NORMAN, Okla. –
A graduate student instructor at the University of Oklahoma was placed on administrative leave after a student filed a discrimination complaint.
The student, Samantha Fulnecky, claims she received a poor grade on her assignment due to referencing the Bible in an assignment in her psychology class.
A graduate instructor is on leave while the University of Oklahoma evaluates the student’s claim and the grading process.
November 30, 2025 02:33 PM
1 min read
Fulnecky received a zero on the assignment. In an interview with News 9, she said she believes that she deserved a 100.
“We have been getting these papers all semester, and I’ve written them all the same,” she said. “And I’ve gotten a 100 on all of them up until this point.”
Fulnecky said, in her previous reaction paper assignments for the class, she had never before incorporated an outside source.
While she has faced sharp viral criticism for her writing abilities, Fulnecky believes merely turning something in merits more than a zero.
Other critics have attacked her for not actually citing the Bible, but instead making a general reference.
“I didn’t specifically cite one verse of the Bible or one portion of the Bible,” she explained. “But the instructions asked us to pull from our personal experiences and give thoughtful reaction based off of prior experiences and knowledge.”
An Instagram post from the OU chapter of Turning Point USA shares the rubric for the assignment, which required the essay to be in 12-point Times New Roman or Calibri font with one-inch margins on all sides. The assignment was graded on a 25-point scale with the following questions in mind:
- Does the paper show a clear tie-in to the assigned article? (10 points)
- Does the paper present a thoughtful reaction or response to the article, rather than a summary? (10 points)
- Is the paper clearly written? (5 points)
The assignment was also required to meet a minimum word count of 650 words.
The rubric for the assignment and Fulnecky’s essay can be found below:
1 of 7
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 1
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
2 of 7
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 2
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
3 of 7
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 3
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
4 of 7
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 4
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
5 of 7
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 5
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
6 of 7
Assignment Rubric Part 1
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
7 of 7
Assignment Rubric Part 2
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Samantha Fulnecky Essay and assignment Rubric
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 1
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 2
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 3
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 4
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Samantha Fulnecky Essay Part 5
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Assignment Rubric Part 1
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Assignment Rubric Part 2
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
In a response to the essay, the instructor said Fulnecky’s assignment
“Does not answer the questions for the assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive.”
A second instructor in the class also told Fulnecky that she agreed with the other instructor’s grade for the assignment.
1 of 4
Instructor Response Part 1
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
2 of 4
Instructor Response Part 2
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
3 of 4
Instructor Response Part 3
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
4 of 4
Additional Instructor Response
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Instructor Response to Samantha Fulnecky’s Assignment
Instructor Response Part 1
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Instructor Response Part 2
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Instructor Response Part 3
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
Additional Instructor Response
CREDIT: Turning Point USA at University of Oklahoma
1 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
2 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
3 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
4 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
5 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
6 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
7 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
8 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
9 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
10 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
11 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
12 of 12
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
Syllabus for Samantha Fulnecky’s psychology course
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, OU said,
“The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms. Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment in the online class, the University immediately reached out to the student, began a full review of the situation, and acted swiftly to address the matter.
First, the college acted immediately to address the academic issue raised by the student. College leaders contacted her on the day her letter was received and have maintained regular communication throughout the process. As previously stated, a formal grade appeals process was conducted and completed. The process resulted in steps to ensure no academic harm to the student from the graded assignments. As stated by the student, the two assignments – which together total 35 points out of the entire 1,050 points (3%) for the course – have been excluded from the calculation of her final grade.
Second, the student reported filing a claim of illegal discrimination based on religious beliefs to the appropriate university office. OU has a clear process for reviewing such claims and it has been activated. The graduate student instructor has been placed on administrative leave pending the finalization of this process. To ensure fairness, a full-time professor is serving as the course instructor for the remainder of the semester.
OU remains firmly committed to fairness, respect and protecting every student’s right to express sincerely held religious beliefs.”
