ORONO – A 20-year-old University of Maine student found hanging in a tree near Chadbourne Hall on the Orono campus committed suicide, according to a campus spokesman.

Kelly MacKenzie of Oakland was a second-semester first-year student who had begun her studies last spring at UM. An undeclared major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, MacKenzie lived in Stodder Hall, near where her body was discovered.

UM spokesman Joe Carr said a call to the campus public safety department was logged at 10:12 p.m. Friday, alerting officers of the discovery. Three students walking past Chadbourne Hall discovered MacKenzie’s body. “It was a suicide,” Carr said.

A suicide note was found, Carr said.

University of Maine President Peter Hoff said, “The loss of a student is devastating to a community like ours. Our thoughts and our sympathies are with Kelly and her family and friends.”

Members of the UMaine community and others who may be affected by the death may contact counselors at the UM Counseling Center by calling 581-1392. An on-call counselor is available through public safety at 581-4040 when the center is closed.

Counselors for faculty and staff members are available at the UM Employee Assistance Program, 581-4014 or, toll-free, (877) EAP-3315. Clergy also are available to members of the UMaine community. A list with contact numbers is at www.umaine.edu/cscl/religiousaffairs.htm.