He acknowledged one of the College's primary reasons for the size reduction--that it is often difficult to engage some of the House's large, homogeneous blocking groups in community events--but said halving the size caps will not do much to alleviate the problem.

"I'm just not sure limiting blocking groups to eight would change that dramatically," he said.

Others, however, were less equivocal in their opposition to the change.

Ben A. Lanson '00, chair of the Kirkland House Committee said if the Houses are indeed as random as the College says, then there is little merit to the argument that this change will help make each House look like a microcosm of the overall Harvard population.

"In the long run it ought to work out," Lanson said.

Similarly, Cohen of Lowell House said he sees little point in reducing the size of the blocking groups. He said if the House system can't effectively create community, having 16 or eight people in blocking groups will be of little importance.

But according to Michael P. Abate '00, who preceded Cohen as co-chair of Lowell House Committee, the decision may not be all that bad.