Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the poor writing was purposeful. If she actually put effort into it they probably would have just given her full marks on it, but she purposely wanted the low grade so that she could whine about it to the media.

I think this too but its a reaction paper but her reaction has no relevance to the topic and doesn't draw into the article. Its a poorly written rant. On the flip side, this doesn't seem like a topic or paper for a psychology assignment.

Her belief/worldview, which has been shaped by the Bible is that the whole premise of the research would be irrelevant if not for society having bought into this lie. I truly don't see how that doesn't tie to the article.

Anonymous wrote:I think the poor writing was purposeful. If she actually put effort into it they probably would have just given her full marks on it, but she purposely wanted the low grade so that she could whine about it to the media.

I think this too but its a reaction paper but her reaction has no relevance to the topic and doesn't draw into the article. Its a poorly written rant. On the flip side, this doesn't seem like a topic or paper for a psychology assignment.

he paper was specifically a "reaction paper". You read an article and write your own reaction to the article.

The directions state: You must write a 650 words (body of text), double- spaced reaction paper demonstrating that you read the assigned article, and includes a thoughtful reaction to the material presented in the article.

Points will be deducted when papers are deficient in any of these areas. I will deduct 10 points if your paper is between 620 and 649 words, and I will not give credit for papers under 620 words. Papers not turned in by the deadline
will not receive credit. Please remember that your reaction paper should not be a summary, but rather a thoughtful discussion of some aspect of the article.

Possible approaches to reaction papers include:[b] 1. A discussion of why you feel the topic is important
and worthy of study (or not) 2. An application of the study or results to your own experiences[/b]

GRADING: Reaction papers are graded on a 25-point scale, and are evaluated based on the following:
1. Does the paper show a clear tie-in to the assigned article? (10 points)
2. Does the paper present a thoughtful reaction or response to the article, rather than a summary? (10 points)
3. Is the paper clearly written? (5 points)

While I think she should have gone to a right wing, Bible thumping college if she wanted to quote the Bible throughout an article, she should not have gotten a zero. That was indeed her reaction and she gave reasons why. So her paper was tied-in to the assigned article and she put some thought into the response instead of summarizing. It is repetitive and not the best writing but she should have at least gotten a couple of points. So she should have gotten half credit or at least a a few points.

Both her response and the graduate student instructor's response are so absolutely rigid and are the type of people who detract from thoughtful discussions. The graduate student instructor wrote to her she got a zero in part because the instructor wrote, "You are entitled to your own beliefs, but this isn't a vague narrative of "society pushes lies," but instead the result of countless years developing psychological and scientific evidence for these claims and directly interacting with the communities involved. You may personally disagree with this, but that doesn't change the fact that every major psychological, medical, pediatric, and psychiatric association in the United States acknowledges that, biologically and psychologically, sex and gender is neither binary nor fixed.

If the last part about sex being neither binary nor fixed is completely settled why did Scientific America publish an article in 2023 "Here's Why Human Sex is NOT Binary" in the OPINION section? If there were no controversy, it wouldn't be in the opinion section.

The graduate instructor tells her she got a zero because they claim, " to call an entire group of people "demonic" is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population. "

She starts off "This article was very thought provoking and caused me to thoroughly evaluate the idea of gender and the role it plays in our society.... I strongly disagree with the idea from the article that encouraging acceptance of diverse gender expressions could improve students’ confidence. Society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be whatever they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth. I do not want kids to be teased or bullied in school. However, pushing the lie that everyone has their own truth and everyone can do whatever they want and be whoever they want is not biblical whatsoever. The Bible says that our lives are not our own but that our lives and bodies belong to the Lord for His glory. I live my life based on this truth and firmly believe that there would be less gender issues and insecurities in children if they were raised knowing that they do not belong to themselves, but they belong to the Lord."

So she doesn't call a group of people "demonic" she says "the lie" is demonic.

If a professor wants students to write a reaction to an article that most likely promotes one view including that sex is not binary or fixed in a "Lifespan Development" class then the rubric should include only certain reactions are acceptable. One possible way listed to react is a discussion if you don't think it is worthy of study and "to your own experiences".

