The majority of colleges at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Durham and other collegiate universities such as York have members of staff called porters. Their precise job roles vary from college to college. Porters work in a section of the college called the Porters' Lodge, at the main entrance. Roles can involve:
- Controlling entry to the college
- Sorting mail
- Providing security to members
- Reporting students to the Dean
- Maintenance and repairs to college property
Normally there is a head porter in charge of all the other porters. The character Skullion from Tom Sharpe's satirical 1974 novel Porterhouse Blue was a fictional head porter.
