Rhode Island College is a small state school located in Providence, RI. There is approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students at RIC. The low balled statistics is that approximately 10% of the population identifies as LGBTQ, so there is approximately 900 LGBTQ students on campus.

College is a time when students are learning about themselves and creating their identities which often means looking at sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. There needs to be a designated space where students feel like they can safely go and seek resources, support, social interaction, and education on these highly sensitive topics.

There needs to be staff who can help address issues on campus that a club such as Helping Others Promote Equality can't handle by themselves, such as helping students change their names and pronouns with professors, help changing legal documentation, help in addressing homophobia and trans phobia in housing and other areas on campus, providing safe space training for staff, and connecting students to LGBTQ friendly mental health services both on and off campus.

The University of Rhode Island has a LGBTQ center on their campus and it has greatly improved the LGBTQ friendliness on campus and made the campus a safer place for LGBTQ students. It is only fair that Rhode Island College follows their successful path to LGBTQ equality on campus.