The University of Oklahoma fired an instructor who failed a student who cited the Bible

The university said in a statement published Monday on X’s website that its investigation found that a graduate teaching assistant was “arbitrary” in giving 20-year-old Samantha Fulnicky zero points on the assignment. The university declined to comment other than its statement, which stated that the teacher had been dismissed from teaching.

The teacher, Mel Kurth, denied through her lawyer on Tuesday that she was involved in any abusive behavior in relation to the student’s work. Kerth is “considering all legal remedies available to her,” attorney Brittany Stewart said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.

Conservative groups, commentators and others quickly made Folnicki’s failure an online issue, highlighting her argument that she was being punished for expressing conservative Christian views. Her case has become a flashpoint in the debate over academic freedom on college campuses as president Donald Trump seeks to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and restrict how campuses discuss race, gender and sexuality.

Volnicki appealed her grade for the assignment, which was equivalent to 3% of the final grade in the class, and the university said the assignment would not count. Kerth was also placed on leave, and Oklahoma’s conservative Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, declared the situation “deeply concerning.”

“The University of Oklahoma believes strongly in the rights of its faculty to teach with freedom and academic integrity and in the right of its students to receive an education free from impermissible lecturer evaluation standards,” the university’s statement said. “We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what they think.”

Universities under fire

The law approved this year by Oklahoma’s Republican-dominated Legislature and signed by State prohibits state universities from using public funds to fund DEI programs or positions or mandate DEI training. However, the law says it does not apply to scientific research or “the academic freedom of any individual faculty member.”

Folnicki’s home phone lists in the Springfield, Missouri, area were cut off, and her mother — an attorney and podcast host — did not immediately respond Tuesday to a Facebook message seeking comment on the university’s action.

Volnicki’s failing grade came from an assignment for a psychology class on lifespan development. Kerth directed the students to write a 650-word response to an academic study that investigated whether conforming to gender norms was associated with popularity or bullying among middle school students.

Volnicki wrote that she was frustrated by the mission’s premise because she did not believe there were more than two genders based on her understanding of the Bible, according to a copy of her article provided to The Oklahoman.

“A society that promotes the lie that there are multiple races and that everyone should be who they want to be is satanic and deeply harmful to American youth,” she wrote, adding that it would lead society “far from God’s original plan for humankind.”

In comments obtained by the newspaper, Kerth said the newspaper “did not answer questions about the assignment,” contradicted itself, relied on “personal ideology” rather than evidence, and “was offensive at times.”

“Please note that I do not deduct points because you hold certain beliefs,” Kerth wrote.