Roles & Responsibilities of Hostel Officers & Staff
Chief Warden
(i) The Chief Warden shall be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor. The Chief Warden will ordinarily hold office for two years. The appointing authority, if necessary, can renew his tenure for another term. He/She can also terminate the assignment of the Chief Warden by serving at least one month’s notice. (ii) He is the principal legislative and executive authority in all matters relating to the Hostels.
(iii) S/He will be in contact with the Wardens, the staff, and students
(iv) S/He is authorized to impose fines and/or take other disciplinary action against a resident student who violates the rules mentioned in this handbook. S/He may refer any violations to the Proctorial Board for necessary action OR recommend action against a student, to the competent authority.
Deputy Chief Warden
(i) The Deputy Chief Warden shall be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor in consultation with the Chief-Warden. The Deputy Chief Warden will ordinarily hold office for two years. The appointing authority, if necessary, can renew the tenure for another term. It can also terminate the assignment of the Deputy Chief Warden by serving at least one month’s notice.
(ii) S/He is the principal liaising officer between the Chief Warden and the Wardens of various hostels.
(iii) The Deputy Chief Warden holds ‘Cheque-Power’ for a hostel in case a Warden goes on leave.
(iv) S/He will periodically visit the hostels and be in contact with the Wardens, staff and students.
(v) S/He advises the Wardens on the academic and co-curricular events hosted in the hostels.
(vi) The Deputy Chief Warden is the officiating authority in the absence of the Chief Warden
Hostel Warden
The Warden shall be appointed by the Vice-Chancellor in consultation with the Chief–Warden. The Warden will ordinarily hold office for two years. The appointing authority, if necessary, can renew the tenure for another term. It can also terminate the assignment of the Warden by serving at least one month’s notice.
(ii) The Warden presides over the administration of a hostel. S/He functions under the overall charge of the Chief Warden. The Warden should be regularly available in the hostel office to address the concerns of the students.
(iv) The Warden will ensure that residents abide by the norms of the hostel. S/He will report to the Chief Warden all relevant cases of indiscipline, and violation of rules. The Warden is authorized to impose fines on a resident student in case of a misdemeanour.
(vi) The Warden can transfer a resident from one room or wing to another.
(viii) The Warden maintains imprest accounts and spends from the sanctioned imprest money. Warden will allot hostel rooms and supervise them. (This function will not be delegated to any staff in the hostel)
(x) Will check the resident students’ register. The Warden is authorized to take disciplinary action against a boarder for keeping any unauthorised guest.
(v) Will order double-locking of rooms of resident students and their re-opening, when required. Will take action for the eviction of defaulting resident students in consultation with the Chief-Warden for mess bill defaulters.
(vii) Will be responsible for the overall security of the hostel and will coordinate his/her responsibility with the Security Officer of the University. Will periodically verify the furniture and fittings of the hostel with the assistance of the Office Assistant, and take action for their repairs/replacement or for obtaining additional furniture.
(ii) Will look after the common room and the sports and cultural programmes of the hostel and will regulate disbursements out of the hostel’s recreation grant.
(iii) Will check the bills prepared by the Office Assistant for purchase of Newspapers and Magazines. Will arrange disposal of old Newspapers and Magazines and ensure that the sale proceeds are deposited in the appropriate head of account.
(v) Will ensure the maintenance of discipline and decorum in the common room. Can permit the common room to stay open beyond the prescribed hour on a special occasion. Will pursue, at an appropriate level, all complaints relating to common room items like television.
(vi) With the assistance of the Mess Committee, S/He will supervise the functioning of the mess and the working of the Mess Managers/Supervisors, Cooks and Helpers under his/her charge. Will keep a watch over the cleanliness of the dining hall and the kitchen and of the food prepared.
(vii) Will conduct regular inspection of the kitchen room and the dining hall, especially when the residents take their meals. Will enforce discipline and decorum in the dining hall. Will supervise the system of purchases of mess stores, provision etc.
(vi) Will ensure the correctness of receipts and issues of mess stores, crockery etc. and of the stock balance and will attest all entries in the relevant stock register. Will check the valuation of the closing stock. Will ensure that stores are kept in good and efficient condition.
