Smoking is banned in Currier House because the building's ventilation systems transmit odor from one smoker's room into other rooms and hallways throughout the house.

Lowell House Master William H. Bossert said that because Lowell has very different architecture from Currier House, there is no need for him to change his house's current smoking policy.

"Our ventilation is not like the other houses," Bossert said. "Our biggest problem is with smoke from burning wet logs in the fireplaces."

He also said he believed there were more Lowell residents this year who are smokers.

Quincy House Master Michael Shinagel and Dunster House Master Liem both said they believed smoking is on the decline.

Both said smoking is not an issue because the numbers of smokers in their houses are very low or practically nonexistent.

The masters from Kirkland and Winthrop Houses could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Cabot House's Ware, who is also Mosteller professor of biostatistics in the School of Public Health, said that regardless of smoking's popularity among students, "schools and colleges have a special responsibility toward young people to discourage cigarette smoking because there is nothing more damaging to one's health than smoking."

He said House masters had the power to change smoking policies in their respective Houses, as long as they have the support of House residents.

"[The smoking policy] is different in the different houses, but in the end, it's up to the various masters," Ware said.

Besides the new smoking ban this fall, first-years are also subject to a ban on halogen lamps.

Ware said he believed upper-class students may have been spared the moratorium on cigarettes and halogen lamps so far because of "custom and tradition," which have always allowed older students to have them.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth S. Nathans said in an e-mail that "there is absolutely no connection between our decision with regard to smoking and our decision to ban halogen lamps.