Following a call from the upper administration for students to support one another after the Wednesday morning discovery of a noose on the Bryan Center Plaza, many campus organizations and offices left their doors open to facilitate dialogue and provide safe spaces.
Throughout the day, student groups and University institutions—such as the Black Student Alliance, the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association and the Center for Multicultural Affairs—hosted protests, forums and open discussions. The most prominent example was a forum held at 5 p.m. on the Chapel steps, featuring President Richard Brodhead and Provost Sally Kornbluth, among other campus leaders. Across several departments, some professors moved late afternoon classes to allow students to attend the forum on the Chapel steps. The forum came a few hours after several hundred students marched from the West Campus bus stop to the plaza as a demonstration against the incident.
In addition to these campus-wide events, however, a number of organizations spoke out against the noose and offered support to those affected.
Counseling and Psychological Services
Several hours after Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta sent an email to the student body condemning the incident and encouraging students to take advantage of resources such as Counseling and Psychological Services, CAPS issued a blog post of its own.
"Just as reactions to controversial events vary across campus, they also vary among the CAPS staff. We are each uniquely affected and respond with an array of complex emotions and viewpoints," a CAPS blog post read. "At the same time, we strive to understand and respect perspectives that may be different from our own. Therefore, we join voices in making this pledge to all Duke students: your perspectives, values, and experiences will be welcome at CAPS, you will be safe, you will be respected, and you will be heard."
The Four Greek Councils
A letter was also sent to all students involved in fraternity and sorority life, signed by the presidents of the four greek councils.
"As a greek community, we are all committed to the same fundamental beliefs of deep friendship, mutual respect and community," the letter reads. "We will not stand for hateful actions to occur on our campus."
Mi Gente
Mi Gente, the Latino/a student organization, encouraged members to attend the march and forum via Facebook, urging them to "stay engaged."
The group's Facebook page also featured a schedule of events which members could attend to participate in discussions and show solidarity with BSA.
Muslim Students Association
In a statement on Facebook, the Muslim Students Association tagged BSA and offered its resources at the Center for Muslim Life, as well as the services of chaplain Imam Adeel Zeb to students affected.
"The Duke Muslim community stands in solidarity with all marginalized humans here at Duke and beyond," the statement reads. "We strongly condemn the cowardly, hateful act that occurred late last night, and all systems in place that perpetuate these types of atrocities. This semester has been fraught with challenges for various minority groups, including our own."
The Fuqua School of Business
Bill Boulding, dean of the Fuqua School of Business, authored a letter to the school Wednesday.
"This act of hatred strikes at the very foundation of our community," the letter reads. "We cannot afford to remain silent and we will not let fear and hatred win."
Class of 2018
Freshmen wrote messages of support on the sidewalk stretching from the Marketplace to Lilly Library in an event called "Chalk the Walk."
"This has to matter to you," read one message. "We are one Duke. It can be better, we will be better," read another.
Notification of Parents
Parents of undergraduate students were informed of the incident via an email sent shortly after noon.
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