(viii) Will check and certify the bills received from suppliers with reference to the stock register. Will investigate cases of shortage/excess of stores.
(ix) Will be responsible for drawing temporary advance when necessary and for keeping watch over its adjustment. Will examine the monthly income and expenditure statement of the Mess.
(x) Will stop mess facilities in respect of residents defaulting payment of mess bills and recommend action to the Sr. Warden for eviction. Will stop mess facilities in respect of those who have vacated the hostel or have been evicted.
(xi) Will arrange disposal of empties, crockery etc. and ensure depositing of sale proceeds in the appropriate head of account.
(xii) Can grant casual leave to Mess Managers, Cooks and Helpers and recommend regular leave to the Sr. Warden/Dean of Students as per delegation of powers.
Office Staff
The Office Assistant/Junior Office Assistant/ Office Staff will be responsible for:
- Supervising the staff under his or her control, including the sanitation staff through the caretaker/sanitary guide. Checking and verifying the attendance of the staff under his control and custody of the attendance register.
- Grant, or recommend casual leave to the staff under his or her control in accordance with the rules. Keeping liaison with the Warden in the Hostel. Maintaining a list of residents along with their guardians’ permanent address and such other information as may be necessary.
- Maintaining close supervision over room vacancy. Checking the cash book and daily cash scroll with reference to relevant records, vouchers, etc.
- Preparing and maintaining the master list of hostel rooms indicating the student’s name, the programme of study, centre/school along with latest photographs, local and permanent address/tel. No. etc. (ii) Assisting the Warden in allotting rooms.
- Handing over possession of hostel rooms to allottees and obtaining from them an acknowledgement of furniture and fittings, in the prescribed Form. Maintaining individual resident’s files along with student’s activities data in the prescribed proforma on the file. Collecting and depositing guest room charges and issuing receipts to the guest.
- Maintain room inventories in respect of each room. Verifying hostel furniture, fittings, etc., periodically and also when a resident vacates room including on transfer within or outside the hostel and issuing a clearance certificate with reference to the items issued to the student and to charge damages if furniture/fittings are missing or broken, as per direction of Warden keeping in view the depreciation value.
- Reporting and pursuing complaints relating to civil/electrical works, repairs/ replacements of furniture, fittings, refrigerator, water cooler, water purifiers etc. and preparing a list of outstanding complaints with a view to ensuring that hostel life is smooth and neat and clean. The OA/JOA has to inspect his hostel at least once a week thoroughly and record any defects etc. which will be inspected by the Warden every week. He is required to report immediately in writing to the Warden Installation/ use of unauthorized equipment/appliances by residents e.g. air-conditioners, room coolers, refrigerators, gas cylinder/hotplate and cooking arrangement etc.
- Identifying room vacancy on due dates and to bring it to the notice of the Warden. Maintaining stock registers of furniture/ non-consumable/consumable stores history sheet register, as may be necessary. Once a week he has to come to work at 8 a.m. to locate leakages in water pipes, blockage of drainage, etc. He shall immediately report in writing to the Warden the presence of unauthorized guests/ persons if found living in hostel rooms/premises.
- Double locking residents’ rooms and their reopening as and when ordered by the competent authority. Assisting the Warden in eviction proceedings and preparing a list of personal belongings of evicted students and keeping them in stock
- Indenting hostel equipment and maintaining a stock register.
- Physical verification of cash balance at the end of the month and of cash coupons. Custody of receipt books and cheque books. Check and verify and attest all bill
- Supervisory check on all ledgers, registers and stock registers maintained in his or her office and ‘no dues’ certificate issued by the Cashier. Attending to the observations of internal audit. Checking the correctness of the pages of receipt books, Cheque books, cash coupons and cash books and to maintain proper records for these.
- Initiating write-off of fittings, furniture and equipment needing replacement. Preparing bank reconciliation statements as frequently as may be normally necessary. Maintenance of casual/compensatory leave account of staff and forwarding of applications for regular leave.
- Custody of imprest and maintenance of imprest accounts. Scrutiny and sign the wage bills of mess staff, depositing establishment charges/service charges to the Dean of Students office without delay. Keeping all application forms for various purposes in sufficient quantity Safe custody of receipt books lying in his possession and obtaining fresh receipt books when necessary
- Receipt and dispatch of all official correspondence. The OA/JOA will be responsible for the keys of hostel rooms when lying vacant or double locked.
