A student of the University of Oklahoma filed a complaint against a graduate instructor after she received a failing grade for citing the Bible as a source in an essay.
The graduate instructor involved in the incident has since been placed on administrative leave amid an ongoing investigation. The university wrote in a statement on Sunday that it was taking the concerns very seriously and was already conducting a full review of the incident.
University Student Failed for Using the Bible as a Source in an Essay
In the statement, university officials said they take matters involving First Amendment rights, including religious freedoms, very seriously. When they received a notice from the student regarding the grading of an assignment, they immediately launched a review to address the issue.
It noted that university leaders quickly contacted the student, psychology junior Samantha Fulnecky, on the same day that she submitted the complaint. They then launched a formal grade appeals process. They also took steps to ensure that there was no academic harm to the student, according to OU Daily.
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The graduate student instructor, on top of being placed on administrative leave, was replaced by a different full-time professor. The latter would be responsible for teaching the class for the remainder of the semester.
The university added that they have a clear process for reviewing similar claims, which has already been activated. It notes that the university remains firmly committed to fairness, respect, and protecting every student's right to express sincerely held religious beliefs.
First Amendment Rights
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also issued a statement regarding the incident, saying that the First Amendment is "foundational to our freedom and inseparable from the ability to have a well-rounded education," OKCFox reported.
He adds that the recent situation at the University of Oklahoma is "deeply concerning," saying that he was calling on the OU regents to review the results of the investigation and ensure that all appropriate actions are taken to make sure that other students are not unfairly penalized for their beliefs.
The essay that Fulnecky wrote was a 650-word essay for her psychology course, and it reacted to an article on how people are perceived based on societal gender expectations. The student cited the Bible, where she argued that traditional gender roles should not be considered as stereotypes.
The graduate student instructor, Mel Curth, wrote, "To call an entire group of people 'demonic' is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population," on the online grading platform where they failed the student, as per the Hindustan Times.
