A racist symbol of hate has been found on a college campus in the D.C. area for the second time in a week.
A noose was discovered in the kitchen of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house on University of Maryland's campus in College Park, campus authorities announced Wednesday.
The University of Maryland Police Department said the noose was found at "Fraternity Row #5" between 1:30 and 1:45 p.m. last Thursday, April 27.
"This incident is is despicable. A thorough UMPD investigation is underway," University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh said in a statement. "I resolutely condemn the use of a symbol of violence and hatred for the purpose of intimidating members of our University of Maryland community."
Police are investigating the display as a hate/bias incident.
Members of the fraternity with students of multiple ethnic backgrounds were stunned, chapter president A.J. Coleman said.
"We are shocked and appalled. The chapter's reaction to this event has been confusion and outrage. For all of us, it is beyond the realm of belief that anyone could have perpetrated such a heinous act," he said.
Student Ifeanyi Ike-Azubogu said he was appalled to hear what happened.
"It's sad and disgusting," he said.
Student Jordan Glenn described the climate on campus.
"Being a black student at UMD is kind of heartbreaking. I live right behind there, and it's just, I didn't think this would happen on my own campus. It just sucks to have racism so close to home," she said.
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On Monday, bananas marked with the letters "AKA," the abbreviation for the historically black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, were found in at least three locations on American University's campus in D.C. The FBI's Civil Rights division is helping American University investigate.
In 2015, a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity on campus sent a profane email telling fellow frat brothers not to invite African-American, Asian and Indian women to parties. Students protested how the administration handled the incident, and the student who sent the email left the school.
