Pereira said Dining Services will sell alcohol after verifying students’ ages. The verification process will involve two people checking BU IDs and two BUPD officers checking regular IDs. Students will also be verified through a list that includes everyone who is 21.

In his weekly ‘Coffee and Conversation with Dean Elmore’ last Friday at the Student Residences at 10 Buick St., Elmore said ‘7.7.5.’ is going to be better than most of the house parties he has seen in the area.

‘It is better than any party you’ve been to,’ Elmore said. ‘They didn’t even have music at the party I went to, and it’s going to be cheaper because it’s free unless you want to buy a mixed drink.’

Elmore also said he is unconcerned about underage students attempting to drink.

‘I’m not here to try to grab people who try to beat the system,’ he said. ‘I expect people to adhere to policies and rules and follow them, and if it comes to my attention that someone is trying to beat the system, we’ll deal with that and hold them to their integrity.’

Pereira said he does not foresee any significant problems.

‘There’s no reason that an event like this couldn’t happen on campus,’ Pereira said. ‘Students are going to be safer drinking on campus in an event approved by the administration where the element of danger can be significantly decreased.’

The SAO Handbook allows BU organizations to use university funding to serve alcohol as long as the function is approved and the organization follows state laws.

Elmore said his office does not get very many requests from undergraduate student organizations to serve alcohol, but he added graduate students and programs for faculty and parents often serve alcohol.

‘Most, if not all undergraduate events, are alcohol-free,’ Elmore said.

CAS sophomore Meredith Rutrick said she appreciates the dean’s direction in allowing the event.

‘I’m not opposed to trying things, and I appreciate that he’s giving us a chance that is very respectful,’ Rutrick said.

However, she expressed some skepticism about the event’s outcome.

‘The event seems like it could be great, and it also seems like it could be horrible,’ Rutrick said. ‘There’s no way to predict. I plan on going … unless I have something more hip to do that night.’

Elmore agreed he will have to see how the night goes before making any further decisions on similar events in the future. However, he said he is excited about the club.

‘I’m looking forward to it, and I think a lot of students are going to enjoy themselves,’ he said. ‘These are the sorts of innovative programs that we want to do, and I hope we do more of them.’