Though Associated Student Government leaders announced last week they received permission to open a bar at Norris University Center, they now say the plans were much more preliminary than stated.

ASG executive board members Mike Fong and Nicole Mash said they hope to create a gathering place where alcohol will be served in conjunction with other activities — such as karaoke and video and electronic games — which would begin with a trial event at Norris Underground by the end of Winter Quarter.

Norris Director Bill Johnston said Friday the location then will begin serving alcohol Thursday and Friday nights “on an experimental basis” possibly as early as next quarter.

“We’re not building a bar,” he said. “Our goal was to utilize the Underground as a new social center.”

Johnston said although alcohol eventually could be available regularly, the two-week timeline ASG announced last week was not feasible and might have been misleading.

“There needs to be a lot of fine-tuning — there’s no way it will be done in two weeks,” he said.

Fong, student services vice president, said whether the area becomes a bar or not will depend on student response to the initial events.

“We’ll see how that works as a new social environment,” Johnston said, “and we will then serve alcohol to those persons who are of 21 years of age.”

Johnston also emphasized that alcohol would be introduced to improve community rather than encourage drinking.

Fong, a Weinberg junior, said the proposal gradually would be implemented at Norris.

“It’s not going to be a sort of opening like a new restaurant would open,” he said. “More and more elements would be added (to our plan).”

Mash, ASG executive vice president, said after meeting with administrators and Norris staff Monday that creating a venue to purchase alcohol on campus — but not a typical bar — would help foster community.

“All parties that met want to make sure there’s a strong focus on recreational activities,” said Mash, a Weinberg senior. “ASG student leaders and the administration have agreed that there needs to be a community-building place to create a bond between students.”

Mash said features such as a sound system and a karaoke machine, which Norris already owns, would enhance the area as a social space. A trial period will precede any concrete additions to the space.

Mash said the practice run could be delayed to refine plans.

“We want to make sure the trial run will mimic how we want this to coalesce,” she said.

Phil Floyd, a Music freshman, said the recreation area is a creative solution to bring the Northwestern community together.

“I think that would be awesome — I’m sure everybody would flock there,” he said.

Monday’s meetings with administrators were aimed at ironing out issues of staffing, food service and supervision of the area. Mash declined to comment on what was discussed and what decisions were made at the meetings.

Plans still are in preliminary stages, she said, so a lot of information is either unknown or guarded.

“Keep in mind that this project has been in the works for years,” said Mash, who has worked with Fong on the proposal since late October. Past executive boards also worked on the idea.

“This project is happening now because it’s the first time ASG, administrators and the student body are all on board,” she said.

Abi Reedy, a Game Room employee, was skeptical of the plans.

“I hadn’t heard about it before I read it in The Daily — they haven’t told us anything,” said Reedy, a Weinberg junior. “I don’t know, they could put a keg in our closet.”

The Daily’s Erin Ward contributed to this report.