"I feel less safe," said Dan M. Ring '99 of Pforzheimer House. "I took it for granted that since we're close to a residential neighborhood we could take safety for granted."

Scott J. Waldman '99 of Cabot House said the news will not have an effect on his habits.

"It does kind of wake me up though. I thought that was restricted to Mather," he said.

Other students expressed fear that their daily routes were unsafe.

"It's disappointing that there's no sense of security," said Willard R. Huval '71-'97, of Pforzheimer House.

Huval lives in Jordan, which is located on Walker St. near where the incident occurred.

Huval said he was concerned that his "daily route between the dorm and the bus" may be insecure.

But the Harvard Shuttle Service said students could request to be picked up by Escort Service on Walker St. instead of walking to the regular stop in front of Currier House.

"If we know that it's one or two students, we will pick them up on Walker St., but if it's three or more, we'll ask them to wait at the shuttle stop," said a Shuttle Service operator. "There's safety in numbers."

Quad house administrators had varied responses to questions about the incident. Pforzheimer House tutors had not been formally informed of the incident. Some Pforzheimer tutors said they were surprised and dismayed that they were not immediately informed. The masters and the Alston Burr senior tutor were unavailable for comment.

Currier House Master William A. Graham said the administration was "working as a quad to inform students and warn people." Currier Senior House Tutor John Stubbs said his house plans to inform students through a public notice such as individual notices in mailboxes.

"This was certainly a surprise. [It] will be discussed in tutor meetings and in study breaks," said Graham. Though students will be warned, he added, "there is only so much you can do."

"It's important not to be alone, to be wary and alert. About 99 percent of these things can be prevented," he said.

But Graham stressed that the students had been following recommended safety procedures.

The HUPD released the following description of the two suspects yesterday: One is a 5'7" black male of medium build, 18-20 years of age, who was unshaven and wearing a green jacket with a hood. The second suspect is a 5'10" black male of medium build, 18-20 years of age, who was wearing a white cloth sweater with a hood