DURHAM, N.C. – A Duke University student who hung a noose from a tree outside a student center and caused an uproar will be sanctioned by the school but will not be expelled.

In an announcement Friday, university officials did not name the student but said the incident was a result of “ignorance and bad judgement” and the student responsible will be sanctioned. Police also “will be taking no further action” over the April 1 incident, the News & Observer reports.

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Duke University published a letter from the student, who the university did not identify citing federal privacy laws.

The student contends that because of his “background and heritage” they were unaware of the cultural meaning in America of a noose hanging from a tree, and was making a joke by taking a picture of the noose and sending to friends to “hang out,” according to the news site.

“Unfortunately, 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 unidentified student wrote.

“At the time, I truly did not appreciate the historical sensitivity of a noose hanging in a tree,” he wrote.

The letter continued: “If there was ever a pun with unintended consequences – this was certainly one.”

“In addition when I left I carelessly forgot the noose hanging on the tree for the rest of the afternoon and the evening rather than discarding it, as I should have.

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“As a result, people saw it and because of the historical meaning of a noose in the South, a fact that because of my background and heritage I was completely unaware of, conclusions were made that whomever had made the noose did it for racist reasons. This led – completely justifiably – to the student demonstrations, and the school’s expression of disgust of my actions.”

“Once I realized the historical connotations, I contacted the administration, and explained that I never had any racist intent – which anyone who knows me can testify to,” the letter read, according to the Associated Press.

“I apologized and co-operated in every which way I could.”

Students discovered the noose hanging in a tree outside the Bryan Center, the student commons building, around 2 a.m. April 1 and contacted school authorities. Black Student Alliance Vice President Henry Washington was among the first to come across the noose, and news spread quickly on social media.

By the afternoon, thousands of students gathered at the Duke Gothic chapel building to denounce the racist hate crime. By the next day, Duke announced the person responsible had stepped forward and was removed from campus pending disciplinary action, the AP reports.

Duke University officials would not disclose what that disciplinary action was, or any other identifying information about the student involved –  such as race or gender – but did say the student can return next semester.

Several black Duke students told the News & Observer they’re not buying the student’s story.

“To know what a noose is, you have to know the significance of it,” graduate business student Reggie Benbow told the news site. “To be in the south, this is still the American South with a history. You can feel it, you can see it. It’s just unbelievable that someone didn’t know what that meant.”

Public policy student Zoelene Hill agreed.

“He thought his inside joke would remain an inside joke,” she said. “That’s what his problem is. The whole statement is ridiculous.”