A University of Oklahoma pre-med student is speaking out after reportedly receiving a zero on a reaction essay in which she cited the Bible and spoke against gender ideology.
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“The assignment was to give our opinion and our reaction to an article about gender stereotypes and gender norms,” Samantha Fulnecky told CBN News. “And so that’s what I did.”
She said the assignment was part of a series of reaction papers she submitted throughout the semester, noting she received 100% on every paper before getting a 0 — a score that shocked her.
“I didn’t think much of it,” Fulnecky said of the initial assignment submission. “I just gave my opinion on it and they’re just short essays. We’ve never been required to use any kind of evidence — not empirical evidence, not any evidence at all, just our opinion.”
But the student said that her opinion, based on her Christian convictions, resulted in a horrendous score. Fulnecky said the article to which she was responding discussed gender stereotypes and how kids are often forced into boxes.
“I wasn’t expecting any pushback at all from the instructor,” she said. “I definitely didn’t see the 0 coming.”
Ultimately, Fulnecky said she was “shocked” and had no idea how she could get a 0 on the assignment, noting that such a score usually comes when a person turns in a blank piece of paper or simply declines to do any of the work.
“I was even more shocked when I read the instructor’s comments on it and why I received a zero,” she continued. “That was even crazier to me.”
Fulnecky continued, “The explanation was that I needed empirical evidence, but we’ve never been required to use empirical evidence in that class or any evidence. And that was a big part of it. But the other big part of the comments were saying that my writing was offensive, and that I needed more empathy in my work, and that I can’t use personal ideology to defend my opinion.”
At first, Fulnecky said she emailed the instructor and sent screenshots of the syllabus to push back on the notion she needed evidence to back her reaction; she also asked for a grade reconsideration.
“He replied and said, ‘No, I won’t reconsider your grade. This is the grade you deserve.’ And he said that the other TA was in agreement with him that that was the grade deserved.”
Fulnecky decided to go to the department head of psychology, the dean, and the president of the university, among others. She learned how to formally appeal her grade and she then filed a religious discrimination report with the equity office.
At first, Fulnecky said she didn’t hear much from the university. But the grade issue has been settled, with the school explaining the assignment won’t count against her.
“They also said from there that my assignments in that class won’t be graded by that instructor anymore,” Fulnecky said, noting that the University of Oklahoma later released a statement on social media stating the school is handling the matter and that the instructor is on administrative leave.
She said some of this was a surprise, as the university, from her perspective, didn’t take the situation “very seriously.”
“They just told me what processes to go through to get my grade appealed,” Fulnecky said. “And they just kind of left it at that. So I was honestly shocked to see how much they claimed to care about it on social media.”
Fulnecky has been sharing her story with various media outlets and said there’s been “a lot of reaction” from students who have reported similar issues on campus. She’s hoping to encourage people to speak out and be bold.
“It’s encouraging those students to be bold in their opinions and in their faith and be bold in their classes and kind of create some pushback,” she said, noting she has received support from her school’s TPUSA chapter as well as friends and loved ones. “I didn’t think I was doing something courageous when I was writing the essay. … I thought I was just giving my opinion.”
Ultimately, Fulnecky hopes other young people will speak up and be heard.
“It’s so important to be bold in your faith,” she said. “It’s always worth it to stand up for Jesus.”
A report from OU Daily, the student-run newspaper from the University of Oklahoma, noted that protests have broken out in support of the instructor who was placed on leave. Many of those gathered demanded that the graduate instructor be reinstated.
Some critics have defended the failing grade, claiming Fulnecky didn’t complete the assignment as was intended. You can read one such argument here.
An email to the university seeking comment on the situation has not yet been returned.
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