Timothy Dwight College has restricted a portion of its lunches on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to exclude students not in TD — possibly in order to prevent a space crunch resulting from an infusion of Directed Studies students from the nearby Whitney Humanities Center, several students speculated.

Signs posted Tuesday near the college’s dining hall on Tuesday informed patrons that the restrictions — running for a 45-minute window from 12:15 to 1 p.m. — will take effect today. Many DS students regularly eat in TD after attending lectures next door that end at 12:25 p.m.

In response to the closure, several DS students are organizing “DS’s Last Hurrah,” a goodbye party for the entire DS class in the TD dining hall this Friday at 11:30 a.m.

“One particularly sad thing about this announcement is that it gave us no time to say goodbye to our favorite dining establishment, and we are going to go there on Friday to mourn and contemplate Lockean responses to tyranny,” said Leah Libresco ’11, who is organizing the event.

By eating lunch together, participants in DS are able to continue discussing ideas presented in the preceding lecture, several students interviewed said.

Libresco added that TD has large tables at which students can talk together, and it is difficult for DS students who need to get to a 1 p.m. class to make it if they cannot eat in nearby TD.

“TD was perfectly situated for us to have these conversations,” she said. “What was particularly upsetting about the decision was that … they banned it starting at the specific time of 12:15, which really feels like it’s directed at DS students who are coming out of lecture right after that.”

Still, some DS students said they understand TD administrators’ decision. While the change may only shift crowding to other dining halls such as that in nearby Silliman College, Alexandra Beautyman ’11 said she appreciates the size limitations of TD.

“I also understand that TD is a small dining hall and they’re overcrowded,” she said.

TD Dean John Loge was unavailable for comment Tuesday evening.