Campus Police responded to a report of a noose being hung last Thursday, after which the news of the incident began to spread around campus and media outlets. The incident, occurring in the Sullivan Shops Building D, was reported to Campus Police about 8:30 a.m. Thursday. According to a statement released by Chancellor James Oblinger, the noose was made out of toilet paper and was approximately 10 inches long.

The symbol of the noose has been in the national spotlight recently since the arrest of the Jena Six. The noose was the catalyst that sparked a chain reaction of fights, arrests and heated protests. Having a sequence of events similar to what took place in Louisiana is something our campus has thankfully not seen.

The University and Oblinger did a good job and were correct in being proactive after the events of Thursday morning. Rather than let the imaginations of people run wild about hearing rumors of a noose, Oblinger released a statement detailing when and where the noose was found, what the noose was made of and its length, and the University’s stance on the situation.

One of the criticisms the principal of the high school in Jena received was that he did not take students hanging a noose from a tree seriously. The University took this noose incident seriously from the onset, and didn’t allow for misinformation or a perception of tolerance to be spread throughout the public.

Some have suggested that since the noose was made out of toilet paper, we should have just ignored the action. That could have set a dangerous precedent for the University. Any symbol of hate should not be tolerated, even if it’s made from toilet paper. The University — through Oblinger’s statement — sent a strong message on Thursday on the topic of actions of hate when he said, “There is no room for this kind of action on the N.C. State campus.”

There may be some thought the University overreacted to what appears to be a prank. When it comes to issues of hate toward a particular group it’s better to overreact than be silent and grant de facto approval for the action.

N.C. State must remain a place where every one feels safe to walk the campus freely. Even if a toilet paper noose is found in a remote bathroom that most people don’t see, it still deserves the condemnation from the campus community.