Spokeswoman says two dead in shooting on campus

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Two people were shot to death Monday at the University of Arkansas in an apparent murder-suicide on the first day of the fall semester, authorities said.

"At this point, we believe the two persons killed are a faculty member and a graduate student, but that remains to be confirmed,"

Chancellor John White said.

He called the shooting a terrible tragedy and urged students to "call home and inform their families of their well-being."

White said counseling services had been set up and that a telephone hotline was established for parents.

Robin Gregory, secretary of the university relations, said many classes were canceled in Kimpel Hall, as well as the nearby business administration building.

Her announcement came almost two hours after the initial round of gunfire. University spokesman Roger Williams said there was a report of at least three shots in an office, but that there was no indication of shots being fired after that.

Williams said Kimpel Hall houses faculty in a number of departments -- communication, drama, English, foreign languages and journalism.

The area where police had gathered include English department offices, said Patsy Watkins, chairwoman of the university journalism department.

Journalism faculty members Larry Foley and Robert Carey said police had asked them to leave their first-floor offices.

Watkins said police arrived at the building at 12:20 p.m., when many of the 50- to 60-student classrooms on the second floor of Kimpel Hall would have been filled.

"That would be considered a prime time to schedule classes.

It's likely that most of the classrooms would be in use," Watkins said.

Students left the building in an orderly fashion, saying they had been told to leave, Watkins said.

Kimpel Hall is shaped like a T, with classrooms along the long end of the T and offices across the crossbar.

"All we've been told is that shots have been fired," Watkins said.