A rope fashioned into a noose was found in Henry Crown Sports Pavilion Friday morning.

The noose was placed on top of a table in the common area outside the locker rooms, according to a statement to The Daily from University senior leadership, including President Morton Schapiro; Provost Jonathan Holloway; Craig Johnson, the senior vice president for business and finance; Patricia Telles-Irvin, the vice president of student affairs; and Athletic Director Jim Phillips.

University Police is now investigating the incident, including a review of security footage, the statement read.

“As an entire leadership team, we are deeply disappointed and disturbed to hear that someone left a symbol of hate and intolerance on our campus overnight,” the statement read. “Such an act violates our values and the core commitments of the University. Any act of hate, whether intentional or careless, will not be tolerated.”

Investigators believe the noose was left on the table between 5 p.m. Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday.

The noose was first found by a patron, who then notified Margaret Larkin, a customer service employee and member at SPAC. She said she didn’t expect such an incident to happen in Evanston.

“There’s just some horrible person … who thinks that horrible symbol is just a joke or really wants to offend certain people, and I’m still disgusted by it several hours later,” she said.

Larkin then notified Mahito Henderson, the supervisor on duty. The Communication junior said he notified his boss afterward. Once UP was on the scene, they asked a series of questions, then left with the noose, he said.

Henderson said he was both shocked and confused by the incident. He added that he didn’t understand the placement of the noose, as it was not in an immediately noticeable location, despite being in a high-traffic area.

“It was a white nylon rope, you can’t really mistake it for anything else,” he said. “It was definitely a bit shocking to see it.”

Cameron Cook contributed reporting.

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