Tonight the University Student Advisory Board has the power to give the Lesbian and Gay Student Alliance a board seat, helping to improve campus sensitivity and representation for a group that deserves it.

This will be the third time the alliance has applied to the board for a seat. In the past, USAB -- formerly the University Student Executive Council -- has denied the alliance a seat, as many members questioned LGSA's legitimacy and called it a "special interest group."

USAB is the only official advisory board to University President Bryce Jordan. Created by a University Board of Trustees action in the early 1970s, the board was designed to best represent student views and interests to the University president.

As the University tries to become a more accepting place for all underrepresented people, it is essential that USAB expand its membership to accurately relay student concerns to Jordan.

The needs of gay men and lesbians are unique and cannot be accurately addressed by the current members on the board. Just as USAB recognizes that many groups on campus have special concerns -- be it a black student organization, women's groups or students involved in fraternities -- so should USAB recognize that gay men and lesbians deserve a voice.

Each person on USAB is not elected by the overall student population. In a sense, the board is a combination of special interest groups, of which LGSA deserves to be included.

Although there is no way of knowing exactly how many people LGSA represents, the estimated gay population at the University is 3,000 people -- a large minority which deserves a voice as much as the other groups on the board. Only USAB can give the group a voice that goes directly to Jordan.

With proper representation, USAB may be able to suggest ways to improve the lives of gay men and lesbians at the University. Accounts of vocal and physical attacks on gay men and lesbians on campus are staggering.

In a survey taken last year, 72 percent of gay men and lesbians reported that they had been harassed because of their sexual orientation. Last Spring Semester, the Campus Life Assistant Center received 30 complaints from people who were physically or verbally intimidated; 21 of the incidents involved gay men or lesbians.

No one should have to live in fear because of who they are. Homophobia --the fear of homosexuality -- is a reality at the University.

USAB can work tonight to fight this reality by giving LGSA the voice they have proven a need for and have persistently pursued.