The new organization will host social events, such as "tails" and formals, for students who are unaffiliated or simply interested. Unaffiliated students often do not have the opportunity to attend invite-only events at Greek houses otherwise, she said.
"At these events you have to be invited by an affiliated student," she said. "It creates a power dynamic."
The group advertised its arrival with campus emails at the beginning of the term, and 138 students signed up to receive information about future events.
Although the group has attracted significant attention, its status will remain informal, Taskova said. The group is not recognized by the Council on Student Organizations.
Taskova said that on a personal level, she has not always been satisfied with the social scene, especially when it comes to meeting others in a meaningful way.
"I don't like meeting people in a frat basement when they're drunk," she said.
Students who joined Dartmouth Social Affairs said that they are excited for the new opportunity to meet others.
Member Michael Otte '13 said he sees this as a chance to connect with other unaffiliated students in his final year, while other students said they are looking forward to the new social dynamics that the group may offer.
Dan Oon '14, a member of the Tabard coed fraternity, noted what he saw as an exclusive nature of Greek life at the College.
"In my experience, the social scene here is very polarized," Oon said. "We have the typical fraternities and sororities and the very liberal houses like Tabard. We don't really have a social scene in between."
For others, Dartmouth Social Affairs represents a new experience.
"It's sort of something to try out, just to see if it might open other things for me," Gareth Roberg-Clark '14 said.
Members are gearing up for a "tails" event with Sigma Nu fraternity later this month, Taskova said.
Sig Nu social chair Austin Pogue '13 said that the fraternity accepted the event proposal because the group offers a change from its usual events.
"We've had invite tails' or open tails,' but we've had nothing with an organization that isn't Greek-related," he said. "Assuming they don't destroy the house, I can't see how anything could go wrong. It could potentially be awesome."
The group also received initially positive responses from both Psi Upsilon fraternity and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity about hosting events, Taskova said. Psi U, however, will not hold any events this term due to its recent social probation.
SAE decided to forgo having a Dartmouth Social Affairs event this term due to campus alcohol regulations and party registration logistics, house president Michael Fancher '13 said.
"One of the reasons we decided against it this term was it was very unclear how many people were coming," Fancher said, "It seemed like we were exposing ourselves to risk."
SAE social chair Cole Adams '13 said that additional risks stem from the administration's heightened scrutiny of fraternities.
"In general, letting people into your space, you have to take responsibility for their actions," he said.
Despite the initial stall in social programming, SAE remains open to proposals for future alternative social events.
Although the event attendees will be unaffiliated, the campus regulations remain unchanged.
Safety and Security director Harry Kinne said that "tails" events for unaffiliated students will face the same regulations as all-Greek events and will be subject to the same Social Event Management Procedures.
"Regardless if someone is affiliated or unaffiliated, they're treated the same way," Kinne said.
