The OU Bible essay controversy began with a failing grade on a psychology paper in November 2025 and escalated into a national dispute over academic freedom, religious expression, and political pressure on public universities. The University of Oklahoma removed graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth from her instructional duties after concluding she had graded the essay in an “arbitrary and capricious” way that violated the student’s religious liberty. Curth has appealed, denies discriminating, and remains at OU as a research assistant while the religious discrimination claims stay under review. The case also prompted Oklahoma lawmakers to pass two new laws in 2026 governing grading and free speech at state colleges.
The Essay and the Zero
Curth taught a lifespan development psychology course at OU. In November 2025, students were assigned a 650-word response to an academic study on whether conformity with gender norms was linked to popularity or bullying in middle school. The paper was worth 25 points, or roughly three percent of the final course grade.1CNN. Oklahoma University Bible Essay Controversy
Junior Samantha Fulnecky submitted an essay arguing that traditional gender roles should not be treated as stereotypes and that recognizing multiple genders is “demonic” and “against God’s will.” She cited the Bible to argue that eliminating gender distinctions would move people “farther from God’s original plan for humans.”2ABC7. University of Oklahoma Instructor on Leave After Issuing Grade on Bible Essay
Curth gave the paper a zero. In her written feedback, she said it failed to answer the assignment’s questions, contradicted itself, and “heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class.” She called portions “at times offensive” but wrote plainly: “Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs.”1CNN. Oklahoma University Bible Essay Controversy A second instructor reviewed the paper and agreed with the failing grade.3KOCO. Samantha Fulnecky OU Student Essay Bible Grade
How the Complaint Escalated
Fulnecky filed a formal complaint alleging religious discrimination and a separate grade appeal, saying she had used the same writing approach that earned perfect scores on earlier assignments in the course.3KOCO. Samantha Fulnecky OU Student Essay Bible Grade On her initial complaint she copied Governor Kevin Stitt and former state Superintendent Ryan Walters.4Inside Higher Ed. Oklahoma Instructor Dismissed From Teaching Appeals Decision
OU placed Curth on administrative leave in late November 2025 and opened an investigation through its Institutional Equity Office. The Faculty Senate later learned the university had adopted a new policy of suspending any instructor immediately upon receipt of a student complaint, pending investigation.5The OU Daily. AAUP Statement on OU Graduate Instructor Mel Curth Michael Givel, an OU political science professor and president of the campus AAUP chapter, said grade appeals ordinarily take several weeks and questioned whether political pressure had sped up the timeline.6The OU Daily. OU AAUP Petition on Academic Freedom
Curth’s transgender identity was publicized on Thanksgiving 2025 by a social media account tied to Turning Point USA, which pushed the story nationally. She reported receiving death threats and having a reporter come to her home.7The Advocate. Mel Curth Oklahoma Instructor Interview
What the University Decided
On December 22, 2025, OU announced Curth “will no longer have instructional duties.” Officials said a review of her “prior grading standards and patterns” showed she “was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper.”8The New York Times. Mel Curth Oklahoma Instructor Firing The Institutional Equity Office found she had engaged in “arbitrary and capricious grading of a student’s assignment in violation of that student’s religious liberty.”9KFOR. Former OU Teaching Assistant Appeals Discrimination Allegations
In an official statement, the university said it “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.” It added: “We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what to think.”10Journal Record. OU Graduate Assistant Removed From Teaching Duties Fulnecky’s zero was thrown out and the assignment was excluded from her final grade calculation.1CNN. Oklahoma University Bible Essay Controversy
Curth was not fired outright. She said in an interview that OU pulled her from teaching but kept her on as a research assistant at the same pay and benefits, and that the university’s public messaging created a false impression she had been dismissed entirely.7The Advocate. Mel Curth Oklahoma Instructor Interview As of June 2026 she was still listed as a graduate student in OU’s Department of Psychology, studying applied social and developmental psychology under advisor Lara Mayeux.11University of Oklahoma. Department of Psychology Graduate Students
Curth’s Appeal and Account
Through her attorney, civil rights lawyer Brittany Stewart, Curth denied grading in a discriminatory or arbitrary way. Stewart called the investigation “flawed” and said it “failed to consider all possible motives and issues.” Curth maintained the zero reflected the paper’s failure to answer the questions or follow the rubric, not the student’s beliefs.9KFOR. Former OU Teaching Assistant Appeals Discrimination Allegations
