Religious Freedom Vs. the Academy: No Clear Winner Yet

By Becky Tallent | FāVS News Columnist

As a retired professor, I know the complaints students make when they do not get a desired grade on an assignment.

I also well know the angst experienced when a student does not follow directions and receives a zero on a paper.

That is why the case at the University of Oklahoma baffles me.

For those who have not read about the case, OU junior Samantha Fulnecky received a zero on a psychology paper which was supposed to be a review of a published academic article concerning gender roles. In her paper, Fulnecky gave her opinion about gender roles citing her belief in Christianity and God.

However, the assignment was for the students to explain how they understand the article that was given, including a thoughtful reaction to the analysis given in the paper. According to the assignment’s grading rubric, the criteria for evaluation would be a clear tie to the article, reaction content and the clarity of writing. According to both the graduate teaching assistant who initially graded the 650-word paper and a full professor in the department, Fulnecky did not do the assignment as given.

Here is where it starts getting troublesome, especially for faculty: When her appeal was denied, Fulnecky approached the Turning Point USA Chapter on campus and filed a complaint with the university claiming her religious freedom was violated by the grade. As a result of the complaint, the graduate teaching assistant has been placed on administrative leave.

What is the key point?

In her essay, Fulnecky called the ideas of multiple genders as “demonic.” She expressed her religious faith without either empirical or scientific evidence or quoting the Bible, it was her impressions from the Bible.

This led Fulnecky to write:

“Gender roles and tendencies should not be considered “stereotypes”. Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts. The same goes for men. God created men in the image of His courage and strength, and He created women in the image of His beauty. He intentionally created women differently than men and we should live our lives with that in mind.”

The graduate assistant, who is declining to talk with media about the case, is a transgender woman who said many parts of the essay were offensive to her in addition to the work lacking empirical evidence.

The resulting firestorm has drawn national debate with people arguing on both sides.

Students Will Try To Avert the Rubric

As a professor, I know making sure students followed the assignment is a key part of education. Essentially, this is where students learn to follow directions, especially important in the workplace after graduation.

Several times in my teaching career I did have students who failed to follow directions for an assignment and, like Fulnecky, they received a zero on that assignment. They all complained it was not fair, but when I asked them what part of the rubric wasn’t clear, I would get blank looks or they would say they didn’t want to do the work that way. I especially liked the one who argued the rubric “messed with” their creativity on what was a fact-based assignment.

Unfortunately for faculty, OU has decided to basically eliminate the score and not have it counted toward the junior’s final grade. It begs the question: How many students will now use this as excuse when they do not get the grade they want?

Religion is personal, it is unique to every individual. No one should be able to say what is or is not a proper religious belief. But, using it as an excuse to get a better grade when someone can claim a violation of religious liberty when they did not follow assignment directions tears apart the fabric of education.

 It is a topic well worth further discussion in the academy.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.

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