The University of Oklahoma has taken action against two instructors following allegations of viewpoint discrimination against conservative students.
The Original Incident
Teaching assistant William "Mel" Curth gave student Samantha Fulnecky a zero on an essay assignment in late November. The assignment asked students to read a scholarly paper about gender norms among middle schoolers and write a response.
Fulnecky, a junior, expressed support for traditional gender norms and cited her Christian beliefs and the Bible in her essay. She wrote that society's acceptance of multiple genders is harmful to youth and contradicts biblical teaching.
Curth failed the essay, claiming it lacked empirical evidence—though this wasn't listed in the grading rubric. The rubric only required a clear connection to the article, a thoughtful response rather than summary, and clear writing. Curth stated the essay relied on personal ideology over empirical evidence and was "at times offensive."
The university removed Curth from the classroom and placed them on administrative leave.
The Protest Incident
A second instructor, assistant teaching professor Kelli Alvarez, then offered excused absences to students wanting to attend a protest supporting Curth's reinstatement.
When Turning Point USA chapter president Kalib Magana requested an excused absence to counter-protest, Alvarez reportedly denied it unless he could organize a documented group of counter-protesters—a requirement not imposed on the original protesters.
The university called this viewpoint discrimination and immediately removed Alvarez from the classroom for the remainder of the semester, placing her on administrative leave pending investigation.
University Response
The school stated that classroom instructors have "a special obligation to ensure that the classroom is never used to grant preferential treatment based on personal political beliefs, nor to pressure students to adopt particular political or ideological views."
A director told students that "the university classroom exists to teach students how to think, not what to think," and confirmed all students could attend the protest without penalty, regardless of viewpoint.