The University Student Advisory Board voted to grant a permanent seat to the Lesbian and Gay Student Alliance at last night's meeting.

"I am very excited," said LGSA Co-director Jeff McCarty. "I wasn't sure it was going to come up as a permanent seat. I'm glad there was enough support for a permanent seat. Everyone feels LGSA is an established group and that we're eligible for a seat."

According to USAB's bylaws, new organizations on the board are supposed to have temporary membership for two years before a permanent seat can be gained, and temporary status must be re-applied for after the first year, said USAB Vice President Ken Martin.

USAB voted to suspend its bylaws and grant the organization a permanent seat a year early.

Martin said the bylaws were written that way so the board could make sure the organization stays in existence.

Members agreed that LGSA has a permanent place on campus.

McCarty said membership is up 72 percent from last year and that an increasing number of women are joining the organization.

LGSA was granted temporary membership last spring when it achieved the minimum two-thirds majority vote required by the board. That was the first vote that semester, but LGSA had to fight a long battle to achieve its seat.

During the spring of 1988, USAB members debated granting a seat to LGSA at almost every meeting. On April 28, 1988 three votes were taken, but LGSA was denied a seat on the board.

Last night, most USAB members said LGSA is important to the board.

"I am really happy about it," said Drew Maerz, the chairman for the Student Organization Budget Committee. "I think they deserve it. They have proven over the past year that they represent a group of individuals that aren't represented by any other group. I think they bring concerns before the rest of us that should and wouldn't normally be dealt with."

In other business, Martin spoke about the University's five-year parking plan.

In fall of 1990, the University is supposed to begin construction of a parking garage behind Eisenhower Auditorium, Martin said. The garage will:

-- Support additional faculty and staff.

-- Support the auditorium.

-- Support a proposed administrative building on Bigler Road.

-- Provide for reassignment of space in Parking Lot Brown F (HUB) for visitors.

Martin said that the garage would provide a net of 330 new spaces.

The construction will prevent use of 470 spaces in Parking Lots Blue D and Blue E, but the parking office will compensate for this by shifting parking around and adding 700 spaces to Parking Lot 44, Martin said.

During a closed portion of the meeting, USAB members complained and discussed about what can be done about what they termed The Daily Collegian's lack of coverage of certain organizations, said USAB President Judy Falce.

"We want to understand what the Collegian's priorities as a group are and we want to let them know what our priorities are," Falce said. "Our goal is to get more coverage on more informative and educational topics."

Falce said she is going to contact Collegian editor Diane Davis and ask her to bring a few staff members to talk to USAB members.