To the Rev. Gary White, the Project Dialogue series, “Why We Hate,” seems more salient than ever given the recent alleged anti-gay campus assault.

“The topic of ‘Why We Hate’ was selected because of the theme’s relevance to current world events,” said White, associate director of Religious Life. “Unfortunately, the theme has proven to be quite relevant to on-campus events this year as well.”

Project Dialogue, a series of lectures and forums that channels conversations around current societal problems, will “bridge the antagonism diving the (Jewish and Muslim) communities” in its next event, according to the program Web site.

“Abraham’s Bridge: A Jewish-Muslim Dialogue,” to be held Tuesday, will discuss similarities between the two groups and address nonviolent strategies for cooperation on a world stage.

Previous events include speeches by renowned author and political scientist Gore Vidal and by Jenan Mohajir, an education outreach associate for the Interfaith Youth Core.

White said he hopes students and faculty members will learn from honest dialogue about the flaws within society.

“It can be a dangerous thing to risk dialogue, and that's why we don't see too much of it,” he said. “We want students, faculty and staff to genuinely engage each other on reflections as to why we hate and then move the conversations to action.”

Students hold a variety of opinions about hate in the community. Freshman Katye Stone said she does not feel it dominates campus culture.

“As of yet, I haven’t seen any hate,” Stone said. “I think that most people have respect for others.”

But Sophomore Sean Cardell said he thinks hate, whether obvious or subtle, exists in any community.

“You can’t exactly prevent hate,” he said. “You can change their hearts, but it cannot be prevented completely.”