A University of Oklahoma student said her psychology instructor gave her a failing grade on an essay in which she cited the Bible, in violation of her First Amendment rights. The school now says it has placed the instructor, a man who claims to be a woman, on administrative leave while it investigates the matter.
Samantha Fulnecky received zero points out of 25 on her essay writing that traditional gender roles should not be considered “stereotypes” in response to an article about how people are perceived based on societal expectations of gender, according to a report by the Oklahoman.
In her essay, the student reportedly cited the Bible to support her stance that “eliminating gender in our society would be detrimental, as it pulls us farther from God’s original plan for humans.”
Instructor Mel Curth, reportedly a man claiming to be a woman, claimed Fulnecky failed to use empirical evidence, even going as far as calling parts of the student’s essay offensive.
Fulnecky, however, pointed out that the assignment did not require her to cite empirical evidence, adding that she believes University of Oklahoma policy protects free speech, even if some people find it offensive, and that she was failed because she cited the Bible.
“To be what I think is clearly discriminated against for my beliefs and using freedom of speech, and especially for my religious beliefs, I think that’s just absurd,” Fulnecky told the Oklahoman.
In her essay defending traditional gender roles, Fulnecky cited Genesis, writing, “God says that it is not good for man to be alone, so He created a helper for man (which is a woman). Many people assume the word ‘helper’ in this context to be condescending and offensive to women.”
The student further pointed out that “the original word in Hebrew is ‘ezer kenegdo’ and that directly translates to ‘helper equal to.’ Additionally, God describes Himself in the Bible using ‘ezer kenegdo,’ or ‘helper,’ and He describes His Holy Spirit as our Helper as well.”
“God does not view women as less significant than men. He created us with such intentionally and care and He made women in his image of being a helper, and in the image of His beauty,” Fulnecky wrote.
“If leaning into that role means I am ‘following gender stereotypes’ then I am happy to be following a stereotype that aligns with the gifts and abilities God gave me as a woman,” the student added.
You can read Fulnecky’s full essay here.
The University of Oklahoma responded to the matter in a Sunday X post, saying it “takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms.”
“Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment, the University immediately began a full review of the situation and has acted swiftly to address the matter,” the school said.
The university went on to say that it “acted immediately to address the academic issue,” contacting the student “on the day her letter was received, and have maintained regular communication throughout the process.”
“A formal grade appeals process was conducted,” the University of Oklahoma said. “The process resulted in steps to ensure no academic harm to the student from the graded assignments.”
The school added that it has “a clear process” for reviewing claims of “illegal discrimination based on religious beliefs,” adding that this process “has been activated.”
“The graduate student instructor has been placed on administrative leave pending the finalization of this process,” the university revealed. “To ensure fairness in the process, a full-time professor is serving as the course instructor for the remainder of the semester.”
“OU remains firmly committed to fairness, respect and protecting every student’s right to express sincerely held religious beliefs,” the school added.
The University of Oklahoma’s Turning Point USA chapter — founded by conservative icon and free speech martyr Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10 at Utah Valley University while trying to have an open and respectful dialogue with students on campus — reacted to the incident, noting that the instructor in question is “transgender.”
“Transgender professor, Mel Curtis, said Ms. Fulnecky, failed to use empirical evidence/and called parts of her essay offensive,” the school’s Turning Point USA chapter said in a Thursday X post.
The conservative student group added that the instructor argued, “To call an entire group of people ‘demonic’ is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population” while grading Fulnecky’s paper.
“We at Turning Point OU stand with Samantha. We should not be letting mentally ill professors around students,” the Turning Point USA chapter asserted.
“Clearly, this professor lacks the intellectual maturity to set her own bias aside and take grading seriously,” the student group added. “Professors like this are the very reason conservatives can’t voice their beliefs in the classroom.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
