Groups made up of OU professors, college Republicans reject student’s religious discrimination claim
By Jason Burger
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NORMAN, Okla. (KOCO) — A conservative student organization has joined the list of groups asking for clarification on why a University of Oklahoma graduate teaching assistant was placed on leave for giving a failing grade on a psychology essay.
Samantha Fulnecky, a junior at OU, filed a complaint with the university after receiving a zero on a paper worth 25 points. In her essay, she pointed to excerpts from the Bible to back up her opinions.
The graduate teaching assistant, who graded the paper, said it lacked empirical evidence and was at times “offensive.” The university placed the instructor on administrative leave and said the essay would not count towards Fulnecky’s final grade.
“It’s not just about the grade. It’s the principal behind it and what the university is allowing,” Fulnecky said. “I write them all the same, all the exact same. The TA has never had a problem with how I write my papers in this class.”
Fulnecky claimed religious discrimination and said she was concerned about the university’s stance on free speech.
“They shouldn’t be allowing professors like this at universities that don’t want students to have free speech,” Fulnecky said.
She has gained support from numerous conservative organizations and leaders, but one group has questions.
“The academic quality of the essay written by Samantha Fulnecky is indefensible, and the professor’s failing grade is demonstrably correct,” the Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans said in a statement. “We should be engaging in substantive intellectual battles, not generating outrage over an earned poor grade.”
Michael Givel, a professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma, said the situation was unusual, particularly with how it was handled by the university.
“It was highly expedited. Usually, these sorts of processes take several weeks before there’s a hearing, if there’s a hearing,” Givel said.
The American Association of Professors at OU also issued a statement, questioning the decision to place the teaching assistant on administrative leave.
“OU-AAUP calls for disclosure of all criteria (on the entire syllabus, the grading rubric for this assignment, and any other verbal or written requirements and expectations related to grading this assignment). In contrast, the university’s public statement focuses entirely on protecting the student’s First Amendment rights against alleged violations, while making no defense of the instructor’s academic freedom to teach, grade, and require academic standards,” OU-AAUP said in a statement.
The group said it wants more information.
“The specific facts and law, arbitrary and capricious, or was it a violation of religious rights or freedom of speech, or academic freedom by the way, which is a subset of free speech,” said.
KOCO 5 reached out to the graduate instructor but did not hear back.
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