A graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma who gave a failing grade to a student for an anti-transgender paper will no longer teach at the university, officials announced Monday.
Mel Kurth, a transgender graduate teaching assistant, was placed on administrative leave several weeks ago after giving student Samantha Hrnecki a zero on a psychology paper. The newspaper described transgender people as “demonic” and claimed that gender roles are “prescribed by the Bible.”
Ms. Hrunecki claimed that the score was retaliation for her religious views, but Ms. Kurth said the zero points were based on academic criteria. Kurth wrote that the essay “does not answer the questions of this assignment, is contradictory, uses more personal ideology than empirical evidence in science class, and is at times offensive.” Professor Kurth also pointed out that portraying marginalized groups as “demons” is “very offensive” and urged students to use empirical sources rather than doctrinal statements when criticizing class content.
The university posted a statement on social media on Monday, saying the graduate assistant was “arbitrary in grading this particular paper” and “will no longer have any teaching duties.” Mr. Kearse and Mr. Hrunecki’s names have not been disclosed, but their names have been disclosed elsewhere.
In a statement, the university said it investigated the student’s claims of religious discrimination but would not make the findings public. The statement said there was “no academic problem” for her because the university had already decided to appeal her grades and excluded the paper from her class total score.
“The University of Oklahoma strongly believes in both the right of faculty to teach with academic freedom and integrity and the right of students to receive an education free from unacceptable evaluation standards of instructors,” the statement continued. “We are dedicated to teaching our students how to think, not what to think.”
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The school’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors gave little consideration to the university’s statement. “Basically, there is nothing new here,” a branch spokesperson said in a statement to the TV station. KFOR. “OU claims without any support or specific reasons why Mel Kearse was fired. They have claimed in the past in press releases that this was due to disturbing allegations of supposed ‘religious discrimination’ that conflict with academic freedom. Is that now? Instead, they hide behind vague statements and claims that essentially ‘trust us.'” At this point, they need to show us, not tell us. And once again, OU has made the hiring decision public, which further inflames the situation. ”
The university placed a second lecturer on administrative leave after he told students they would be excused from class if they participated in a protest in support of Mr. Kearse, school officials said. student newspaper OU Nightly has appointed Kelly Alvarez to teach its English composition course.
Karibu Magana, president of the University of Oklahoma’s Turning Point U.S. chapter, asked whether counter-protesters would also be excused from being absent. Alvarez responded that there was a need to organize a counter-protest. Although no one else did, some conservative students voiced their opinions at the pro-Kurse demonstration. Ms. Magana filed a complaint with the university against Mr. Alvarez. Turning Point USA is a right-wing student organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk.
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Controversies over gender identity are also occurring at other universities in conservative states. Melissa McCall, a professor at Texas A&M University, was fired in September after students complained about McCall’s discussion of the subject. In November, the Texas A&M Board of Regents banned faculty members from discussing “racial or gender ideology” at the 12 colleges it oversees.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
