"It seems more polite than to just keep asking," said Penelope A. Carter '00 of Adams House.

According to Fithian, the stickers will help checkers instantly identify Adams residents, an especially helpful move for identifying the new sophomores that have moved into the House.

"Students decided they wanted a way to assist the dining hall staff in identifying Adams House students before they swiped their card," he said. "[The House Committee] didn't want them to be in a position of charging a meal to a student and then saying 'I'm sorry, you can't eat here.'"

Adams House residents say because their dining hall is so conveniently located, they have had to put up with long lines and crowded seating areas--two factors which some say detract from a cohesive House community.

"I really did see a lack of House community in the dining hall because you never knew who [lived] in Adams House," said Clara B. Brillembourg '01. "[Now,] you'll finally get to know who's living in the same House as you, as before you just got to know them by passing in the hall."

She said the inconvenience to upperclass students who live farther away is outweighed by the potential benefits to the House.

"I think it's unfair that they will always be turned away, but I also think it's unfair that I couldn't sit down in my House to eat because I couldn't get a chair," Brillembourg said.

Still, others said they disagreed with the spirit of the decision.