Scott Martins, a fourth year Criminology student, was hired as the Students’ Union’s next Executive Vice President Brantford on February 10th. Martins, the current Associate Vice President of Internal Operations, has had his eye on the EVP position ever since he got his current job.

“I had it in my head that I wanted to do this when I got my AVP position,” Martins said.

The news of Martins being hired as EVP didn’t surprise Mel Burke, the current Executive Vice President.

“It was a long time coming,” says Burke. “I’m happy for him. He’ll have a great time,”

In the tradition of Executive Vice Presidents’, Martins also started at the bottom and worked his way to the top. Martin’s became a general volunteer for Foot Patrol in his first year, and then was promoted to the Executive of Communications for Foot Patrol the year after that, and promoted to Foot Patrol coordinator the following year. As a resident of Brantford, Martins didn’t get the chance to live in residence so he thought that getting involved in the Students’ Union would be a great opportunity to meet people.

“I generally am a shy person,” admits Martins. “I got involved to meet people and further my university experience.”

Besides gaining friendships, Martins has always liked being involved and the responsibility leadership roles offer, another reason for him to volunteer in the Students’ Union.

“Getting involved is a big part of the university experience. I’ve always liked the feeling of having responsibility and having people depend on me,” says Martins.
Martin guesses that his friends would describe him as sarcastic and reliable, and that his co-workers would describe him much in the same way. Student Affairs Coordinator, Ross Fraser, confirms.

“He has a very dry wit,” Fraser said, “I’m excited to see him in his new leadership role.”

Martins describes himself as passionate, dedicated and professional when it counts.

“I like to have fun and create a fun work environment but it’s important to jump into that professional role when the time comes,” he says.
Burke attests to his hard work ethic.

“He’s like a piece of coal – under pressure he becomes a diamond,” she says.
Though he was the only applicant, Martins is positive he’s right for the job. He lists his current job and past experiences with the Union as reasons why he’s a good candidate. His current job allows him to work closely with Burke, and observe the role and work responsibilities.

“I really like the way Mel did things,” Martins said, and adds that he doesn’t plan on making any radical changes.

He does, however, plan to implement an operational agreement between the Students’ Union and Student Services, implement performance appraisals for coordinators by general volunteers and focus on growth, accountability, and visibility.

He also plans on keeping the lines of communication strong through an open door policy; students would then have the opportunity to admire Martin’s office artwork, mainly the yellow plastic mold of his grandfather’s rear.
Martin officially starts his new position on May 1st.