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.”