A University of Oklahoma (OU) student is fighting a failing grade with the argument that her zero is religious discrimination. The student’s professor is no longer teaching the course, while the course’s TA has been put on administrative leave.
Samantha Fulnecky is a junior psychology major at OU. In her psychology class, she was tasked to complete a 650-word reaction paper asking students to reflect on societal expectations on gender, according to a Salon article.
In said paper, Fulnecky only references the Bible and vaguely references the article given by her professor. If students turn in a college-level essay without citations, it is justified that they would receive a zero.
The rubric stated that part of the assignment was personal reflection, in which opinions are allowed. However, when the graduate assistant grader gave a second opinion after the original professor, they still gave Fulnecky’s paper a zero, commenting that it “contradicts itself,” “heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence” and even called parts of the essay “offensive.”
While many students have most likely wanted to or have fought a failing grade in the past, The Equinox believes Fulnecky was not failed for her religious beliefs but on academic terms, and that her argument unfairly put her professor in hot water with the university.
Turning Point USA at OU has shown its support towards Fulnecky, telling OU to “do better,” and stating, “We should not be letting mentally ill professors around students.” The conservative argument is focusing on the professors’ pronouns and once again villainizing transgender individuals.
Much like the professor and teaching assistant, we believe this essay contradicts itself in many ways. Fulnecky is arguing religious discrimination, but is promoting “teasing” as a way to enforce gender norms. Later in her essay she states, “I do not want kids to be teased or bullied in school. However, 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.”
Fulnecky also argues for freedom of speech in this case, yet does not believe “everyone can do whatever they want.” Would that not include talking?
We feel that the university only caved to the conservative agenda, specifically Turning Point USA, as the state of Oklahoma did not take action against the university or the professor.
The essay has turned into a political argument instead of what it really is about: academic standards.
By arguing religious discrimination, Fulnecky has all the cameras pointed on her story, and any other student who may feel they have been discriminated against will be left in the dark.
The Equinox believes it is harmful to spread hateful rhetoric purely based on personal beliefs. Fulnecky even went as far as insulting her classmates because she believes they are conforming to the “same mundane opinion,” and “Society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be whatever they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth,” stated in her essay.
While blown out of proportion, situations like this could happen at any school in any state, and The Equinox has concerns as to how Keene State would handle something similar. With how quickly the University System of New Hampshire responded to the state’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion legislation, we worry how quickly the college could be in a similar situation when the political pressure is on. OU was immediate in making its decision to favor the student, Fulnecky, as it has not even been a full week since her complaint.
Professors are teachers and it is their job to grade students how they see fit based on academic terms. Very rarely does the student know more than the teacher.
OU has a responsibility to support the professors they hire; by backing Fulnecky instead of her professor, the institution is favoring a political viewpoint over academic integrity and losing the trust of students and faculty alike.
We can only hope that KSC would uphold baseline academic expectations if it were to be in a similar scenario. Caving to minimal pressure from an activist organization is nothing short of embarrassing.
