After a prolonged search, Mather residents can expect new Masters to be approved by the end of the semester, tutors and students at the House said yesterday.

Mather senior tutor Pat C. Hoy II said an in-house search committee of students and tutors is currently considering "about seven" individuals for the position.

"I would hope the decision to be made before the Christmas break," Hoy said. "But I wouldn't expect it to be announced then because of all the paperwork."

Hoy said perspective candidates are currently visiting the House and meeting residents. Professor of Semitic Philology John Huehnergard, one of the candidate, attended an open house at the Mather masters' residence yesterday.

The search committee is expected to meet during the next two weeks to make recommendations to an official selection committee, headed by President Neil L. Rudenstine, Hoy said.

Search committee member Michael A. Jobst '94 said that though a definite recommendation has not yet been made by the committee, he hopes the new masters will move in during intercession.

"There has been a time when we've been in the dark," Jobst said. "We're closer to the decision now than we've ever been before."

The current masters, Jeffrey A. and Nancy P. Williamson, originally planned to leave last spring, but said they decided to stay for another semester because of the unsuccessful search for their replacement.

"The whole process got underway too late in the spring," said Nancy Williamson, who also serves as a sociology department official. "Because of that, we decided to stay an extra semester."

She added that the recent appointment of both President Rudenstine and Dean of Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles last year contributed to the delay.

"I don't think they knew exactly what their roles were," she said. "My impressions are that there were a lot of interacting forces."

Hoy said the delay was due to difficulties in finding enough candidates available to take the job this semester.

"There were a lot of faculty members whom wecontacted that were interested but couldn't bemasters now," Hoy said. "We did not feel as thoughwe had seen enough people."

But Mather resident Laura K. Cheney '94 saidthat Mather's undesirability was to blame for alack of interest among faculty members.

"I think Mather is pretty ugly and it doesn'thave the prestige as some of the other houses do,"Cheney said. "It's also the furthest house alongthe river.