State political leaders, including former State Superintendent Ryan Walters, demanded university action for Samantha Fulnecky, an OU student who gained national attention after she contested her Bible-based essay grade, at a meeting hosted by a conservative, Oklahoma-based nonprofit.
Politicians demand action
Over 100 attendees, including members of OU Turning Point USA chapter and Sen. Lisa Standridge (R-Norman), gathered at the event held by the Original Constitutional Principles Affecting Culture Foundation, also known as OCPAC.
In a pre-recorded video, Walters, who said he was not present because he was working with President Donald Trump’s team in Florida at the Mar-a-Lago resort, called for university employees involved in the grade to be fired.
“Everybody involved in this situation that did this to Samantha should be fired immediately. It’s not tough, it’s called the First Amendment, it’s called academics,” Walters said. “It’s called a taxpayer university. And if OU wants to continue down this road, they should lose taxpayer funding.”
Walters called Fulnecky an inspiration.
Ryan Walters calls for firing of graduate instructor, loss of funding for OU in Bible-based essay controversy
“What an absolute American hero, standing up for her Christian faith against these radical leftists that continue to try to force wokeism on this next generation,” Walters said. “I couldn’t be more impressed with her tenacity and intelligence. If you guys have seen her speaking, she is so sharp.”
Sen. Shane Jett (R-Shawnee) said the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus has issued a request to meet with OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. after Fulnecky said she had not received a response from the university president.
“The dearth of leadership, from the president down, is the problem, …” Jett said. “We have every intention of holding them accountable so that we get leadership in the president’s office who actually cares about the taxpayers and the values that they care about.”
Fulnecky’s comments
Fulnecky sat on stage with Jett and the organization’s board President Bob Linn, who asked questions about her experience after she received zero points for a Bible-based paper she submitted in an OU psychology course. The graduate student instructor who graded the paper has since been placed on administrative leave.
Samantha Fulnecky on university's response to religious discrimination, academic appeals
While on stage, Fulnecky said that before the incident, she did not know that the graduate instructor identified as transgender.
“People online have tried to say that I’ve orchestrated the whole thing and that I wrote that paper to be offensive, but I was asked to give my opinion and that’s what I did,” Fulnecky said. “I had no idea that it would offend the (graduate instructor).”
Linn expressed support for Fulnecky’s stance in her paper, which argued that traditional gender roles should not be considered stereotypes.
“You were asked to react to something that 50 years ago we would have thought would have been insanity,” Linn said.
Fulnecky said she believes she met the expectations of the assignment and the grade was due to her religious beliefs.
“I’ve gotten 100% on every essay I’ve written in that class, …” Fulnecky said. “I didn’t need any evidence. It was nowhere in the instructions or in the syllabus.”
Fulnecky said other OU students with similar experiences have reached out to her.
“It definitely shows that this wasn’t just a one-time thing where they just happened to hire someone that didn’t know what they were doing,” Fulnecky said. “It sounds like it’s a huge problem at OU that no one’s really talking about.”
Linn praised Fulnecky’s beliefs, comparing her to the Virgin Mary.
“(Fulnecky’s) doing the mission,” Linn said. “God had (Fulnecky) anointed to start a national fire throughout America.”
After Fulnecky spoke, attendees gave her a standing ovation.
Today, we had the honor of presenting Samantha with a Citation of Recognition from the Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 98, for her steadfast convictions, her commitment to speaking from a foundation of truth, and her courage in shining a light on serious concerns… pic.twitter.com/LzIdzyyJVz
— Gabe Woolley (@GabeGwoolley) December 3, 2025
Fulnecky also received a citation of recognition from Oklahoma Rep. Gabe Woolley (R-Broken Arrow).
“I do have a citation of recognition … to recognize (Fulnecky) for her courage, for speaking out for her convictions,” Woolley said, “and essentially doing the right thing in a place and in an avenue where we see academia declining.”
Samantha Fulnecky, Ryan Walters speak at Original Constitutional Principles Affecting Culture event
This story was edited by Thomas Pablo, Ana Barboza and Anusha Fathepure. Sophie Hemker and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
