Sorry Professor, Jesus Ate my Homework
Clover Morales | HEAD COPY EDITOR
January 29, 2026
The University of Oklahoma (OU) has been facing heavy criticism for the removal of an assistant professor on Dec. 22 over a failing grade given on a student’s psychology paper. The assignment was to write a response to a scholarly article about how gender expectations in society—particularly in adolescents—shape relationships with their peers and their mental health.
However, third-year Samantha Fulnecky failed to address the prompt using the article, instead choosing to cite the Bible to justify her belief that multiple genders are “demonic.” Her teaching assistant, Mel Curth, who is transgender, marked the essay with a failing grade, not because of the topic of the essay but because the essay did not meet assignment guidelines.
The essay failed to address the prompt, lacked proper citation, and had a word count that didn’t meet the standards in the rubric, among other valid reasons for being given a failing grade. Fulnecky submitted a claim against both Curth and her instructor on the basis of religious discrimination. The University of Oklahoma agreed with the claims, placing the instructor on academic leave and removed Curth from the university.
However, this decision did not come internally from the university but rather from the backlash that it was receiving from far-right conservatives for not taking Fulnecky’s side immediately.
Despite personal beliefs being cited constantly by Fulnecky and parroted by conservatives, the reason the essay was given a failing grade is clear. It wasn’t rejected because she was Christian but because the essay failed to fulfill the outlined requirements.
Her essay focused on gender through the lens of religion, which wasn’t the topic of the essay. It used religious material that had no academic backing as her primary and only source and was based more in personal ideology instead of an academic analysis of the material presented.
This essay wasn’t solely a matter of personal belief. While academia should respect and explore personal, especially religious, beliefs, it should not excuse an assignment that failed within the academic parameters.
Fulnecky hid behind the excuse of personal belief to deploy hatred against marginalized groups. The university’s response to the situation alongside Fulnecky’s escalation of has set a dangerous precedent for academia. Fulnecky chose to appeal to far-right conservatives under the pretext of religious discrimination, and MAGA conservatives are latching onto the situation in order to further their own narratives.
One of the main delusions MAGA Republicans are feeding into is the belief that White Christians are being silenced by the “leftist,” “crazy,” and “woke” academia. Ironically, these conservatives are employing more censorship than they claim Democrats are. They are advocating for the removal of queer, transgender, African-American, and Latin American history and topics from the realm of academia and trying to advocate for a Western and White-based view of academia.
Under immense pressure from MAGA conservatives, the University of Oklahoma gave in and fired Curth. The university claims that the decision was made in good faith.
OU’s cowardice only gives conservatives the courage to weaponize the university’s response against other colleges nationwide. Professors now face a real risk of being removed for discussing material conservatives disagree with, which only amplifies their rampant desire to censor and silence.
This has been seen with a case in Sep. 2025, in which Melissa McCoul from Texas A&M university was laid off for discussing “Jude Saves the World,” a story which features a middle schooler coming out as nonbinary. McCoul was also laid off after being pressured by MAGA conservatives.
Although academia as an institution can be discriminatory against a wide number of races, genders, and religions, conservative, White Christians are not part of the groups being discriminated against. Marginalized groups like transgender people, especially transgender women, like Curth, are instead the ones who have to endure the repercussions.