Members of the Colby College community gathered in the college chapel Monday night to mourn the death of a student who committed suicide over the weekend.

The death of Peter Cronkite, who was due to graduate with Colby’s Class of 2015 in May, was announced by college president David Greene in a letter to the college commuunity.

“It is with deep sadness that I write to report that Peter Cronkite ’15 took his own life this weekend,” Greene wrote. “Peter’s death is devastating to his family, his many friends, and the entire Colby community. Our hearts are heavy as we try to come to terms with this tremendous loss.”

Police records indicate that Waterville police officers responded to a medical emergency at the Anthony-Mitchell-Schupf dormitory complex on Mayflower Hill Drive on the Colby Campus. The city’s rescue squad was also dispatched but released from the scene immediately on arrival.

Waterville police Chief Joseph Massey would not comment on the nature of the call, which is listed on the department’s official log as an unattended death.

Cronkite was a classical civilization major with a minor in cinema studies. He was due to receive the classical studies department’s Foster Prize for Classical Civilization for excellence in his major during commencement activities in May.

Greene described Cronkite as having a “kind, incredibly likable personality.”

In addition to his academic achievement, Cronkite was a member of the college rugby team and served as sports editor of the school newspaper, The Colby Echo. He was the grandson of the late broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite and a son of Walter Cronkite III and the actress Deborah Rush.

Greene ordered flags at the institution lowered in Cronkite’s memory and called on students to “watch out for one another and seek support for yourself as needed.”

The school chapel was opened and staffed with members of the school’s chaplain and counseling staffs, and counselors were made available for students through the college dean of students and counseling offices.