A graduate student instructor at the University of Oklahoma has been placed on administrative leave following an incident involving a student’s failing grade on a psychology essay. The situation has prompted national discussion about the balance between academic standards and religious freedom in higher education. The dispute centers on an assignment submitted by student Samantha Fulnecky, who received a zero on a paper about gender stereotypes and mental health. According to screenshots posted by the University of Oklahoma’s Turning Point USA chapter, the instructor failed the paper because it relied on “personal ideology” rather than empirical evidence and did not address the prompt.
According to the screenshots shared by the Turning Point USA chapter, the assignment asked students to write about gender stereotypes among middle school students. The version of the essay posted by the student organization shows Fulnecky making arguments rooted in her personal religious beliefs. In the posted excerpt, she wrote, “Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts.” She also wrote, “God does not view women as less significant than men,” and stated that she was “happy to be following a stereotype that aligns with the gifts and abilities God gave me.” The posted text also included the statement, “Society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be whatever they want to be is demonic.”
The instructor, Mel Curth, was identified by the Turning Point USA chapter and by national reporting from outlets such as Newsweek and The Independent. According to the screenshots posted by Turning Point USA, Curth wrote in grading feedback that the essay did not meet the assignment’s requirement for empirical analysis.
The dispute intensified after Fulnecky filed a discrimination complaint based on her religious beliefs. In an interview with The Oklahoman, she said she believed she was being “clearly discriminated against for my beliefs and using freedom of speech.” The conflict gained broader attention after the Turning Point USA chapter posted excerpts from the essay and its grading comments on social media. The student organization argued on its X account that Fulnecky “followed the assignment guidelines and should not be penalized for her religious viewpoints.”
Public officials soon weighed in. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt addressed the situation in a post on X reported by Deseret News, calling the incident “deeply concerning” and urging the university’s Board of Regents to review the matter. State Representative Gabe Woolley criticized the instructor in comments reported by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. Woolley stated that Curth “should not be teaching in higher education.”
In response to the complaint and the increased public scrutiny, the University of Oklahoma issued a statement that was reported by KOSU, an NPR affiliate. The university confirmed that the instructor had been placed on administrative leave pending a review. The statement said, “The student reported filing a claim of illegal discrimination based on religious beliefs to the appropriate university office. The University of Oklahoma has a clear process for reviewing such claims, and it has been activated. The graduate student instructor has been placed on administrative leave pending the finalization of this process.” The university also said it takes “seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms.”
The incident produced widely differing reactions online. Supporters of Fulnecky argued that she was punished for expressing conservative Christian views. Author Brilyn Hollyhand wrote on X, “She wrote an essay as instructed. Woke professors are silencing students,” in a post reported by Fox News.
Many academics and commentators defended the instructor’s grading decision. Statistician Dr. Kareem Carr wrote on X, in comments reported by The Independent, that placing an instructor on leave for “giving a student a bad grade on a homework assignment” was “insane.”
Content creator Matt Bernstein commented on Instagram in a video reported by The Independent that, although the essay made theological arguments, it did not include direct biblical citations. Bernstein concluded, “Facts don’t care about your feelings, and the fact is, you can’t write.”
As of Dec. 2, the instructor remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of the university’s formal appeal process.
