Officials at Duke University have announced that an undergraduate at the school has come forward and admitted to hanging a noose from a tree on campus. Officials are, however, refusing to release the student's name.
According to the Associated Press, the unnamed student has left the campus but is still enrolled at the school. Duke is considering what disciplinary actions to take, school spokesman Michael Schoenfeld said at a news conference. AP notes that the student's school status could change, depending on the results of an investigation by law-enforcement officials and a student-conduct review.
School officials cited federal education law in explaining why they wouldn't release the student's "gender, race or whether the student had been in trouble in the past," according to AP.
The noose was found hanging from a tree 2 a.m. Wednesday in a plaza that is at the heart of campus, AP notes. People began posting photos of the noose to Twitter, which sparked concern among black students and staff on campus.
Henry Washington, vice president of the Black Student Alliance, told AP that he learned of the noose from Twitter and "that he and about 14 other students saw the noose hanging overnight."
"I appreciate that immediate action was taken both by the student community to identify a person and by the faculty to ensure that disciplinary action is taken," Washington told AP Thursday.
Read more at the Associated Press.