There will a mayor-student forum, focusing on the current and future events in Normal, with Mayor Chris Koos at 4:30 p.m. today in the Founder’s Suite at the Bone Student Center.

The forum, organized by the Off-Campus Student Association (OCSA), wishes to not only inform, but also get people involved in making a difference in Normal.

One of the OCSA’s goals is to make a better town for students. After attending the forum, students can work with OCSA to implement changes.

While ISU makes up a large percentage of Normal, David Marquis, OCSA president, thinks the majority of students stay in the campus world and know little about what goes on in town.

The forum will last for 30 minutes. Koos will speak for about half of the time regarding activities going on in Normal, while the other 10 to 15 minutes will be set aside for questions from students.

Students can also submit questions to the OCSA’s Facebook page found under Illinois State Off-Campus Student Association.

Questions that are not answered will be sent to Koos, so they can be put on his radar and be responded to.

Marquis wants to keep the event an informal affair, and make it a dialogue between the mayor and ISU students.

“We really want students to realize it’s their town too, and it’s not just a place where they come and go to school and then leave,” Marquis said.

Students can sometimes forget Normal is as much their community as it is to those who live in town year-round, Marquis added.

Some of the mayor’s topics will discuss off-campus recycling, off-campus living and community safety policies.

While Marquis cannot guarantee the mayor will have an answer for every question, it will at least bring certain issues to Koos’ attention.

After the forum, the OCSA will have its first spring meeting.

The half-hour meeting will deal with the organization’s plans for the rest of the semester.

The OCSA is a fairly new organization, having formed just last fall.

It focuses on helping students with matters such as off-campus apartments and creating an off-campus student community for those who cannot be a part of on-campus life every day.

As far as Marquis is aware, this is the first time a forum like this has been done between ISU and the mayor.

If it is deemed successful, he hopes they can do it again.

Students interested in the OCSA can visit www.isuocsa.org.