DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke University officials are trying to determine who hung a rope noose from a tree, what the president of the elite Southern school described Wednesday as a vicious symbol in a region where lynchings were once used to terrorize black residents. [...] he said that while administrators and campus police investigate who displayed the noose and why, it is up to each individual to reject racism. Brodhead and Provost Sally Kornbluth earlier sent a joint email to students, saying the Duke campus "has been jolted over the past few weeks by several racial incidents, including a report of hateful speech directed at students on East Campus" and the discovery of the noose. Students Tara-Marie Desruisseaux, 19, of New York City, and Jada Gibbs, 19, of Dumont, New Jersey, said the incident came days after they helped host a recruiting weekend at Duke for talented black high school students from around the country. Coming to Duke, I was very nervous about the racial tensions at the school but I never actually imagined that something so blatantly racist could happen here.