BAYLOR NOOSE

Craig Civale reports

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WACO - A fight, a fire and a noose have all led to a Baylor University investigation that has spurred fears of a racial divide.

Walking to class early Tuesday morning, student Devin Culberson said he saw a white rope with a tied loop hanging from an oak tree.

"I didn't want to believe that was what it actually was," he said.

He climbed the tree and cut it down.

"It was clearly a racial slur for Election Day," he said.

Culberson wasn't alone in his concern over the discovery.

"There is a lack of awareness for people to see something like that and not to see the hatred in that and not understand that something is wrong and it needs to be taken down," said Jessica Brown, with the Association of Black Students. "Something should be done about it."

In addition to the noose, a pile of Barack Obama campaign signs were found burning in a BBQ pit on the school grounds.

"What we are seeing is one person - or a very small number of people - that are acting out in ways that are inconsistent with our community," said Dub Oliver, a university spokesman.

Also, campus police broke up a shouting match between white and black students arguing after the election. The university community is made up of 71 percent white students and 7.5 percent black students.

Two years ago, another racially-charged controversy sprung up at the school. That controversy was incited after pictures of a so-called "ghetto party" turned up online showing white Baylor students dressed up as black stereotypes.

While the university has a civil rights policy that prohibits such actions, some believe more needs to be done.

"We want Baylor to notice as a whole that their multicultural students, and diverse students and minority students are asking them to not let anything like this happen again," Brown said. "They should feel safe."

E-mail ccivale@wfaa.com