IFC leaders praise Horowitz

IFC Vice President Scott Litman admits that issues such as the Commission report and the conflicts that occurred during the first weekend of school. When College senior Hayden Horowitz assumed the office of InterFraternity Council president last November, he said improving the IFC's image would be one of his chief concerns. Now, 10 months later, Horowitz said he believes he has met this goal. And, judging from the comments of fellow fraternity officials, his opinion is not unfounded. Zeta Beta Tau President Stephen Karasik said communication is a particular strength of the IFC leader. "Everyone's voice is heard," said the College senior and Daily Pennsylvanian sports writer. "It's a delicate thing, where you need the cooperation of all the fraternities to make it work. "I think Hayden's done a great job. He's very committed," he added. "I know he's been involved, and so far I'm very impressed with what he's done." Achieving and maintaining a positive image has not come without its complications, though. From responding to revised rush suggestions from the Commission on Strengthening the Community to reacting to fraternity brothers' brushes with the law, Horowitz has had his share of touchy situations. "There are things that arise at times, but we were able to handle those well," he said. "As for this year, it's the beginning of the year, and this sort of stuff happens." Horowitz himself said that, while the demands of his position are perhaps slightly more than he bargained for, the effort pays off. "I knew it was going to be a lot," he said. "I don't think I expected to have to deal with the Commission report in the way that I did. As tiring as the workload can often be, it can be very rewarding as well." The Commission report, issued last semester, recommended that fraternity rush be delayed until spring semester, when sorority rush is held. Last week, the IFC struck a one-year compromise with the University administration that keeps rush a part of the fall semester, but shortens it to three weeks instead of the usual five. Ed Skyler, IFC vice president for rush, paints a glowing picture of Horowitz as a dedicated individual who is aware of his priorities. "He's got a great perspective on the issues," Skyler said. "Everything with him is well thought out." Skyler explained that Horowitz's unique perspective helps to focus the IFC executive board on what is important. "He focuses not only on immediate gains, but also on the long-term strength of the system," he said. "He's not going to do anything that he thinks would help the system now that would hurt it later." And if first impressions are everything, then Horowitz passed the test in the eyes of College and Wharton junior Piyush Agarwal. Having only recently taken on the presidency of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, Agarwal said the minimal exposure he has had with Horowitz has been favorable. "I think he has analyzed policies the administration wants and analyzed policies the fraternities want, and I think he has sought out the best compromises that are possible," he said. Horowitz, himself, keeps an optimistic outlook. "I certainly think we've improved the IFC's image," he said. "I'd like to continue to improve relations with everybody. I think a lot of what we are doing works towards this goal."

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