The time has finally come, folks.

The Penn State Board of Trustees met Friday afternoon and approved the sale of alcohol in Beaver Stadium. According to a release from Penn State Athletics, the sale will begin “at a date to be determined in the 2022 season,” which all but rules out the Central Michigan game.

To kick off the discussion and voting, Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft took the podium and discussed the prospect of alcohol sales in Beaver Stadium. Kraft noted that eight other Big Ten schools sell alcohol at athletic events and that alcohol has been sold “successfully and safely” in the club of Beaver Stadium since 2017.

Kraft then went into some specifics of the plan, which include checking and scanning the IDs of every customer, wrist banding those who’re buying at the point of sale, and strategically placing alcohol stands so that they’re not close to the student section.

Additionally, all employees will be RAMP (Responsible Alcohol Management Program) certified and alcohol sales will end at the conclusion of the third quarter. The full alcohol plan can be found on the board’s agenda.

There were five “no” votes to the plan, with one of them being from Trustee Valerie Detwiler. Detwiler delivered a passionate speech on why her fellow trustees should vote no, warning them to “carefully consider the ramifications of this proposal.”

“Another fact that was provided to the board was that of the 14 universities included in the Big Ten, eight are already serving alcohol at athletics events and three are in the process of trying to do so,” she said. “This reminds me of the old adage, ‘if your friend jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?'”

“Penn Staters pride ourselves on being different — on going against the grain to do what is right, on excellence,” Detwiler continued. “This is not a decision that should be based on what peer institutions are doing. It should be based on what is right for Penn State and Penn State alone.”

Detwiler also pointed to the 36.4% of season ticket holders who decided they would “definitely or probably not” support alcohol in Beaver Stadium and how their gameday experience shouldn’t be overlooked.

Trustee Brandon Short, who voted yes, took the podium next and explained why it’s a good thing to sell alcohol in Beaver Stadium while also acknowledging the other side of the argument.

“Penn State’s a special place, and a big change like alcohol in Beaver Stadium makes people concerned that we’re going to lose what makes us special,” Short said. “So, I understand why there are some people that are apprehensive about this change.”

However, Short noted that Kraft has previously successfully managed alcohol sales while at Temple and Boston College, among other reasons.

“Beyond the data, we’ve had alcohol sales in the club seats in Beaver Stadium and Pegula [Ice Arena] since 2017,” he continued. “Why would we think that people who sit in club seats can drink responsibly, but the average fan can’t? There are eight schools in the Big Ten who currently serve alcohol at football games. What are we saying to our administration if we say that Ohio State’s administration can effectively and successfully manage the sale of alcohol, but Penn State can’t?”

Short concluded by reiterating that Penn State is a special place and that he believes it can do anything any other school can do, but do it better.