House Manager

[Optimist Prime]

I was recently appointed my chapters house manager. What do I do? WE've never had a house before. We're young, only been a chapter for about three weeks now. Do I handle improvements? I guess my main function is to keep the house in order, if/when we get one. I guess I'm the one the police talk toif they're called.

[BrianMUDU]

This is our chapters House Manager description:

House Manager
Function:
To be responsible for the physical plant and have authority to get brothers to clean and respect house property.
Responsibilities:
1. To maintain an inventory of all supplies.
2. To maintain upkeep of house tools and equipment.
3. To be knowledgeable of all safety and fire regulations.
4. To make up a daily work schedule for the upkeep of the bathrooms, living rooms, and chapter rooms.
5. To set the thermostat at a reasonable, cost efficient setting.
6. To maintain a current listing of all necessary companies and correspondents.
7. To buy necessary products for the house.
8. To apply for yearly food service and boiler room permits.
9. To delegate responsibility to his assistant and to organize announced work sessions.
General Information:
This is a very time consuming and sometimes frustrating position. It is through the house manager’s motivation and dedication that the house will stay clean.

[James]

Be calm, take a deep breath . . .

Well start by writing those things down as a checklist so you know you are performing your entire job.

And start doing the stuff . . . like getting a fire code, and taking inventory.

Make sure you set up a written schedule for clean-ups, preferably posted on a big poster so the person's name and responsibility is clearly there . . . Work with your Exec board on this.

If you know people in other Fraternities on campus, call them and ask for the house managers number. Get together and talk to them and see what the pitfalls are, buy them lunch.

Call other chapters, your National website should have a chapter list and phone numbers, and talk to their housing managers.

I would talk to at least 5.

Do you have a housing corp to deal with?

After you have a the big picture in your mind, start working on abudget and the other things you will need.

Oh, go buy a 3 ring notebook so you can write everything you are doing down, contact info etc, and make it journal style in one section so the next poor bastard that gets stuck with your thanless job doesn't have to reinvent the wheel.

You should do fine

Take care.

James

[Optimist Prime]

wow thanks peoples.

No, no housing corp to deal with. Actully, there is just me and three other people leasing a house. And since we are the only four living a house, not an apartment, it is now the chapter house. Cool huh? Anyway, yeah...i think i will talk to other chapters and uh...i guess make sure we don't run out of toilet paper, and make sure everyone pitches in to clean, etc. Cool, cool.

[Tom Earp]

Bill(y) been there when we were a local! I was lucky enuff that all of the Guys worked to keep the house neat and lookin nice!

As it goes along the House managers job gets harder as no one wnats to help clean the chapter house!
To be House Mgr. now is great, you wont have to do that much!

Later down the road, the House MGR. JOB is the toughest!

[AlphaSigLana]

I am house manager and these are a few things I do
1) Keep up the check book- I pay our cook
2) do inventory- buy supplies when needed
3) act as a go between the house director(house mom- non active member) and the girls in the house
4) Inform housing corp of major problmes
5)keep up house morale: decorate etc
6)Keep up boards regarding campus and greek happenings
7)Teh previous house manager made a chore board using a cork board and key hooks. Each week the chores are roatated. there are free weeks. Each girl gets a chore or free week and then each sunday i move their name to the next chore. The names are in alphabetical order. There is a list of what each chore entails. WE still use this chore board. House manager and if the president live in the house don't do chores(WE are too busy with other house stuff). If chores aren't done they are charged $5 a day. The house director collects the fines she checks the chores to make sure they are done properly.
8) I hold house meetings once a month usually the first Monday of each month after regular meeting.
I think that is about it.

[SuperSister]

a little off topic but . . . you have a cook?!?!?

at the university i go to each girl living in a house cooks for herself. most get meal plans and eat on campus because they are so close. out of curiousity how are meals set up for the residents of your house?

[shadokat]

Make sure that your house complies with all the rules of Theta Chi housing. I know that Theta Chi has alcohol free housing. If the house is an unofficial house, make sure you get insurance for the house. You can talk to your HQ about that. You must follow all of the FIPG rules to get the insurance, and you can get FIPG information at www.thetachi.org. There are a bunch of forms and such I'm sure.

Other than that, it's all about keeping it clean, making sure you have TP and the like

[AlphaSigLana]

YEah we have a cook who comes in and cooks lunch and dinner. They aren't spectacular meals or anything. We odn't have maids though that would be nice.
If I had to do it all over again I would never be house manager or live in the house. Too much bs.

[Optimist Prime]

thanks peeps,

I haven't checked this thread in a while. This is unoffical post number 1111. Any way, my first job as house management/ housing commite chair is to FIND A HOUSE!!!!