A transgender teaching assistant at the University of Oklahoma has been placed on administrative leave after a conservative student accused both the assistant and the course professor of discrimination after she earned a zero for quoting the Bible in an essay.
The student, OU junior Samantha Furnecki, a psychology major, was assigned a 650-word essay responding to research on how closely children’s popularity conforms to prescribed gender norms, Oklahoma-based NPR station reported. Cos.
the study – Gender typicality, peer relationships, and mental health — They found that popular children were more likely to be described as “typical gender” by their peers than children who were frequently teased. Among those teased, boys show the worst mental health outcomes.
Furnecki denied the study’s premise, writing in a Nov. 9 essay (later republished) Oklahoman — that making fun of kids who don’t conform to stereotypical gender norms is “not necessarily…a problem.” She argued that encouraging gender nonconformity is harmful to society because it “takes us away from God’s original plan for humanity.”
Citing the Bible as the sole basis for justifying her opinion, Ms. Furnecki wrote, “God created male and female and intentionally and purposefully created us to be different from each other.” “Gender roles and trends should not be thought of as ‘stereotypes.’ Women naturally want to do feminine things because God created us with feminine desires in our hearts. So do men.”
Furnecki added that he does not believe that individuals are pressured to conform to gender norms, but that gender norms are expressions of a man’s or woman’s innate nature, designed by God.
“I strongly disagree with the article’s idea that encouraging acceptance of diverse sexual expressions increases student confidence,” she wrote. “A society that imposes the lie that multiple genders exist and that everyone should be whatever they want to be is diabolical and seriously harms America’s youth.
Reasons why the essay was given zero points
Mel Kurth, the teaching assistant who graded the assignment, said Furnecki’s essay did not meet the requirements because it did not adequately respond to the prompt and lacked “empirical evidence” to support the claims. Noting that Furnecki did not cite any scholarly sources, quoting only the Bible, Kurth gave her a score of zero out of 25.
of assignment rubric Although it does not explicitly require “empirical evidence,” examples of appropriate responses include considering whether the topic merits further research, relating the paper’s claims to real-world applications or observations, citing other sources or educational materials, or providing an evidence-based critique of the paper’s claims.
Kurth also wrote that Furnecki’s essay was contradictory and offensive, noting her characterization of non-binary gender identities as “satanic,” a comment Kurth said is offensive to sexual minorities.
“please. [to] “Add a little more perspective and empathy to your research. If you personally disagree with the findings, please feel free to share your criticisms, but please do so in an appropriate manner that aligns with the learning goals of this class and uses experiential psychology methodologies,” Kurth wrote.
Megan Waldron, the course’s instructor, said in a message to Hrnecki through an online portal that she agreed with Kurth’s assessment.
“This paper should not be considered a completed assignment,” Waldron wrote. “Everyone sees the world differently, and academic courses like this require you to support your ideas with empirical evidence and higher-level reasoning.”
Ms. Waldron also said that Ms. Hrunecki does not see bullying as an issue and that she is concerned that her criticisms of her colleagues’ opinions are not only harsh but also disrespectful.
Student files discrimination complaint
Hrunecki balked at the assessment, arguing that she was being discriminated against and that her right to free speech was violated because she quoted the Bible to support her opinions, which she said reflected her religious beliefs and had done the same in a previous paper that was fully evaluated.
my junior said Oklahoman The rubric for the assignment stated that students would be evaluated on three criteria. It’s clear writing, a clear connection to the article, and a thoughtful response rather than a summary. She added that she doesn’t understand how her subjective opinion could be called “offensive.”
She then sent an email on Nov. 17 to Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harross Jr., and the Teacher Freedom Alliance, an anti-teacher union group led by former Superintendent Ryan Walters, asking for help. She subsequently filed a formal discrimination lawsuit against the university, which is still pending.
On November 30, the University of Oklahoma announced that Mr. Kurth would be placed on administrative leave and Mr. Waldron would serve as the course instructor for the remainder of the semester. The university also said it was reviewing Ms. Hrunecki’s grade appeal and discrimination claims.
“The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns about First Amendment rights, including freedom of religion,” the university said in a statement. unsigned statement I posted it on social media. “Upon receiving notification from the student regarding the grading of the assignment, the university immediately began a full review of the situation and took swift action on this matter.”
Conservatives rally around students
In response to this incident, the OU branch of the conservative group “Turning Point USA” tweeted: “You shouldn’t have a mentally ill professor around your students. Clearly, this professor lacks the intellectual maturity to put aside his own biases and take grading seriously. Professors like this are the reason conservatives can’t express their beliefs in the classroom.”
Meanwhile, several Oklahoma politicians painted Hrunecki as a martyr, claiming she was the latest example of conservative students being treated unfairly by progressive instructors because of their religious beliefs.
“The situation at OU is extremely concerning,” Gov. Stitt wrote on Facebook. post. “I am asking the OU Board of Regents to review the findings of the investigation and ensure that appropriate steps are taken to ensure that no other students are unfairly punished for their beliefs.”
Oklahoma State Sen. Lisa Standridge (R-Norman) called for Kearse’s firing as an instructional assistant in a statement that misgendered Kearse.
“The only way to stop this type of discrimination is to fire the professor,” Standridge wrote.
Transgender journalist Caitlin Burns wrote on her website: Burns Notice Kurth, who was punished for “discriminating” against Furnecki, said the controversy was “just another attack on transgender people in positions of authority in academia.” She predicted that conservatives would continue to push similar lawsuits to ban transgender people and professors with pro-trans views from teaching on college campuses.
“Conservatives believe they are losing college-educated voters, believe transgender people are products of an overly liberal society, harbor a long-standing grudge against colleges even existing in the first place, and view Democrats as bending over backwards when it comes to standing up for transgender people in public,” Burns wrote. “When you combine all of these factors, you have the perfect conditions to use conservative students and organizations like TPUSA as drug agents to eviscerate the higher education system.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
