diff --git a/collects/web-server/configuration/configuration-table-structs.ss b/collects/web-server/configuration/configuration-table-structs.ss
index 474afb1d09..4479a64f56 100644
--- a/collects/web-server/configuration/configuration-table-structs.ss
+++ b/collects/web-server/configuration/configuration-table-structs.ss
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
    [struct responders
            ([servlet (url? any/c . -> . response?)]
             [servlet-loading (url? any/c . -> . response?)]
-            [authentication (url? (cons/c symbol? string?) . -> . response?)]
+            [authentication (url? header? . -> . response?)]
             [servlets-refreshed (-> response?)]
             [passwords-refreshed (-> response?)]
             [file-not-found (request? . -> . response?)]
diff --git a/collects/web-server/dispatchers/dispatch-passwords.ss b/collects/web-server/dispatchers/dispatch-passwords.ss
index 298f4d63b3..ffc0e67d1b 100644
--- a/collects/web-server/dispatchers/dispatch-passwords.ss
+++ b/collects/web-server/dispatchers/dispatch-passwords.ss
@@ -122,5 +122,5 @@
      conn
      (authentication-responder
       uri 
-      `(WWW-Authenticate . ,(format " Basic realm=\"~a\"" realm)))
+      (make-header #"WWW-Authenticate" (string->bytes/utf-8 (format " Basic realm=\"~a\"" realm))))
      method)))
\ No newline at end of file