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Roster Duties

General

We are entrusted with the safety of over 220 young people, with College Leaders playing a key part in ensuring their safety. The duty checks each evening and other duty times are the mainstay of the College security system. Normally most of the doors to be checked are locked but occasionally they are accidentally left unlocked or deliberately left ajar. College Leaders are the last check on evening security. These door checks should involve trying the door to see if it is locked and not just looking at it. If College Leaders neglect this duty and any incident happens the College Leader concerned may be responsible for the resulting damage depending on the circumstances. We must all work hard to ensure the safety of Members.

Duty in the foyer is much more than checking visitors. It also provides a low-level opportunity for lonely Members to visit with you and others in a non-threatening environment. The television set is there for your enjoyment and for those keeping you company. Please remember however that TV viewers should not block access through the foyer. Duty evening should not be a study evening for you as your main tasks are being available for Members to chat with, security, and welcoming and checking in guests. Please do not spend an inordinate amount of time in the Administrator’s Office when on duty as this limits the opportunity for Members to chat.

At the beginning of the year, some ex-residents will get lonely and become foyer-dwellers. The foyer needs to be left free for current Members. Please politely ask any ex-Members to socialise with their friends in their rooms, or leave the College. If groups of friends or persistent residents have a tendency to make the couch their home, encourage them to move to the TV room or other common area, so that you can spend your time with other students who may be more in need of your companionship.

Do not socialise with students in the Foyer Office. The room can be used if someone needs to speak to you privately, but should not be used to entertain. Please remember that this is somebody’s work environment; the office must be left tidy, any items moved should be put back in the correct place, with all personal items removed.

Evening duty is not an opportunity for your friends from outside of the College to come and visit.

Your external friendships can be cultivated at other times so when you are on duty you are there for the Members of College. Please refer to the separate sheet in your College Leader folder regarding foyer etiquette and expecations.

How will I know if I have done things correctly?

The College Leader who is rostered to unlock the morning after you have been on evening duty (or vice-versa) and other College staff working during the daytime will notice anything that has not been performed to the required standard. If you do not do things correctly you will be spoken to. This may be an uncomfortable experience so it is in your best interests to complete duties to the expected standard.

Disorderly Behaviour

Handle this yourself, if possible, and if not refer to an experienced College Leader, the Head of College, or the on-call staff member, depending on the situation and time of day. Be firm but tactful. It is of little use arguing with those who are inebriated, rather, you should get them out of the building or, if one of our Members, to bed and out of harm’s way. Ideally, their friends in the College will help to tak care of them.

Do not hesitate to call on other College Leaders for help, and/or phone the on-call staff member. If necessary, contact Campus Watch by phoning 03 479 5000 (or 0800 479 5000). If there is a real possibility of violence call the Police (111) as well. Usually, uncooperative people will leave once this is suggested.

Morning duties

  • Monday to Friday - completed by 7:15 am
  • Saturday - completed by 7:45 am (7:15 am when conferences are in session)
  • Sunday - no unlocking

Each morning it is the rostered College Leader’s responsibility to turn lights on, check the electronic door openers have worked, and collect and deliver the newspapers. You can expect to do unlocking duties about once every 11 weeks. There is no set order in which the tasks must be completed but the following points list the tasks that need completing.

  • Enter the foyer office; turn on the foyer lights; activate the Magnetic Hold for the South fire door and close the office door.
  • During the colder months, frost and ice can form on paths, driveways, and car parks. Please physically check these areas and let the staff know if there are any concerns.
  • Bring the newspapers inside.
  • Leave a newspaper by the Head of College’s office door (weekdays) or on the doormat of the Head of College's Residence (Saturdays)
  • Turn on floor hallway lights.
  • Rearrange any furniture that has been left out of place in the VCR.
  • Leave all remaining newspapers in the Dining Hall.
  • Note any doors found unlocked or tampered with, any light bulbs that need replacing etc. and write them in the maintenance book so they will be seen to that day.
  • Report on Slack to the approriate person if you find anything unusual.
  • Go for breakfast and check that the Food Services staff have breakfast on and the door open. Occasionally, due to snow or other unforeseen circumstances, the Breakfast Chef may be unable to get to work (normally the message will be passed on to College Leaders). If this occurs it is a case of “all hands to the pump” to ensure that hungry mouths are fed. The Dining Hall lights will need to be turned on, and items put out for a continental breakfast.
  • Any lost property items can be put in the foyer office or mail room.

Evening and night duties

On weekdays one College Leader is rostered on to do evening duty, but on weekends (Friday and Saturday nights) two are rostered with a changeover at 11:00 pm. During this time, the College Leader on duty must stay in the foyer unless a task requires them to leave the foyer, in which case the Administrator’s Office must be left locked and cover arranged if possible. The duty phone must be carried at all times by the College Leader until after 8 am the next morning (or until 12 noon on public holidays when it should be handed over to the College Leader on evening duty that day).

  • Sunday to Thursday: 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm
  • Friday & Saturday: 5:30 pm – 2:00 am (split shift with changeover at 11:00 pm)

Note that these are the typical duty times although they may be extended at certain times of year or with particular events (e.g. Orientation Week).

When on evening and night duty, College Leaders are required to wear their College Leaders polo shirt (plus jacket if cold).

Phase One - early rounds

To be completed by 5:30 pm every evening:

  • Check the Tennis Court gate is closed and locked.
  • Check the gate between the Study Centre and Thorpe House is shut and padlocked.
  • Check the gate between Clyde Wing and the Kitchen is closed and locked.
  • Check the Clyde Wing back door, Clyde Street garage, and bike shed doors.
  • Check the Main Wing alley door and gates.
  • Turn on the duty cell phone (03 926 9699) and check the guest sign-in book in the foyer.
  • Collect a meal from the Dining Room and take it to the foyer to eat. Remember that others must eat in the Dining Hall.

