A graduate student instructor for a psychology course at the University of Oklahoma has been placed on administrative leave following a complaint filed by a student who claimed the grade on her essay violated her 1st Amendment rights. 

Biblical Essay on Gender Norms

The student, Samantha Fulnecky, wrote an essay in response to an article about societal expectations of gender and how people are perceived through such. She referenced the Bible and God throughout the 2-page paper, but provided no citations. “Gender roles and tendencies should not be considered ‘stereotypes,” she wrote, based on her religious beliefs and considering the topic of the original article. 

The Bible was used to support her stance on the harm that would come from eliminating gender in society and that people would become “farther from God’s original plan for humans.” She believes she received a zero out of 25 for her personal beliefs, but the instructor’s feedback says otherwise. The University’s Turning Point USA Organization identified the instructor as Mel Curth. According to Curth, the paper did not follow the basic guidelines, reference the original article, or provide academic citations. Fulnecky was also seemingly docked for her offensive remarks. Curth wrote, “I implore you [to] apply some more perspective and empathy in your work,” as feedback for future assignments.

“To call an entire group of people ‘demonic’ is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population,” Curth wrote in her feedback. “You can say that strict gender norms don’t create gender stereotypes, but that isn’t true by definition of what a stereotype is. Please note that acknowledging gender stereotypes does not immediately denote a negative connotation, a nuance this article discusses.”

Fulnecky called her classmates cowards and demeaned the article her essay was in response to, which could also have been taken offensively. “It is frustrating to me when I read articles like this and discussion posts from my classmates of so many people trying to conform to the same mundane opinion, so they do not step on people’s toes. I think that is a cowardly and insincere way to live,” she wrote.

Official Complaint

Fulnecky was displeased with the feedback from her professors and filed a formal discrimination complaint with the University of Oklahoma, adding a grade appeal as well. She also reached out to Oklahoma’s Governor, Kevin Stitt, who responded to the complaint through social media. In a post on X, Stitt wrote, “The 1st Amendment is foundational to our freedom & inseparable from a well-rounded education. The situation at OU is deeply concerning. I’m calling on the OU regents to review the results of the investigation & ensure other students aren’t unfairly penalized for their beliefs.”

On Sunday, November 30, 2025, OU announced the graduate instructor was placed on administrative leave while they investigate the complaint made by Fulnecky. The professors of the class refused to change her grade, and they were punished for doing their due diligence to ensure a quality level education.

Religion and Education

Oklahoma currently ranks 46th in education among all states. The purpose of education is to enhance one’s critical thinking abilities, promote personal growth, and encourage open-mindedness. Degrees from higher education are supposed to increase job opportunities and offer specialized knowledge and skills. Curth was “not deducting points because you [Fulnecky] have certain beliefs” but because the essay “does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive.”

Citing the bible would not be applicable as a primary source in Fulnecky’s situation. It is wonderful to be devoted to your religion and share that with the world and those around you. However, it is not always appropriate in certain situations, such as a response to an article on gender norms in society. Just because you believe that “pushing the lie that everyone has their own truth and everyone can do whatever they want and be whoever they want is not biblical whatsoever,” does not mean it is applicable for the assignment in question.