"Stop The Hate" has come to the Queen City. Based in Charlotte, NC, the national organization Campus Pride is hosting the premier bias and hate crime prevention program locally to benefit the Carolinas as well as colleges across the country. Today through Wednesday, trainers will help students, faculty and staff learn how to prevent and combat bias and hate crimes on campus, and foster the development of community.

The event is, perhaps, particularly important in light of a recent hate-motivated incident on the campus of East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. In October, two male students verbally and physically attacked two women they believed to be lesbians. The university's chancellor has spoken out on the incident.

The Stop The Hate Train The Trainer Program allows top administrators, student affairs professionals, faculty and students to learn new innovative tools to take action on hate crimes and bias-motivated violence issues on his/her campus. The only resource of it's kind specifically for college campuses, the Stop The Hate 250+ page premiere training manual and three day, 18-20 hour Train The Trainer program was developed in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, Association of College Unions International, Campus Pride, The Southern Poverty Law Center, Wilbron Institute, Matthew Shepard Foundation, Napa Valley College Criminal Justice Training Center and the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.

The Charlotte event includes participation from nearly 10 different colleges across the U.S. Local participating schools include Pfeiffer University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Funding support was provided by Food Lion. The training location was provided in partnership with Holy Trinity Church and Time Out Youth.

Find out more information online at www.stophate.org.