Access to certain parts of the Yard, like the East Yard, can be denied to students from the West Yard after a preset hour. Some first-years, unhappy with what they perceived as a damper on their social hours, successfully lobbied Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth S. Nathans, to extend visiting hours last fall.

Despite the increased access, some students, such as Robert W. Yalen '95, assistant director for student affairs at the Civil Liberties Union of Harvard (CLUH), warned about the potential for abuse of the information stored in the computer database in the security services office at 29 Garden St.

"The Ad Board should not be able to access the card key information because the information is very prejudicial and circumstantial," Yalen said.

In a meeting with Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 in February, Yalen discussed a proposal which he submitted to Jewett in November. Approximately one month after Yalen's meeting with Jewett, the Administrative Board passed a policy restricting the release of information recorded by student's electronic card keys.

The new policy prohibits the University from releasing the records of the use of a student's card key unless the release has been specifically authorized by the student or the dean of the College.

Information logged via card keys will be released under the new agreement to University police "under circumstances when the information is important in investigating a crime or other incident related to campus security."

For observant Jewish first-year students, the use of card keys has proven a particularly prickly issue.

To meet their concerns, the College this year adopted a new escort program, in which escorts would open doors for observant Jewish students during limited hours of the Sabbath.

Next year, these students will be housed in Matthews and Hurlbut halls, where they can use metal keys to enter side doors on the Sabbath, according to College housing officials