NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) — The graduate teaching assistant at the University of Oklahoma who gave a failing grade on a student’s assignment will no longer be allowed to teach at the university.
The student, Samantha Fulnecky, claimed religious discrimination after receiving a zero on her psychology paper. Fulnecky believes she received the bad grade because she referenced the Bible in her writing.
The assignment was to write an essay in response to a research-based article titled “Relations among gender typicality, peer relations, and mental health during early adolescence.” The research, which was first published in 2013, looked at how “gender typicality” was related to bullying in middle schoolers.
Fulnecky’s essay has received considerable criticism from around the nation, as many have pointed out mistakes in the paper.
Fulnecky didn’t mention the title of the article or cite back to its content throughout her writing. She instead leaned heavily on the Bible and God, but didn’t reference specific verses.
“Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts,” Fulnecky wrote in her essay. “The same goes for men. God created men in the image of His courage and strength, and He created women in the image of His beauty. He intentionally created women differently than men and we should live our lives with that in mind.”
There were also grammatical and punctuation mistakes, among other writing issues.
Mel Curth, the teaching assistant who graded Fulnecky’s paper, said in her feedback that the zero grade wasn’t due to the personal beliefs expressed in the assignment, but rather to the numerous errors made.
“I think I should’ve gotten a 100,” Fulnecky said, defending her work. “I’ve gotten a 100 on every single essay I’ve written in that class.”
Fulnecky filed a grade appeal following the situation, and claimed religious discrimination. Her appeal was granted, removing the zero grade from her overall total grade in the class.
Fulnecky also contacted Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma University’s chapter of Turning Point USA, garnering national attention.
The university’s provost and the academic dean investigated the case and determined that the graduate teaching assistant’s grading was inconsistent with prior standards and patterns, according to a statement by the University.
“Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s prior grading standards and patterns, as well as the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper,” the statement read in part.
The school said the graduate teaching assistant would be taken off instructional duties, but would not release further findings from its discrimination investigation.
Oklahoma University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors launched a petition urging the university to uphold academic freedom and better protect faculty.
“Essentially, nothing is new here,” a chapter spokesperson said. “OU claims without providing any supporting or specific reasons why Mel Curth was removed. They have claimed in the past in press releases that this was due to supposed and disturbing claims of ‘religious discrimination’ that clash with academic freedom. Is it now? Instead, they hide behind vague statements and essentially assertions of ‘trust us.’ At this point, they need to show us and not tell us. And once again, OU is making an employment decision public, which is inflaming the situation.”
