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Oklahoma teaching assistant fired after uproar over flunking Christian student who referenced Bible in essay

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Oklahoma teaching assistant fired after uproar over flunking Christian student who referenced Bible in essay

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Weeks after a University of Oklahoma student’s story about being flunked on a paper that touted her Christian faith caused a viral uproar, the teaching assistant behind the grade has been fired.

“Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s prior grading standards and patterns, as well as the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper,” the state’s flagship school said in a Monday evening statement. “The graduate teaching assistant will no longer have instructional duties at the University.”

Samantha Fulnecky, a junior at the school, received zero out of 25 on an assignment in which she referenced the Bible after graduate teaching assistant William “Mel” Curth, who uses she/they pronouns, scored the paper.

The teaching assistant tasked Fulnecky and her classmates with writing a response to a scholarly article titled “Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence,” which discusses results of a study about gender norms among middle schoolers and the social ramifications children may face for not conforming to gender norms.

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OU student Samantha Fulnecky, with her Bible, in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, Nov. 24, 2025. (Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman/Imagn Images)

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They were asked to provide a “thoughtful discussion of some aspect of the article.” The rubric for the assignment did not require students to provide empirical evidence in their responses.

The third-year student responded by saying that gender norms should be celebrated, not denigrated. She cited Genesis, the first book of the Bible, in which God created men and women equally, but with separate purposes.

“Gender roles and tendencies should not be considered ‘stereotypes,’” Fulnecky wrote in her essay. “Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts. The same goes for men. God created men in the image of His courage and strength, and He created women in the image of His beauty. He intentionally created women differently than men and we should live our lives with that in mind.”

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Students walk on campus between classes at the University of Oklahoma on March 11, 2015, in Norman, Oklahoma. (Brett Deering/Getty Images)

She later described the societal push toward nonbinary gender identification as “demonic.”

Curth took exception to Fulnecky’s essay, and gave her a zero out of 25.

“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’s explanation for the grade said.

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Curth said the concept of only two sexes is not backed by science.

“You may personally disagree with this, but that doesn’t change the fact that every major psychological, medical, pediatric, and psychiatric association in the United States acknowledges that, biologically and psychologically, sex and gender is neither binary nor fixed,” Curth said.

Samantha Fulnecky, with her Bible, in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, Nov. 24, 2025. (Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

The graduate teaching assistant also called Fulnecky’s essay “highly offensive.”

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“I definitely think that I was being punished for what I believe because I very clearly stated in my essay in my response to the article, I very clearly stated my beliefs and stated what — not just my beliefs — but what the Bible and what God says about gender and about those roles,” Fulnecky told Fox News Digital amid the uproar.

Curth was placed on administrative leave after the student filed a discrimination claim, as the university conducted an investigation.

In its statement announcing Curth’s firing, the university said the school’s provost, described as the “highest-ranking academic officer,” personally reviewed the incident before the decision to fire Curth was made.

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“Because this matter involves both student and faculty rights, the University has engaged in repeated and detailed conversations with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to ensure there is an understanding of the facts, the process, and the actions being taken,” the statement said.

The essay grade at the University of Oklahoma caused an uproar. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

The school also noted that Fulnecky’s grade had been restored. 

“The University of Oklahoma believes strongly in both its faculty’s rights to teach with academic freedom and integrity and its students’ right to receive an education that is free from a lecturer’s impermissible evaluative standards. We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what to think. The University will continue to review best practices to ensure that its instructors have the comprehensive training necessary to objectively assess their students’ work without limiting their ability to teach, inspire, and elevate our next generation.”

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Los Angeles, Ca

Big rig crash spills cinder blocks on 101 Freeway; lanes blocked in Tarzana

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Big rig crash spills cinder blocks on 101 Freeway; lanes blocked in Tarzana

An early morning crash involving a big rig scattered cinder blocks across the northbound 101 Freeway, prompting a SigAlert in the San Fernando Valley Tuesday. The incident was reported around 4:10 a.m. when a big rig overturned on the freeway at Tampa Avenue. The crash occurred on a stretch of the northbound 101 that curves […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

Ritzy Pasadena hotel settles lawsuit for allegedly price gouging wildfire victims

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Ritzy Pasadena hotel settles lawsuit for allegedly price gouging wildfire victims

The corporation that owns the Langham Huntington Pasadena has settled a civil lawsuit claiming the luxury hotel hiked room rates while more than 200,000 residents evacuated their homes during the pair of deadly and destructive wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January of 2025. The lawsuit, filed by the Los Angeles County District […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

Southern California braces for 110-degree heat, thunderstorms this week

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Southern California braces for 110-degree heat, thunderstorms this week

Southern California is bracing for a hot and muggy week ahead, with heat watches in place and a chance of thunderstorms across the mountains and desert regions.

Temperatures are expected to increase each day into midweek, prompting officials to extend a heat advisory until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when it will transition to an extreme heat watch for even warmer conditions through Thursday evening.

Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday, with many locations topping 100 degrees and some reaching 110, according to the National Weather Service.

The afternoon high for Wednesday in the San Fernando Valley is forecast to be 110 degrees. (KTLA)

“Monsoonal moisture moving over the area will add to the discomfort, also bringing the potential for showers and thunderstorms each day,” the Weather Service said.

Those thunderstorms are most likely to occur over the mountain and desert areas as subtropical moisture is drawn into the region by a strong ridge of high pressure.

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Temperatures along the coast may even reach the 90s by midweek, with very warm temperatures continuing through the night.

Much of Southern California is under a Heat Advisory on Monday. (NWS)

“Given the extreme heat and humidity, it’s highly recommended to complete outdoor activities as early as possible,” the Weather Service said.

The high pressure is expected to slowly weaken Thursday, bringing afternoon highs to within a few degrees of normal in most areas by Friday.

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