The majority of college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

s at the universities of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

, Durham and Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

, as well as newer collegiate universities such as York

University of York

The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...

 and older universities like University of Bristol

University of Bristol

The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...

 and St David's College

University of Wales, Lampeter

University of Wales, Lampeter is a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822 by royal charter, it is the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales and may be the third oldest in England and Wales after Oxford and Cambridge...

, have members of staff called porters. There is normally a head porter and a team of other porters. Their precise job roles vary from college to college. Porters work in a section of the college called the Porters' lodge

Porters' lodge

A porters' lodge is a place near the entrance of a building where one or more porters can be found to respond to enquiries from the public and direct them around the building. It is particularly associated with university accommodation in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada...

, at the main entrance.

Roles can involve:

• Controlling entry to the college
• Sorting mail
• Providing security to members
• Reporting students to the Dean
  Dean (education)
  In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
  
  
• Maintenance and repairs to college property

The character Skullion from Tom Sharpe

Tom Sharpe

Tom Sharpe is an English satirical author, best known for his Wilt series of novels.Sharpe was born in London and moved to South Africa in 1951, where he worked as a social worker and a teacher, before being deported for sedition in 1961...

's satirical 1974 novel Porterhouse Blue

Porterhouse Blue

Porterhouse Blue is a novel written by Tom Sharpe, first published in 1974. There was a Channel 4 TV series in 1987 based on the novel, adapted by Malcolm Bradbury...

was a fictional head porter reputed to be based on Albert Jaggard, the Head Porter of Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...

during the 1960s and 1970s.