Phase Two - sitting in the foyer

Aim to maintain a comfortable environment where Members can come and chat with you.

The only phone you should answer while on duty is the duty phone. Non-urgent calls from outside of the College are diverted to voicemail.

If you need to leave the foyer — which should only be to assist Members who need it — request that another College Leader takes your place.

See that the place is quiet during quiet hours, and monitor foyer noise for the sake of Residents on B and RB Floors.

Ensure that Members sign their guests in and out. Members must meet their guests in the foyer.

Ensure that all guests have left the College by 11:05 pm.

When there is a split shift the College Leader ending early duty should do late rounds at 11:00 pm once they have been relieved by the late duty College Leader. Should the next duty College Leader fail to appear at 11:00 pm you are to stay until relieved.

The conference laptop may be used by tutors and it is stored in the foyer office along with remotes and cables for the various tutorial rooms. It must be returned to the office at the end of the tutorial. Tutors may also request stationery or other resources from time to time.

The foyer lights must be left on until the end of duty.

Phase Three - late rounds

This is to be started at 11:00 pm (i.e. end of duty on Sunday to Thursday and at the changeover on Friday and Saturday):

  • Check that the Main Front Door is locked and turn off foyer lights (leaving the light over the front door on).
  • Use your discretion as to which hallway lights need to be turned off.
  • Check the ACR, Library, Small Tutorial room, and TV room, turing off screens/projectors and lights as appropriate.
  • Ensure no piano playing in the VCR after 11:00 pm (or midnight on weekends), and see that the TV cannot be heard outside the TV Room, as otherwise they will be disturbing the Members upstairs.
  • Shut all windows in the VCR and the Games Room. If nobody is in either of them turn off the lights.
  • Pack up Toast Time in the Atrium and make sure it is clean and tidy.
  • Turn off the Study Centre lights, check that windows are shut, and all three external doors are locked.
  • Walk through each floor, turn off lights, and quieten down noise if necessary. If possible, switch some lights off earlier to quieten the place down.
  • Check Kitchen back doors are locked
  • No alcohol outside bedrooms or kitchens (will be banned from kitchens if problematic).
  • See that all free-swinging smoke doors are shut
  • Complete your Duty Report in Slack.

On Friday and Saturday duty finishes at 2:00 am (during Orientation Week, duty finishes at 3:00 am). While on the late shift on weekends, you are welcome to use the TV in the foyer.

Unless the Head of College or Management Staff specifically requests it, you are not to answer the Administrator’s Office phone.

The duty phone is not for the use of Members. It is primarily there for incoming urgent calls. It should not be used for personal calls. The phone should be kept with you until the next morning, then returned to the cupboard in the foyer office to charge first thing.

At the end of any duty, the sign with the duty phone number should be placed visibly in the foyer.

Weekend duty

General description

Weekend duty starts at 8:00 pm on Friday evening and finishes at 5:30 pm Sunday evening for the rostered College Leader. Even though there will be other College Leaders rostered for foyer duty on Friday evenings, the College Leader rostered on weekend duty needs to be available from 8:00 pm in case extra support is needed that evening.

You are required to be on the College premises at all times during your weekend duty. If you have to go out briefly — for whatever reason — you must arrange for another College Leader to stand in for you. You will be on call all weekend, day and night.

For the first few weeks of the year, the on-duty person must be in the Foyer Office from 9:30 am to noon on Saturdays, unless directed otherwise by the Head of College. Your duties will consist of dealing with inquiries to save others being disturbed, and to put out the mail. When office hours finish the on-duty person must still put out the mail and parcels.

  • Place all general mail addressed to “St Margaret’s College” in the Business & IT Manager's pigeon hole.
  • Place mail addressed to others (e.g. the Head of College) in their respective place.

The weekend duty person may be required to assist in the office at specified times during the weekend, and is required to take any College tours booked for during the weekend. They are not to be rostered for evening duty the same weekend.

Sunday duties

When a Formal Dinner is scheduled, you should check that the ACR, Foyer, Library, TV Room, and VCR are tidy, as invited guests will often be shown around these areas.

In winter, check that the heating is on in the VCR. You must also make sure that the Atrium is set up for the pre-dinner gathering. When the guests go to dinner, you should check the dress of Members going to dinner. One other College Leader (of a different gender if possible) should assist in this. Please ensure the Atrium door is closed.

It is also your job to set up the VCR for the post-dinner gathering with your mini team. At the conclusion of the post-dinner gathering, you should ensure that the VCR is returned to its usual state.

Holiday duties

Each College Leader will be rostered to remain at the College during one each of the semester breaks. Holiday duty teams are assigned during initial training by the College Leader holding the Duty Roster Coordinator portfolio. Once allocated, the duty team for each holiday period will together decide upon their own duty schedule for their assigned semester break.

During semester breaks there is no foyer duty in the evenings, however, those College Leaders on holiday duty will need to:

  • Have the duty phone with them and remain in the College in the evenings (from 5:00 pm onwards) and all day on weekends and public holidays
  • Complete morning rounds each day
  • Complete early (5:30 pm) and late rounds (11:00 pm) each evening
  • Complete a duty report on Slack
  • Organise one social event for each week of the holidays for the Members who are remaining in the College during the break

Generally, two or three College Leaders are sufficient for the first mid-semester break (Easter-time) and mid-year holidays. However, during the second mid-semester break (August/September), extra College Leaders are recommended to be rostered due to the higher number of Members remaining at the College for that holiday period.