Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2017, a staff member of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering employees discovered a noose hanging on schools grounds.

The Greensboro Police Department and University Police Departments of both public universities responded immediately and during the investigation, it was said that an outside contractor named Lindsay Willett admitted to hanging the noose as a ‘joke.’

Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr., of N.C. A&T stated in a memo to the students he explained that the contractor had been fired, nor will they be allowed to work for either university or Gateway University Research Park in the future.

“I am deeply disturbed by this incident; such actions have no place at our university or in our society and certainly will not be tolerated, I am grateful to our police departments and our colleagues at JSNN for bringing the matter to a close,” stated Chancellor Martin.