Even as the city's stiffened ordinance on party noise enters its second month, student leaders aren't ready to back down on their wishes to alter the policy.

MSU's undergraduate student government will host a forum for students to voice their concerns about the policy at 7 p.m. Thursday in Wonders Hall Kiva. Organizers are expecting several city and student leaders to participate in the discussion.

"We are having this to give people an opportunity to let students and community leaders know how they feel about this," said Lynsey Little, the director of community affairs for ASMSU.

Amidst complaints about incessant noise, the East Lansing City Council adopted an ordinance on Sept. 2 that mandates jail time and fines up to $1,000 for the most severe party-noise offenders.

"We keep hearing people are upset, but we need to hear it directly," Little said.

During Thursday's ASMSU Student Assembly meeting, representatives responded to the policy by passing a resolution of their own. The resolution criticized the city for "undermining" recent efforts to repair the relationship between student and permanent residents.

Student leaders have said they were "sidestepped" in the process when city officials completed the policy.

In the weeks since the council adopted the ordinance, students began a petition to have it overturned and the Lansing branch of the American Civil Liberties Union questioned its constitutional ramifications.

East Lansing City Manager Ted Staton said he doesn't find it "unhealthy for students to express what they sense is frustration about a process."

Staton, though, said officials "sought extensive input into this noise problem for seven months last year and what resulted was serious penalties for people that host large, dangerous, nuisance parties."

The policy defines party noise as having at least two party indicators such as entrance fees, kegs, live entertainment, loud outdoor music or having more than one person per 20 square feet of living space.

Since police began enforcing the ordinance on Sept. 5, 11 party hosts have been cited at four parties in the city. Nobody has been cited under the new policy during the past two weekends.

Police and city leaders have noted a drop in loud parties since the policy was adopted and they are attributing it to awareness of the new rules.

But Staton said city officials want to listen to what students have to say. Several officials, including Staton, are planning to attend Thursday's forum.

"It is going to be primarily a lesson, perhaps to let people vent frustration, but for constructive suggestions about addressing this problem in another way," he said.

"I don't think there is any doubt there is a problem to be addressed here."