Duke student issues apology for noose incident

The Duke University student who placed a noose in a tree on campus outside the Bryan Center a month ago issued a written letter of apology to the campus community on Friday.

"Through my lack of cultural awareness and joking personality, I ended up unintentionally creating a huge mess for myself, my friends, my family and many members of the Duke community that I severely regret," the student wrote.

The student said the noose was hung as a prank to entice friends to "hang out."

"If there was ever a pun with unintended consequences -- this was certainly one," the student wrote.

The student, who was asked to leave the school after the April 1 incident, was sanctioned through the university conduct process and is eligible to return to campus next semester, according to a university spokesman.