Although they are hopeful of eventual success pushing deadlines for party hours back until 2 a.m., council members say nothing will change until at least next fall.

"We are looking to get three or four Houses partying `til 2 beginning in the fall of next year," says council member Brian R. Smith `02, who has led the effort to extend party hours.

And even the few Houses that adopt a 2 a.m. curfew may do so initially only for official, House-sponsored parties, such as those held in House dining halls, which charge for admission.

While a vast majority of students may favor extending party hours until 2

a.m., College administrators say factors such as security, regulations set by the city of Cambridge and the sleeping habits of resident tutors are all factors that the Houses must consider before agreeing to let students stay out for an extra hour.

"Nothing's going to happen until next year and at the will of the House masters," says Associate Dean of the College Thomas A. Dingman `67. "There's a lot to figure out still."

In the Works

The new estimated timetable for extending party hours comes from meetings that Smith had last week both with Harvard administrators and the city of Cambridge after a number of House masters seemed amenable to extending party hours at last month's meeting of the Committee on House Life (CHL).