University of Oklahoma fires teaching assistant after zero grade scandal

Weeks after a College of Oklahoma scholar’s story about flunking a paper touting her Christian religion precipitated a viral uproar, the educating assistant behind the category has been fired.

“Primarily based on an examination of the graduate educating assistant’s earlier analysis requirements and patterns, in addition to the graduate educating assistant’s personal statements relating to this matter, it was decided that the graduate educating assistant was arbitrary within the analysis of this specific article,” the state’s flagship faculty stated in a press release Monday night. “The graduate educating assistant will not have educating duties on the college.”

Samantha Fulnecky, a junior on the faculty, obtained a zero out of 25 on an task during which she referenced the Bible after graduate educating assistant William “Mel” Curth, who makes use of they/them pronouns, graded the paper.

The educating assistant assigned Fulnecky and her classmates to write down a response to a scholarly article titled “Relationships amongst Gender Typical Traits, Peer Relationships, and Psychological Well being in Early Adolescence,” which discusses the outcomes of a research on gender norms amongst center faculty college students and the social penalties youngsters might face if they don’t conform to gender norms.

OU scholar Samantha Fulnecky, along with her Bible, on the Oklahoma Memorial Union, Nov. 24, 2025. (Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman/Imagn Photographs)

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They had been requested to supply a “considerate dialogue of some side of the article.” The rubric for the task didn’t require college students to supply empirical proof of their responses.

The third-year scholar responded by saying that gender norms ought to be celebrated and never denigrated. She quoted Genesis, the primary e-book of the Bible, during which God created women and men equally, however for various functions.

“Gender roles and tendencies shouldn’t be thought-about ‘stereotypes,’” Fulnecky wrote in her essay. “Ladies naturally wish to do female issues as a result of God created us with these female wishes in our hearts. The identical goes for males. God created males within the picture of His braveness and energy, and He created girls within the picture of His magnificence. He deliberately created girls in a different way from males and we should stay our lives with that in thoughts.”

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College students stroll between lessons on campus in Norman, Oklahoma, on March 11, 2015. (Brett Deering/Getty Photographs)

She later described society’s push for non-binary gender identification as “demonic.”

Curth objected to Fulnecky’s essay, giving her a zero out of 25.

“Please notice that I’m not deducting factors as a result of you could have sure beliefs, however as a substitute I’m deducting factors [sic] for posting a response paper that doesn’t reply the questions for this task, is self-contradictory, makes use of heavy private ideology over empirical proof in a science lesson, and is usually offensive,” Curth’s clarification for the grade learn.

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Curth stated the idea of solely two genders will not be supported by science.

“It’s possible you’ll personally disagree with this, however that does not change the truth that each main psychological, medical, pediatric and psychiatric affiliation in america acknowledges that intercourse and gender are neither biologically and psychologically binary nor fastened,” Curth stated.

Samantha Fulnecky, along with her Bible, on the Oklahoma Memorial Union, November 24, 2025. (Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman/USA At present Community by way of Imagn Photographs)

The graduate educating assistant additionally referred to as Fulnecky’s essay “extremely offensive.”

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“I positively assume I used to be punished for what I consider as a result of in my essay in my response to the article I very clearly said my beliefs and said what – not simply my beliefs – however what the Bible and what God says about gender and about these roles,” Fulnecky instructed Fox Information Digital amid the uproar.

Curth was positioned on administrative go away after the coed filed a discrimination declare because the college carried out an investigation.

In its assertion asserting Curth’s dismissal, the college stated the varsity’s provost, described as its “senior educational officer,” personally reviewed the incident earlier than making the choice to dismiss Curth.

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“As a result of this difficulty entails each scholar and school rights, the college has had repeated and detailed discussions with the College Senate Govt Committee to make sure there’s an understanding of the details, the method and the actions being taken,” the assertion stated.

The essay grade on the College of Oklahoma precipitated an uproar. (Brian Bahr/Getty Photographs)

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The varsity additionally famous that Fulnecky’s grade had been reinstated.

“The College of Oklahoma strongly believes in each the rights of its school to show with educational freedom and integrity and the suitable of its college students to obtain an schooling free from an teacher’s impermissible evaluative requirements. We wish to train college students tips on how to assume, not what to assume. The college will proceed to evaluate greatest practices to make sure that its school obtain the excellent coaching essential to objectively assess the work of their college students with out limiting their means to show, encourage and uplift our subsequent technology.”