The discovery was made at 11 p.m. on Monday, March 1, and has since been confirmed by UCSD Head Librarian Brian Schottlaender. In addition to the hood, a rose was placed in the statue’s fingers.

The statue was donated in 2004 by Audrey Geisel — widow of Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss — who also donated $20 million to the construction of the library.

According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Geisel was contacted by a librarian regarding the incident. She said the act was an example of “a little faction” that gets “carried away” with the attention these events receive.

According to an article from KPBS San Diego, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney General’s office are all investigating the recent offensive acts on campus.

Both Director of Library Communications Dolores Davies and Assistant Manager of University Communications Christine Clark said the planting of the hood is being treated as a crime, and all those responsible will be punished under the law.

Police have removed the items and are processing them for evidence, including fingerprint and DNA analysis.

“This is being treated as an investigation which is being treated with all authority,” said Clark.

Officers at UCSD finished their investigation of the noose today and submitted it to city police. The student who claimed responsibility for the noose is currently suspended, and has been charged with a possible hate crime.

The hood is the latest incident in a two-week rise in hate speech throughout the UC system, which included the scrawling of a noose on a UC Santa Cruz bathroom — with the words “UCSD lynching” near it — and the vandalizing of the UC Davis LGBT Resource Center with homophobic slurs.

Readers can contact Angela Chen at [email protected].