Frequenters of final clubs expect tonight to be the start of another quiet weekend at Harvard’s eight all-male clubs.

In dozens of conversations across five dining halls yesterday, all students who professed familiarity with final clubs said several of the clubs have tightened their guest policies in recent weeks—with some banning non-members altogether.

Though specific new policies adopted by individual clubs remain tightly under wraps, leaving the impetus for those changes open to much speculation on campus, no one denies that the club scene is being shaken to its core.

“It’s my understanding that various clubs—all of them—have looked into their purpose and found that being a club and not a function hall is something that is also good,” said the Rev. Douglas W. Sears ’69, former president of the Interclub Council and a trustee of the Fox Club.

All of the final club members contacted by The Crimson declined comment for this story. Four final club presidents did not return phone calls last night.

Many students who are not members, however, said they thought they knew the clubs’ new rules, and some said they thought they knew the causes of the changes in policy.

All concurred, though, that the role of the clubs on campus is changing—and that means that some weekend revelers will inevitably be rerouted to other party venues in the foreseeable future.

Jordan W. Webb ’03 said he thought the club scene has been seriously limited.

“The Spee is pseudo-open,” Webb said. “Other than that, nothing’s open.”

Webb said the Fly Club’s Calypso party two weekends ago had a guest list of 150 people—and no one else was admitted.

The Club hired private bouncers to enforce the stricter guest policy, Webb and other students said.

Webb said he believed the final clubs have initiated stricter guest policies because Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 and Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth ’71 related to the Interclub Council that they had heard of dangerous behavior at the clubs.

Webb said Lewis cited liquor-related incidents.

Peter J. Giordano ’04 said he attended a birthday party at the Fox last weekend.

“We got an e-mail that said you’re invited,” Giordano said. “It was clear that it was invite-only.”