Council members also said that convenience is also a big factor for their support of key-card access.

Because of randomization, there are more students going between houses to visit friends, said council member and Currier House resident Sarah K. Hurwitz '99.

"It is really inconvenient and not fair for people who have been randomized far from their friends," Hurwitz said.

But Dowling said students can simply let friends into their houses.

"It's not terribly inconvenient to go down to the entryway to let them in," he said.

Several house masters said 24 hour universal access was especially dangerous because students often disregard safety issues.

"I think very few students take the necessary precautions in an urban environment," Bossert said.

Students often do not lock their doors and are too willing to let strangers into entryways, Bossert said.

But universal key card access will increase safety by making students more aware, said council member and Quincy House resident Michael A. O'Mary '99.

"Right now, if a student asks me to let him into a building, I don't think twice," O'Mary said. "With universal key card access, if a student asks me, an alarm immediately goes off in my head."

Dowling said he has had several incidents with non-House residents coming into the house late in the evening and disturbing residents.

"Although I don't think these instances will be very frequent, they are troublesome enough that we wouldn't want to open up the possibilities," he said.

Although the masters did not take a formal vote at their last monthly meeting, Dowling said they reached a consensus that they were against loosening current restrictions on key card access.

"Most of us feel that this system is working well," Dowling said. "There is no reason for 24 hour access if we can provide safe haven [through limited access].