Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. chose to hold a campus forum on Tuesday after six rainbow colored nooses were found hung on a tree on campus, WKRN-TV reports.
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Austin Peay State University President Alisa White told students Tuesday that the unnamed student who made them was concerned about the perception of the display and apologetic.
As it turns out, they were part of a student art project.
Duke University faced a similar issue just a year ago when a noose was found hanging from a tree near the student Union. “I am saddened, and I am sorry for the hurt and offence this has caused”. “I am deeply sorry for the impact this has had on our campus community and we will learn from this and ensure something like this does not happen again”.
The incident incited anger from some African-American students on campus who argued that the punishment was light.
The student will not face disciplinary action from the school and was allegedly not aware of what the nooses meant.
APSU spokesman Bill Pesinger says someone called campus police about the display Monday afternoon. In 2014, two University of MS student pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights crime after hanging a noose around the neck of a statue. “My first reaction was like, why are there nooses on campus?”
In a statement from the university, the student, whose identity was not disclosed, said: ‘My intention with my sculpture project was to address the cycle of death and rebirth that is represented by the arrival of spring.
Davenport also acknowledged a need for a change in the school’s art display policy on campus.
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Police removed the installation saying that they didn’t know what to make of the brightly colored ropes.
