Hangman's noose found on NYC professor's door

The president of Columbia University's Teachers College sent an e-mail to students and faculty members deploring the discovery of a hangman's noose on the office door of a black professor.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, and Columbia planned a town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon for faculty and students to address the incident.

The university did not immediately say which professor was targeted, but she was identified in the local media as Madonna Constantine, a professor of psychology and education and author of a book entitled "Addressing Racism: Facilitating Cultural Competence in Mental Health and Educational Settings."

Students said Constantine, who is black, teaches a class on racial justice.

Calls to the publicist for Teachers College and Constantine's office were not immediately returned.

"You would think, Columbia being such a diverse campus and New York being such a diverse city, it shouldn't happen here," said student Mikayla Graham.

In the message to the college's 5,000 students and 150 faculty members explaining why police were on campus Tuesday, college president Susan H. Fuhrman said: "The Teachers College community and I deplore this hateful act, which violates every Teachers College and societal norm." (SOURCE)