A noose was found on an employee's desk June 20 at Michigan Medicine's University Hospital in Ann Arbor, according to CNN.
The university is investigating the incident as an act of discrimination and criminal ethnic intimidation, Dr. Marschall S. Runge, dean of the University of Michigan Medical School, told CNN.
The desk is shared by multiple people, so questions about the race of potentially targeted employees are "difficult to answer," said Heather Young, director of strategic communications for the university's division of public safety and security. Video surveillance footage may help investigators learn more.
The FBI will investigate if the incident is found to be a potential civil rights violation, said Timothy R. Slater, a special agent in charge of the organization's Detroit Division.
More articles about workforce:
House bill to protect nurses from workplace violence advances
Advocate Aurora Health offers early retirement buyouts to hundreds
Missouri hospitals report employee turnover rate near 20%