- Writing Cheque and obtaining bank drafts. Refunding security amount, after necessary adjustments of dues, if any, to the resident students on the authority of Sr. Warden.
- Issuing ‘no dues’ certificate under the signature of Warden. Preparing a list of defaulters and submitting it to the -Office In charge.
- Preparing bills for newspapers and magazines and maintaining bill register. Assisting Warden concerned in the disposal of old newspapers, magazines, crockery, waste food, etc.
- Any other work assigned by the warden.
Coupon Clerk
Coupon Clerk will be responsible for:
- Custody of cash and cash coupons. Maintaining a cash book and its daily closing. Collecting cash/Cheque and issuing a receipt.
- Paying bills after due scrutiny and on the authority of Mess Warden. Remitting cash to the bank and maintaining bank receipts. Safe custody of receipt books which are used and in current use lying in his possession.
- Preparing and maintaining a daily cash scroll. Maintaining temporary advance register and keeping watch over the adjustment of such advances.
Mess Supervisor
Mess Manager/Supervisor will be responsible for:
- Supervising cooks, helpers and daily wage staff.
- Maintaining the attendance register of cooks, helpers, daily wage staff, obtaining approval of their leave applications from the Warden (Mess), and forwarding these to Deputy Registrar (Admn.). (Also see Chapter 7 on Attendance of Staff).
- Supervising the kitchen room and dining hall. Keeping watch over the quality and the hygienic preparation of food with reference to the menu. Maintaining an account of diets and preparation of connected records.
- Indenting, receipt and issue of mess stores, provision and crockery, etc. and maintaining a stock register and connected records. Filling of daily consumption/quanta and obtaining the signature of Mess Secretary and Mess Warden.
- Collecting and depositing guest charges. Safe custody of cash coupons in his possession. Preparing a fortnight report on mess expenditure and suggest to the mess committee of change, if required, in mess menu so as to keep mess bill for the month under control.
- Preparing bills including mess bill every month and maintaining of bill register. Preparing requisition of temporary advance and submitting adjustment bills. Preparing monthly income and expenditure statement and individual Mess Bills.
- Assisting the Purchase Committee in the purchase of mess stores. Assisting the Warden in the disposal of empties, old crockery and kitchenware. Conducting the physical verification of stock of mess stores under the Mess Secretary’s supervision.
- Issuing ‘No Dues Certificate’ in respect of mess charges. Submitting mess rebate applications to the Mess Warden for approval on the due date and keeping the proper entry in diet register and records of mess rebate of resident students.
- To look after the cleanliness in the kitchen, hostel premises and sanitation. To supervise the work of Sweepers/Sanitary Guides;
- To arrange reserve staff from the service provider and its deployment. Identify details of individual duties which are of daily nature and those of periodic nature so that staff remains continuously deployed during duty hours.
- Fix duty hours in the hostel in consultation with the wardens.
- Any other duty assigned by the Warden
Cook/ Helper Cook
Cook/Helper cook will be responsible for:
- Timely preparation of quality food under the guidance of the Mess Manager
- Ensuring cleanliness of the food and the kitchen, upkeep of kitchen equipment.
- Helping Mess Supervisor in receipt and issue of stores.
- Any other work assigned by Mess Supervisor/ Warden.
Server Cleaner
Server cleaners will be responsible for:
- Helping the cook in preparing food, cutting vegetables, cleaning rice, pulses, preparing chapattis, etc.
- Serving food to diners.
- Arranging of clean drinking water on the dining table.
- Cleaning kitchen, dining tables, crockeries, utensils, etc.
- Any other duty assigned by Mess Supervisor Warden.
Housekeeping Staff
Sanitary Staff will be responsible for:
- To keep building rooms, roads, lavatories, etc neat and clean.
- To make economical use of cleaning material.
- To bring to the notice of sanitary guide/Inspector/hostel authorities of the place (not allotted to him/her) where unsanitary conditions are noticed by hirn/her. To deposit garbage, etc, at designated places only.
- To perform other duties as may be assigned by the caretaker/hostel authorities/sanitary guide/Inspector.