Radeliffe will close four off-campus houses at the end of the year.

Avon, Could, Gray, and Henry Houses will be closed, dislodging 40 students. Seven off-campus houses will continue to provide off-campus living for about 135 students.

At its January meeting, the Radeliffe Council-the school's governing board-decided to close the four houses because of expected rent increases. Radeliffe does not own the buildings but rents them from Cambridge landlords.

Genevieve Austin, dean of Residence, said yesterday that income from the present rooming contracts covers just a little over half of the four houses' rent and operating costs, leaving a deficit of almost $29,000. With the elimination of this deficit, the Council hopes to avoid increasing next year's room charge.

With the opening of Currier House this Fall, Radeliffe plans to climinate all oneroom doubles.

Depending on the number of seniors moving into apartments next year, graduate students may live in North, South, and East Houses. Currier House already has rooms for 12 resident tutors. At present Mabel Daniels Hall is the only Radeliffe dormitory with a resident tutor. Mrs. Austin expressed the hope that Radcliffe's housing system would eventually approximate Harvard's.

Several Radeliffe students were angry at the decision to close the four off-campus houses. One girl remarked, "I think it's terrible; it's the only decent way to live at Radeliffe." Another tenmed it "ridiculous," claiming that Radcliffe did not need to save the money.