Schaumburg students arrested in noose incident

Two Schaumburg men have been charged with disorderly conduct and restricted from the Lewis University campus in Romeoville after being accused of making racial remarks and hanging a noose from a residence hall window last week.

Arrested were Matthew McCormack, 21, and Daniel Rusch, 19, both of Schaumburg were arrested; as well as Michael Lisman, 20, of Kansas City, Mo.

Romeoville police Lt. Mark Turvey said the three were among a group of students at a residence hall in the early hours April 16 who were singing or chanting phrases which included several racial terms.

Police say the three then fashioned a rope into a lasso with which they tried to lasso each other, but then lowered it out the window in the form of a noose.

Three black female students in a room below, who'd heard the chanting, saw the noose outside their window and yelled up to the room and threatened to call police, Turvey said.

Police were called at approximately 1 a.m. The three men were initially charged with a hate crime, but it was downgraded to disorderly conduct after review by the Will County State's Attorney's office, Turvey said.

Lewis University released a statement that said actions of this nature will not be tolerated, and adds:

"The Lewis University mission value of justice affirms the equal dignity of every person. We are called as Lewis community members to value diversity and move beyond constraints of differences in order to foster unity."

The statement also says the three students are awaiting a student judicial hearing in addition to their criminal charges. Campus security is conducting an investigation in preparation for that pending hearing.

Neither McCormack or Rusch could be reached for comment Tuesday.