Note: This article is based on information available as of 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, and will be updated as the story develops.
A report from the St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) states that, on Feb. 6 at 9:41 a.m., a Macalester student informed SPPD officers that an individual had urinated on her belongings on Dec. 5, 2025, on Macalester’s campus. The report names former Macalester chemistry Professor Paul Fischer as the suspect in the case.
According to a statement SPPD spokesperson Alyssa Arcand made to the Pioneer Press, the student left her backpack unattended for several minutes in a classroom building and discovered urine on it when she returned.
The incident was classified as fourth-degree intentional damage to property. It’s the lowest property damage designation, given to damage to items worth between $500 and $1000 when the motivation behind the damage does not concern the property owner’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or sexual orientation. Penalties can include up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. This is an ongoing investigation, and no arrests have been made at the time of publication.
On Feb. 19, chemistry Professor Keith Kuwata sent an email to all chemistry majors and minors, as well as biology majors with a biochemistry emphasis, stating that “Fischer is no longer an employee of Macalester College and is not authorized to be anywhere on campus.”
Kuwata’s email also notes that it has been “an unsettling time for many of you.” He stated that the department’s top priorities were student well-being and academic success.
In response to The Mac Weekly’s request for comment, Kuwata shared that he has no further comments.
Fischer started teaching at Macalester in 2001. Fischer’s RateMyProfessor page has been inundated with new comments. Many suggest that Fischer urinated in individuals’ water bottles. The Mac Weekly has not yet been able to independently verify these allegations.
Macalester College Director of Media Relations Babs Santos replied to The Mac Weekly’s request for comment, stating that “Macalester College does not comment on personnel matters.”
Fischer has not responded to The Mac Weekly’s request for comment.
Mark • Mar 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
If true, this is very disturbing. It’s possible the prof is developing some sort of neurodegenerative disease that caused this behavior. I hope his family is making sure he gets medical and psychological help. Of course, he shouldn’t be teaching, but still, people should have compassion. He could have been experiencing slow change that led to problems with his teaching (going back through the Rate My Professor comments, it seems like starting around 6 years ago, his teaching was subtlely sliding, too). Changes in the brain can lead to people doing things that normally they never would.