The rope found this week hanging in a Healy Hall sub-basement was not a noose, according to Associate Vice President for Communications Julie Green Bataille.

“[N]ew details have come to light that lead us to believe the rope in question has actually been in this area for some period of time coiled up and was likely used for climbing activity,” she wrote in an email. “We do not believe it was any kind of noose.”

The rope, which was described as “a loose hanging rope with a knotted loop at one end” in an email sent to the Georgetown community last night, sparked an investigation of the utility tunnels that run underneath Georgetown’s campus.

During the investigation, Department of Public Safety officers also discovered “racist graffiti” in the tunnels. This morning, however, a University official told local media outlets that the vandalism was not a recent act.

“We are still actively investigating the matter and will take seriously any new details that may emerge but are grateful to members of the campus community for providing additional information to aid our efforts so quickly,” Bataille wrote.

11:50 a.m. update: This morning, a University official told local television news outlets that the rope has been identified as a piece of climbing equipment, not a noose. The official also confirmed that the graffiti was not a recent act.

After discovering “a loose hanging rope with a knotted loop at one end” in a utility room in the sub-basement of Healy Hall this week, University employees filed a report with the Department of Public Safety, according to an email written by Vice President for University Safety Rocco DelMonaco and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson.

The room, which is locked and off-limits, can also be accessed through utility tunnels that run underneath campus. During the ensuing DPS investigation, officers also discovered “racist graffiti and vandalism” in the tunnels, which suggests “illegal trespassing that has occurred over an extended period of time.”

The University has contacted the Metropolitan Police Department to assist in the ongoing investigation. While no suspect has been identified, DelMonaco and Olson encouraged anyone with information about the incidents to alert the University through DPS or the Bias Reporting System.

“We must underscore that acts of vandalism, hate and intolerance have no place in our campus community,” they wrote. “Together all of these incidents are disturbing and not to be accessed except by trained and authorized personnel.”

Tonight at 9 p.m., representatives from Student Affairs, DPS, and Campus Ministry plan to hold a community meeting in the Village C Alumni Lounge to discuss the incidents.

After the jump, we’ve republished DelMonaco and Olson’s full email.

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Portal to the unknown!

It seems like the only way to escape election fever at Georgetown is by going underground. A lot of people have been inside the Georgetown tunnel system, but if you haven’t, now’s the time to go. Here’s how you get inside and what you should see while you’re down under.You’ll need:

• A flashlight, or a cell phone that casts light
• Crummy clothes that can get covered in dirt
• A jacket
• To read 24 Hours in the Tunnels, both because it’s a treat and because it advises you to watch out for tunnel feces.

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