IFC Pres. Horowitz is straight talker

Hayden Horowitz considers himself a "well-rounded person." And after discussing topics from the Philadelphia Eagles to American history, one gets the impression that he is right. The College junior is at ease talking about any subject, even the tough issues he will have to confront as the IFC's next president. As president of Phi Sigma Kappa, Horowitz has already dealt with matters like risk management for parties and hazing. And he has overseen the fraternity's Phoenix-like rise from the ashes of probation. Phi Sig was placed on probation in 1991 as a result of hazing practices and other violations of policies concerning alcohol. Horowitz recalled recently that he was committed to "restoring the chapter back to respectable standing. "When I became president I noticed the previous treasurer just kept the balance in his head," Horowitz said. "That does not work very well." Phi Sig underwent drastic changes under Horowitz's leadership. He made sure that records for nearly everything – financial transactions, scholarship files and lists of alumni – were kept. Renovations were done on the basement and first floor of the fraternity's Locust Walk house. "People started to care more about the image of the house?.We were not going to let anyone in and damage what we had done," Horowitz said. Last semester, he even authored a plan for how Phi Sig would coordinate all of its fall activities. As a result, Phi Sig was taken off probation by both its national office and the University. Horowitz proudly notes that Phi Sig was removed from its national probation two years early and the University's probation a year early. In recognition of his accomplishments, Horowitz was rewarded with the IFC's outstanding sophomore award at the Greek awards banquet last semester. But Horowitz says he is not willing to rest on his laurels, which is why he decided to run for IFC president rather than a second term as Phi Sig president. Like his predecessor Morris Massel, Horowitz said he thinks improving the IFC's image will be one of his most important concerns during his tenure. He said the IFC will remain very active in community service activities, and he plans to make sure the University community is aware of the IFC's efforts. "Fraternity presidents are tired of having to justify their existence," he said. The Greek system's alcohol policy is another issue he will have to address during his tenure. Horowitz has experience dealing with this issue. He is currently a member of the Greek Peer Judicial Board, the body in charge of holding hearings for and levying sanctions against fraternities and sororities that have violated the alcohol policy. He describes the process of Greeks governing themselves as a "process that is still evolving." Horowitz is a believer in an internal process for disciplining Greeks. Since the alcohol policy was written by Greeks and for Greeks, he said, hearings and probations should be handled without having to let the entire University know what is going on. But this does not mean fraternities can get away with breaking the rules. "The GPJB has been functioning," Horowitz said, indicating that there have been hearings this semester to determine whether fraternities have violated the alcohol policy. Overall, Horowitz said, he was pleased with how Massel ran the IFC and expects the IFC to continue to flourish under his leadership. "I hope when my term ends that the IFC is even better off than when I came in," he said. "The opportunity is there."