"I think a lot of [the transformation] was triggered with the Scott Krueger incident," said Owl President Jonathan Powers '00. "It blew up again after the legal decision was handed down this year."

Clubs fear such legal action because if people drink at a club and then hurt themselves, the clubs' officers--both graduate and undergraduate--are legally responsible.

By keeping guests out, clubs ensure that they will avoid expensive legal battles. Although the clubs have large endowments, it can still be a struggle to meet all club costs, including property taxes, physical upkeep and club events.

"We just don't have enough money to deal with the exorbitant legal fees," Powers said.

In recent years, clubs have also had problems with destruction of property, by both members and non-members.

"Things that get destroyed and damaged are a real concern for us," Saxe said.

During the past semester these concerns precipitated a flood of policy changes. The graduate boards of four of the eight clubs locked out non-members, and two others strengthened rules regarding guests.

The A.D. club made the first move on Jan. 20 in its decision to bar all non-members from the club, with only a few exceptions for traditional events.

Initial reaction from club members was negative.

At the time, A.D. member Kenneth H. Ahn '00 said undergraduate members had not expected such a drastic change, but expressed a fatalistic optimism about his club.

"It shocked everyone, but for the club's sake, it had to be done," Ahn said. Now, he and his peers have less control over their club, now that the bill-paying alums have flexed their muscle.

"Second semester, the grad boards began taking a closer look at how the clubs were being used," Sears said. "Allowing undergraduates overly broad discretion in guests of clubs was something that needed a second look."

After the A.D. change, Owl President Andrew D. Duffell '99 said that regardless of speculation, his club would not follow suit.

But the very next week, at a Jan. 27 biannual policy meeting, the Owl announced a similar guest restriction policy. The initial announcement called the changes a trial for the month of February. But three weeks later, the club decided to extend its ban on non-members indefinitely.

In the weeks that followed, other clubs also dramatically altered their club policies.