University of Wisconsin-Madison
Since 1892 dailycardinal.com
Thursday, April 16, 2026
l
LETTER FROM TEHRAN
REPLACING BLACKWELL
A UW student’s personal account from the night Israel attacked oil depots across Iran.
With the star guard leaving town, where do the Badgers go from here?
+ OPINION, PAGE 6
+ SPORTS, PAGE 4
UW researcher attempts to poison coworker By Alexa Cattouse SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A University of Wisconsin-Madison lab researcher admitted to adding poisonous chemicals to his coworker’s water bottle and shoes because he was upset the coworker received a promotion and had not been “following rules,” according to court files obtained by The Daily Cardinal. Makoto Kuroda was arrested Friday for reckless endangerment involving chemicals. UWPD received a report of chemicals located inside a water bottle and shoes
on April 6. Kuroda’s coworker at the Influenza Research Institute claimed that on April 2, he opened a new plastic water bottle from Trader Joe’s, drank half it and left it out open on his desk. When he returned to his desk on April 4, he noticed a strange odor from his bottle and spat it out after noticing a “chemical taste.” He reported to UWPD that the odor smelled of chloroform, a colorless liquid that was previously used as an anesthetic during surgery but is no longer used because of its toxicity. The substance is now used to break down other chemical compounds.
The bottle was then collected by the State Lab of Hygiene, and the water residue from the bottle tested positive for chloroform, containing a “high” value. After admitting what he had done to his coworker, Kuroda was arrested on April 10 on charges of second-degree reckless endangerment safety and held at Dane County’s Public Safety Building Jail. While being interviewed by UWPD officers, Kuroda admitted he wanted his coworker to vomit and for his skin to be irritated. Kuroda used a mixture of Paraformaldehyde (PFA) and Trizol in the water bottle and shoes. The Trizol
ROTHMAN REMOVED
Regents cite lack of urgency, transparency
mixture used at IRI contains chloroform. Kuroda’s coworker used ChatGPT on his work laptop to ask what would be a harmful amount of PFA and Trizol in humans and animals. Ingestion of high levels of chloroform for humans can cause an increased risk of liver and kidney function damage. The minimal fatal dose has been reported to be 30mL, although some fatalities have been reported with dosages as low as 10 mL. Kuroda will now await a preliminary hearing on April 21 at the Dane County Courthouse.
Chairs return to terrace By Henry Matson STAFF WRITER
By Annika Bereny CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
Members of the University of Wisconsin System Board of the Regents told legislators transparency issues, a lagging approach to artificial intelligence and a “top-down” leadership style lead to the decision to unanimously oust system President Jay Rothman. “[Rothman’s firing] was not political, it was not retaliatory, it was unanimous,” she said. “Boards of regents do not reach 17-0 decisions on a whim.” Republican senators on the committee criticized the firing, previously labeling it as “secretive maneuvering” and politically charged. Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, expressed outrage with the firing, calling for retributive firings of unconfirmed Regents. “Because the Board of Regents decided to remove President Rothman without just cause, I am calling on the Senate to reject every single one of their confirmations,” he wrote in a statement. “As they say, actions have consequences.” Bogost pushed back, slamming Rothman’s handling of his ouster as “strategic,” “deliberately one-sided” and as causing “real harm” to the UW System. Bogost and Nixon spoke broadly about the issues with Rothman’s tenure, chiefly Rothman’s sense of urgency around decisions and his reticence to conduct open meetings, but Bogost said personnel matters discussed in closed sessions are confidential and cannot be commented on unless Rothman chooses to waive the confidentiality of the discussion. Artificial intelligence One of the clearest reasons Bogost and Nixon gave for parting ways with Rothman was his slow approach to defining and adopting an
artificial intelligence policy across the system. “We need people that have critical thinking skills, that understand AI,” Bogost said, “because we as humans need to control the machine, not the other way around.” During the Board of Regents’ February meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rothman, having been tasked last November with developing a systemwide approach to AI, presented a 2 hour and 40 minute panel showcasing how various campuses were approaching the subject. The presentation, however, was critiqued by several regents who said it failed to offer actual policy about artificial intelligence. “I still feel like there is a lack of a cohesive and all-encompassing approach to AI adoption,” Regent Desmond Adongo, one of the two student regents who sit on the board, said at the time. “The concerns that I have continued to raise around the two-tiered educational outcomes based on whether your campus or professor had the opportunity to learn about [AI] and incorporate it still feel unresolved even after seeing all of these great efforts.” When dealing with pressing issues, such as AI or building new dormitories, Nixon said discussions were sidelined by the system and deemed ‘third-rail’ or too controversial priorities. “We can ask for anything, but we can’t necessarily write them or do them or move them along,” Nixon said. “[The Board of Regents] functionally are captives of the UW system administration and the president.” Looking forward When Rothman was hired in 2022, the UW System faced a massive structural deficit. In August 2023, 10 of the 13 UW universities
LIAM BERAN/THE DAILY CARDINAL
had structural deficits ranging from $600,000 at UW-Superior to $15.1 million at UW-Oshkosh. UW-Stout, UW-Madison and the UW-Stevens Point main campus were the only universities not in a deficit. In his March 26 letter to Bogost, Rothman highlighted that under his tenure, he had worked with chancellors across the UW System to eliminate structural deficits at all 13 universities two years ahead of schedule. While the Regents acknowledged Rothman’s leadership in managing budgetary issues, they voiced a desire for a visionary leader who could address evolving issues in higher education like AI. “In a leader, we want someone to see the future,” Bogost said. “We’re hoping that the next leader can really be transformative, energetic and work with the board closely so we can accomplish more.” Despite the difficulties regents said they experienced with Rothman, when asked by Hutton whether they would do it all again and hire him back in 2022, for both, the answer was yes. “It was a wise decision at the time,” Bogost said.
The Memorial Union’s famous sunburst chairs returned to the union terrace Wednesday, with a celebration set to signal the start of the Union’s outdoor season for 3 p.m. Friday. “After a long Wisconsin winter, the return of Terrace season feels like the return of summer, no matter the weather,” Wisconsin Union spokesperson Shauna Breneman told The Daily Cardinal in a statement. First appearing in the 1920s, the Memorial Union terrace chairs have a long history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The iconic sunburst chair design was introduced in 1981 and has been in use ever since. “The Terrace is a tradition that has brought people together for shared experiences for almost 100 years, whether they’re students, staff, alumni or visitors. A sense of community, rooted in nearly a century of history, is part of what makes this time and this space so meaningful,” Breneman said. The Union’s terrace serves as a popular gathering space, hosting community events such as movie showings, arts projects and concerts. Terrace season typically begins in midApril and lasts until late October. Many look forward to the chairs’ return every year as a mark of the end of winter and the return of a common gathering spot. “I think the tradition of bringing out the chairs is so important, because it’s like the light at the end of the tunnel,” Wisconsin Union President and UW-Madison student Adeline Wood told the Cardinal in a statement. “For those of us on campus, the semester is winding down, the weather is starting to warm up, and the Terrace gives us the opportunity to slow down a bit, sit outside and enjoy the weather, and maybe even get together with some friends to grab a bite to eat.” Continue reading @dailycardinal.com
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”