I think the poor writing was purposeful. If she actually put effort into it they probably would have just given her full marks on it, but she purposely wanted the low grade so that she could whine about it to the media.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Okla college student protesting against getting 0 for her personal religious opinion submitted as a Psychology course essay.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/samantha-fulnecky-ou-oklahoma-bible-essay-online-debate/87553019007/

Should religious faith be allowed as the sole authority for work in science class?

I read the article and think that both the student and the graduate assistant who graded the paper went too far.

I agree. Failing is one thing, zero means did nothing or cheated. Having been a grad student who graded papers, this is should have been "talk to the professor of record about how to handle this, and don't stick your neck out alone" situation.

She did go to a second instructor for the course who concurred with her grade and said it was not a completion of the assignment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Okla college student protesting against getting 0 for her personal religious opinion submitted as a Psychology course essay.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/samantha-fulnecky-ou-oklahoma-bible-essay-online-debate/87553019007/

Should religious faith be allowed as the sole authority for work in science class?

I read the article and think that both the student and the graduate assistant who graded the paper went too far.

I agree. Failing is one thing, zero means did nothing or cheated. Having been a grad student who graded papers, this is should have been "talk to the professor of record about how to handle this, and don't stick your neck out alone" situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Okla college student protesting against getting 0 for her personal religious opinion submitted as a Psychology course essay.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/samantha-fulnecky-ou-oklahoma-bible-essay-online-debate/87553019007/

Should religious faith be allowed as the sole authority for work in science class?

I read the article and think that both the student and the graduate assistant who graded the paper went too far.

I principle the essay could have earned 6/25 on the rubric, but I think it's fair to mark it as "Did not engage with the assignment, see me to discuss appropriate essay structure, and try again."

Anonymous wrote:Psychology is not science, the rubric was awful and specifically invites her own experiences and why she feels it's important to study or not. It didn't say citations were required. I don't think it deserved a zero.

Exactly what grade it deserved based on the rubric should be determined relative to how everyone else was graded and whether her prior essays that received perfect scores were similar quality.

I don't think it's appropriate for outsiders to comment on grammar, clarity, etc., without seeing how those are judged in this class on other topics, regardless of how objectively poor the work may be.

A college junior should not need a rubric to tell her to use citations. That's something you learn in high school. At a minimum it needs to discuss what it's responding to and it doesn't.

Anonymous wrote:
Okla college student protesting against getting 0 for her personal religious opinion submitted as a Psychology course essay.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/samantha-fulnecky-ou-oklahoma-bible-essay-online-debate/87553019007/

Should religious faith be allowed as the sole authority for work in science class?

I read the article and think that both the student and the graduate assistant who graded the paper went too far.

Psychology is not science, the rubric was awful and specifically invites her own experiences and why she feels it's important to study or not. It didn't say citations were required. I don't think it deserved a zero.

Exactly what grade it deserved based on the rubric should be determined relative to how everyone else was graded and whether her prior essays that received perfect scores were similar quality.

I don't think it's appropriate for outsiders to comment on grammar, clarity, etc., without seeing how those are judged in this class on other topics, regardless of how objectively poor the work may be.

Anonymous wrote:
Okla college student protesting against getting 0 for her personal religious opinion submitted as a Psychology course essay.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/samantha-fulnecky-ou-oklahoma-bible-essay-online-debate/87553019007/

Should religious faith be allowed as the sole authority for work in science class?

Did you read her essay and the rubric?

It was terribly written and embarrassingly piss poor work for a college junior. There is some reasonable speculation she did this deliberately to go crying to the media.

You can read it here: https://archive.is/LT0r1

It absolutely deserved a zero. Runon sentences, repetitive, lack of any sources, didn't address the question.

She didn’t even bother to indent the paragraphs

Grandstanding event.

Students need to follow the detailed assignment instructions, not riff on their personal beliefs without proper (required) citations. Her essay was lazy, poorly written and unscientific, absolutely deserved failure.

Okla college student protesting against getting 0 for her personal religious opinion submitted as a Psychology course essay.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/samantha-fulnecky-ou-oklahoma-bible-essay-online-debate/87553019007/

Should religious faith be allowed as the sole authority for work in science class?