Oklahoma TA On Leave; Student Claims Religious Discrimination

""The article discussed peers using teasing as a way to enforce gender norms. I do not necessarily see this as a problem. God made male and female and made us differently from each other on purpose and for a purpose. God is very intentional with what He makes, and I believe trying to change that would only do more harm," Fulnecky wrote. "Overall, reading articles such as this one encourage [ sic] me to one day raise my children knowing that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them and cherishes them deeply and that having their identity firmly rooted in who He is will give them the satisfaction and acceptance that the world can never provide for them.""

""Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs, but instead I am deducting point [ sic] for you posting a reaction paper that does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive," Curth wrote in response to Fulnecky. "While you are entitled to your own personal beliefs, there is an appropriate time or place to implement them in your reflections. I encourage all students to question or challenge the course material with other empirical findings or testable hypotheses,""

Samantha Fulnecky, a junior psychology major, submitted an essay responding to a psychology class assignment on how societal expectations shape gender perception. Her response invoked interpretations of the Bible and expressed disagreement with the assignment's framing, including statements about gender roles and religious conviction. Graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth assigned a zero, citing failure to answer assignment questions, contradictions, heavy use of personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and content the instructor called offensive. University officials placed the graduate teaching assistant on leave after Fulnecky claimed the grade amounted to discrimination based on her religious beliefs.

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