The University of Oklahoma has fired an instructor who was accused of religious discrimination by a student after he received a failing grade on a psychology paper that cited the Bible and claimed that promoting “multi-gender beliefs” was “satanic.”
In a post in X magazine on Monday, the university announced that an investigation found that a graduate teaching assistant “arbitrarily” gave 20-year-old third-year student Samantha Hrnecki a zero on an assignment. The university declined to comment beyond saying that the lecturer had been removed from his teaching position.
Instructor Mel Kurth denied on Tuesday through her lawyer that she had “acted arbitrarily with respect to student work.” Attorney Brittany Stewart said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that Kurth is “considering all legal remedies.”
Conservative groups, commentators and others quickly made a case for Furnecki’s failure online, emphasizing her claim that she was being punished for expressing conservative Christian views. Her case has sparked an ongoing debate over academic freedom on college campuses, as President Trump pushes to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and restrict how race, gender and sexuality are discussed on campus.
Ms. Furnecki appealed for the assignment, which was worth 3% of her final class grade, but the university said the assignment did not count. Kearse was also placed on administrative leave, and Oklahoma’s conservative Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, declared the situation “very disturbing.”
“The University of Oklahoma strongly believes in both the right of faculty to teach with academic freedom and integrity and the right of students to receive an education free from instructors’ unacceptable evaluation standards,” the university said in a statement. “We are dedicated to teaching our students how to think, not what to think.”
Legislation approved this year by Oklahoma’s Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Stitt 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 academic research or the “academic freedom of individual faculty members.”
Furnecki’s home phone in the Springfield, Missouri, area has been disconnected, and his mother, an attorney, podcaster and radio host, did not immediately respond to a Facebook message Tuesday seeking comment on the university’s action.
Furnecki failed an assignment in a psychology class about lifespan development. Professor Kurth asked students to write a 650-word response to an academic study that investigated whether conformity to gender norms was associated with popularity and bullying among middle school students.
According to the materials provided, Ms. Furnecki wrote that she was frustrated by the premise of the assignment because she does not believe there is more than one gender based on her understanding of the Bible.
“Society’s imposition of the lie that multiple genders exist and that everyone should be whatever they want to be is diabolical and deeply harmful to America’s youth,” she wrote, adding that it would lead society “further away from God’s original plan for humanity.”
In feedback obtained by the newspaper, Kearse said the newspaper “does not answer the questions of its mandate”, is inconsistent in its content, relies on “personal ideology” rather than evidence and is “at times offensive”.
“Please note that I will not deduct points just because you hold certain beliefs,” Kurth wrote.
Hannah writes for The Associated Press.
