Before the end of last academic year Dingman wrote a letter for Houses and the Freshman Dean’s Office to distribute to students urging them to remain home until the weekend of Sept. 7 unless they needed to assist at first-year registration.

“Other schools think we’re nuts,” Dingman said referring to Harvard’s decision to allow students to move in 10 days before classes begin.

To discourage students returning early, dining halls other than Annenberg will not begin serving food until dinner on Sept. 7.

Dingman’s letter in the spring also informed students that no parties would be allowed in Houses prior to Sept. 11. Dingman said that he worried that parties could get out of control during the period before classes start when students usually have no other time commitments.

“Masters have encountered problems with people back with too much time on their hands,” Dingman said.

Dingman is also particularly concerned that the first days of move-in fall during the Labor Day weekend, when many masters and tutors are away from the House and unable to provide supervision. However, despite Labor Day’s status as an official University holiday, students will be able to pick up keys from their houses on that day.

Despite the atypical nature of this year’s calendar at Harvard, an administrator noted that it actually makes Harvard more typical compared to other colleges.

“There are many colleges and universities at which first-year orientation begins during the third week of August, so Harvard students will not be alone in planning for a pre-Labor Day move-in,” wrote Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans in an e-mail message.