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Noose found hanging from tree at Duke University

A noose made of yellow rope was found hanging from a tree at Duke University on Wednesday morning.

A noose made of thin yellow rope was found hanging from a tree on the Bryan Center Plaza at Duke University early Wednesday morning.

Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, says investigations are under way to identify the person responsible for the noose.

“I can’t begin to describe the disgust and anger I felt, and still feel, he wrote in an email to the student body. “Though it has since been removed, the photos are everywhere and its hateful message will sadly pervade and persist for a long time.

If the culprit intended to arouse fear, Moneta said, he or she will ultimately accomplish just the opposite.

“Today, fear will be among the reactions students, and especially, students of color, will have, he wrote. “Be assured that the Duke community will provide all the support necessary to help us all get through this. In time, each of these cowardly acts of bias and hatred will strengthen our resolve to love and support each other.”

The Chronicle, the student paper, reports that the noose, which was removed at about 2:45 a.m., appeared on campus roughly two weeks after some students allegedly sang a racist song at an African-American female student.

The Duke People of Color Caucus, an anonymous student group that was created after the young woman reported the alleged chanting, first reported on the noose with a picture on its Tumblr page.

“Please take care of yourselves and each other,” the photo caption reads. “This campus is not a safe space, and has proven beyond any doubt that it is a hostile environment for any and all black people.”

The Bryan Center Plaza is the home of the offices for several progressive resources on campus, such as the Center for Multicultural Affairs and the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Late last month, a former University of Mississippi student, Graeme Phillip Harris of Alpharetta, Ga., was indicted on charges of violating civil rights for a similar incident on that campus in February 2014.

A noose and a former Georgia state flag, which featured the Confederate battle flag, had been left on a statue of James Meredith, who was the first African-American person to attend the university in 1962.

Any Duke students who need support — or have information about the noose — are asked to call Counseling and Psychological Services at 919-660-1000, DukeReach at 919-681-2455, or the Duke University Police Department at 919-684-2444.