UC San Diego police are investigating an incident in which a rope resembling a noose was found suspended in a campus stairwell. 
 
 The thin piece of rope, crudely fashioned into a loop, was found July 21 in a stairwell in Mandeville Hall, an auditorium that hosts recitals and other performing arts. 
 
 So far, police have no leads on who might have created the noose and are seeking help identifying witnesses. 
 
 It is the latest incident with racial overtones to emerge on the campus in recent months. Another dangling noose was found in a campus library in February, drawing condemnation and sparking a protest rally attended by hundreds of students. A student later admitted to and apologized for hanging the rope and was suspended. 
 
 Racial tensions also were heightened earlier this year by an off-campus party, termed a “Compton Cookout,” that mocked Black History Month. That incident also set off protests and drew national attention to the campus, where African American students comprise fewer than 2% of undergraduates. 

 UC San Diego investigating report of another noose 
 
  UCSD police are investigating a report that a noose was found on campus July 21 suspended from a stairwell in Mandeville Hall. 
 
 A noose also was found on campus in late February. 
 
 The thin piece of rope found last week was “crudely fashioned in a loop resembling a noose,” said Jeffrey Gattas, executive director for university communications and public affairs. 
 
 “The police put out a campus notice on an internal list and posted some signs ... the university takes these events very seriously and will take appropriate action,” Gattas said Wednesday night. 
 
 The UCSD Police Department is investigating and seeking witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at (858) 534-4359, or send an e-mail to detective@ucsd.edu. 
 
 A rash of racially charged incidents at UCSD began in early February when a group of students held an off-campus party mocking Black History Month. That event and the discovery of the first noose and a KKK-style hood in the heart of the campus prompted demonstrations and a temporary takeover of the chancellor’s office. 
 
 On Feb. 25, a noose was found on the seventh floor of the Geisel Library. An unidentified student told the campus newspaper that she had placed it there and that it was a “stupid mistake.” She was suspended. 
 
 On March 1, the KKK-style hood was found draped over a statue of Theodor Seuss Geisel, the children’s author for whom the library is named.
– For the second time this year, an object resembling a noose was found at UC San Diego, raising concerns about racism on campus. The crudely fashioned rope loop was found near a performing arts venue, reports the Los Angeles Times. In February, a similar object was found in a campus library and in March a KKK-style hood was placed over a school statue, notes the Union Tribune. These incidents, combined with an off-campus party that allegedly mocked Black History Month, have sparked student protests and drawn national media attention. Hanging a noose with "intent to terrorize" can bring up to a year in jail, notes the Times.