A noose was discovered hanging from a tree on the Bryan Center Plaza early Wednesday morning. Reports on social media showed a photo of the noose, made with a thin yellow rope, with several students linking the incident to racially charged motivations. The noose was removed from the tree prior to 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. Two police officers were on the scene speaking to a group of several concerned students shortly after reports surfaced online.

The incident comes approximately two weeks after students allegedly chanted a racist song at a Black female student, which prompted President Richard Brodhead and Provost Sally Kornbluth to send an email to the student body affirming Duke's commitment to racial equality.