"It would be more of a hassle than a benefit," said Li-Chung Chen '01.

Weld resident M. Mariet Rehavi '01 echoed Bicknell's concern about security, but said that the security problem brought to light by the man's trespassing wouldn't be addressed by locking bathroom doors.

"My biggest concern is how someone who's not supposed to be here got into the dorm," Rehavi said.

In comments posted in the "Forum" section of The Crimson's Web site, Weld resident Arvin T. Chang '01 called the locks an "overreaction to such a specific and unusual case."

"I believe that--if anything--the deans should concentrate on how he entered the building," Chang wrote. "I cannot see how adding locks to common bathrooms would improve security."

Adam E. Cohen '01, another Weld resident, predicted that students may work around the bathroom locks so that any inconvenience will remain minimal.

"A lot of people will circumvent this by propping the doors open," he said. "If you've got to go and you've forgotten your key, it would be unpleasant."

The Hollis incident is not the only occasion in recent years in which non-Harvard-affiliated people have been found in Harvard bathrooms.

After a similar incident in Matthews Hall two years ago, bathroom combination locks were installed there, Bicknell said.