The University of Oklahoma has removed a teaching assistant from classroom duties after a grading dispute in which a Christian student received a zero on an essay that cited Biblical views on gender.
The assignment required students to respond to an academic article on gender norms. The student, Samantha Fulnecky, wrote her paper from a religious perspective and rejected the concept of multiple genders. The teaching assistant, Mel Curth, issued a zero, stating the essay did not meet the academic requirements of the prompt and relied on personal ideology rather than evidence-based analysis.
Fulnecky filed a formal complaint accusing the instructor of religious discrimination. University officials then took Curth out of the classroom while launching a review. Administrators also confirmed that the failing grade would not harm the student’s final course standing and reassigned the class to a full-time professor for the remainder of the term.
The case has prompted a wider discussion about academic expectations, religious expression in coursework, and how universities should navigate conflicts between student beliefs and scholarly standards.