A pre-med university student in Oklahoma is speaking out after reportedly receiving a grade of zero on a reaction essay during which she cited the Bible and spoke against gender ideology.
"The assignment was to give our opinion and our reaction to an article about gender stereotypes and gender norms," Samantha Fulnecky told CBN News. "And so that's what I did."
She said the assignment was part of a series of reaction papers she submitted throughout the semester, noting she received 100% on every paper before getting a 0 — a score that shocked her.
"I didn't think much of it," Fulnecky said of the initial assignment. "I just gave my opinion on it and they're just short essays. We've never been required to use any kind of evidence — not empirical evidence, not any evidence at all, just our opinion."
But the student said that her opinion, based on her Christian convictions, resulted in the horrendous score. Fulnecky said the article to which she was responding discussed gender stereotypes and how kids are often forced into boxes. "
Ultimately, Fulnecky said she was "shocked" and had no idea how she could get a 0 on the assignment, noting that such a score usually comes when a person turns in a blank piece of paper or simply declines to do any of the work. "I was even more shocked when I read the instructor's comments on it and why I received a zero," she continued. "That was even crazier to me."
Fulnecky continued, "The explanation was that I needed empirical evidence, but we've never been required to use empirical evidence in that class or any evidence. And that was a big part of it. But the other big part of the comments were saying that my writing was offensive, and that I needed more empathy in my work, and that I can't use personal ideology to defend my opinion."
At first, Fulnecky said she emailed the instructor and sent screenshots of the syllabus to push back on the notion she needed evidence to back her reaction; she also asked for a grade reconsideration to no avail.
Rather than cower or back down, Fulnecky decided to go to the department head of psychology, the dean, and the president of the university, among others.
While the University of Oklahoma has now reportedly told Fulnecky that the score will not count toward her final grade, she's still in shock from the incident.
Watch our CBN News interview with Fulnecky for the full story:
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