The third session of Stop the Hate will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Pioneer Student Center. The event is open to all students, especially those interested in putting a stop to hate crimes.

Stop the Hate is a program that occurs only a few times a year, and covers what hate crimes really are. The program covers hate in general, and gives definitions and real-life scenarios. There is plenty of time for group discussion in an environment that is safe and friendly.

“People really speak their minds,” Hanah Diebold, Stop the Hate trainer, said.

Stop the Hate is in its third year at UW-Platteville, and was brought here when Diebold attended a national conference through the Association of College Union International. At the conference she learned about the program, and with the help of Anna Mroch, resident director of Wilgus Hall, and Val Wetzel, assistant director of the Pioneer Involvement Center, she brought it to the campus.

Wetzel said Stop the Hate is about realizing how serious simple jokes and statements at another person’s expense can turn bad.

“It starts with a joke,” Wetzel said. “We don’t start to understand how words hurt; this is hate that doesn’t need to be continued.”

By attending Stop the Hate, students are educated on what hate crimes mean and how to speak up against them.

“People start to look at things differently,” Diebold said. “They have picked up on what they’re saying,” The program aims to empower people to realize the consequences of what their words mean to others, and reevaluate jokes that are said in everyday situations.

People too often rely on other people to speak up instead of doing so themselves. This program is designed to empower everyone to stand up and speak against hate speech and crimes, Wetzel said.

Students and faculty also have an opportunity to further their learning in Stop the Hate by becoming a trainer. The Chancellor awarded Wetzel a grant to train 10 people with National Trainers. The three-day session will be occurring at the end of May, with more information to come soon. Those who go will be trained to present Stop the Hate programs and be a voice against hate, Wetzel said.

In addition to the general Stop the Hate presentation, staff members are also incorporating versions of the program into classrooms and organizations. Mroch has already presented two classroom presentations, and others are showing a growing interest in expanding the program as well.

“Everyone should go to Stop the Hate,” Mroch said. “This is something no one can escape; everyone needs to go to this or something like it to learn to work with people of a different background.”