Lincoln vlogger attacks university staff ‘bonuses’

A vlogger at the University of Lincoln has attacked the institution’s decision to hand out bonuses to its staff.

YouTuber and Media Production student Alice Thorpe – who makes videos for the channel ‘ohhitsonlyalice’ – recently took to Twitter to criticise the decision.

She said: “Nice to see that our extra £250 student fees next year have been wisely spent…£40 bonuses for all member[s] of staff. GREAT.”

The bonus – known as the All Staff Award –  is in the form of £40 worth of high street vouchers.

The scheme has been running since 2013 and is ‘a gesture of thanks for the contribution of staff at all levels and from all areas of the institution’.

When approached for a statement, the university told The Linc that the All Staff Award has been funded through the central payroll budget.

In 2016, it was given to around 2,400 members of staff, which included core staff, casual workers and students employed through Campus Jobs.

A University of Lincoln spokesperson said: “The University has had one of its most successful years ever, placing in the top 10 in the UK for teaching quality and student experience and among the country’s top 50 universities.

“It is through the hard work and talents of colleagues from across the whole of the institution that the University continues to go from strength to strength and delivers an award-winning student experience.”

Alice Thorpe has previously promoted the University of Lincoln on her YouTube channel, which currently has over 23,000 subscribers.

After contacting Alice for comment, she said that the tweet has been ‘really misunderstood’.

“I’m very happy that hard-working staff members are getting a bonus. This isn’t an issue and I think that’s very well deserved.

“My issue is with the fees rising even more – all of which I did explain on Twitter,” she said.

From the next academic year in September, students at the University of Lincoln will pay £9,250 a year for their tuition, after fees were recently increased by £250.