On December 30, 2025, Curth filed a formal appeal with the Institutional Equity Office. She argued that a second instructor had independently agreed with the failing grade, that Fulnecky had copied “overtly political actors” on her initial complaint, and that investigators failed to examine whether the complaint had ulterior motives. She also said she had become “the target of a political movement that seeks to silence and/or oust LGBTQ people from academia.”9KFOR. Former OU Teaching Assistant Appeals Discrimination Allegations As of February 2026, the religious discrimination claims were still under investigation and the appeal was unresolved.12The OU Daily. OU Graduate Student Senate on Graduate Instructor Removal
Curth, who began transitioning publicly in September 2024, said her identity fed the intensity of the story. “I think my trans identity did play a role,” she told The Advocate. “I think it touched a nerve of so many hot-button issues in the current zeitgeist.” She believed the dispute would have stayed local otherwise. She confirmed she had not sued the university and planned to remain at OU to finish her dissertation.7The Advocate. Mel Curth Oklahoma Instructor Interview
Faculty and Campus Response
Hundreds of students and some faculty rallied in December 2025 against Curth’s suspension, describing OU’s actions as “authoritarian” and warning of a chilling effect on graduate students who grade papers.13KOSU. University of Oklahoma Students March in Support of Suspended Instructor
On January 2, 2026, OU’s AAUP chapter sent an open letter to President Joseph Harroz Jr. demanding release of the specific policies behind the “arbitrary grading” finding, a public affirmation of faculty rights to grade free from political interference, and a plan to protect faculty from political attacks. The chapter said pulling a graduate student from teaching on a first offense “shows a lack of commitment to the intellectual development and professional training of instructors.” A supporting petition drew roughly 25,000 signatures.4Inside Higher Ed. Oklahoma Instructor Dismissed From Teaching Appeals Decision
The national AAUP followed on January 15, 2026. President Todd Wolfson called the suspension an “egregious violation of widely accepted principles of academic freedom and due process” and described the situation as an “ongoing academic freedom crisis.” The organization said administrators should not “substitute their judgment for that of the faculty” on grading and criticized OU’s policy of automatically suspending instructors when a student complaint is filed.14AAUP. AAUP Condemns OU Suspension and Political Interference
On February 13, 2026, the OU Faculty Senate passed a resolution disputing Harroz’s claim that the administration had consulted faculty leadership. Harroz had said the university “engaged in repeated and detailed conversations with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.” The resolution replied that the committee “was neither solicited for input on the decision nor endorsed the decision of the administration on this matter,” and warned the outcome would harm trust across the OU community. The Faculty Senate also endorsed the AAUP chapter’s demands.15NonDoc. Essay Controversy Spurs OU Criticism Across Spectrum
The Graduate Student Senate passed a bill on January 29, 2026, calling for an independent audit of the investigation. As of February 2026, OU had met with graduate student leaders but had not initiated or publicly responded to the audit request.16Norman Transcript. OU Administration to Meet With Graduate Student Senate on Transparency Concerns
The New Oklahoma Grading Laws
The case moved quickly from campus to the state capitol. Two bills tied directly to it became law in 2026.
House Bill 3700, authored by Rep. Chad Caldwell and Sen. Julie Daniels, bars public college students from being evaluated based on their “opinions, beliefs or conduct in non-academic matters.” Grades must rest on attendance, demonstrated content knowledge, and academic standards. Institutions that do not adopt conforming policies risk losing state-appropriated funds. The bill carried an emergency clause and was signed by the governor on May 5, 2026.17Oklahoma Legislature. HB 3700 Bill Information
Senate Bill 1726, also from Daniels and Caldwell, requires universities to provide free speech training for graduate instructors covering classroom management, teaching practices, grading standards, and student accommodations. It cleared the Senate 41–7 in March 2026 and the House 78–15 in May, and was signed on May 22, 2026.18Oklahoma Legislature. SB 1726 Bill Information A separate measure directing the state’s Free Speech Committee to develop free speech training for all first-year college students also passed. Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt criticized the training mandate, comparing it to the diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements many of the same lawmakers had sought to eliminate.19The Oklahoman. Oklahoma Republican Lawmakers Advance Free Speech Training
Where Things Stand
Curth remains at OU as a research assistant and graduate student, without instructional duties. Her appeal to the Institutional Equity Office was unresolved as of February 2026, and she has not filed a lawsuit against the university. Fulnecky’s zero has been erased from her record. The Faculty Senate, both AAUP chapters, and the Graduate Student Senate continue to press the administration for transparency about the “arbitrary grading” finding and the suspension policy that produced it, and Oklahoma’s new grading and free-speech statutes now set the ground rules for how similar disputes will be handled at every public college in the state.