This morning a student at Michigan State University reported a noose was hung outside of her dorm room. At the time there was very little information regarding the incident, and the claim has now been debunked

First reports skyrocketed after President Simon released a statement earlier this afternoon, saying "a student reported a noose was hung outside of her room." She added, "this type of behavior will not be tolerated on our campus."

A second statement from MSU Spokesperson Jason Cody was released soon after, clarifying that the original noose was nothing more than a lost shoelace.

The statement reads in full:

After investigating, MSU Police have determined the object was a packaged leather shoelace and not a noose. The matching packaged shoelace was found outside of the residence hall. Officers located and spoke to the student who lost both of the shoelaces, which are packaged in a way that someone could perceive them to look similar to a noose. The student who lost the shoelaces lives on the same floor as the student who made the original report.

Also, the original shoelace found inside the residence hall was not directed at any individual. It originally was seen on hallway floor and later on a stairwell door handle, where officers believe someone put it after picking it up.