OU Faculty Senate approved a resolution affirming the university did not consult the senate executive committee on the termination of graduate teaching instructor Mel Curth despite the university’s assertion it did, according to a Friday afternoon email from Faculty Senate Chair Sarah Robbins.
According to an email from Sam Jensen, Graduate Student Senate ways and means committee chair, 34 faculty senators virtually voted in favor of the resolution, six voted against and three abstained from the vote.
“We are excited that the Faculty Senate passed their resolution,” Jensen wrote.
The proposed resolution, which was brought forth on the Tuesday meeting’s new business portion, states that the senate was neither involved in the discussion nor endorsed the decision to terminate Curth for being “arbitrary in the grading” of a psychology paper that cited the Bible.
“OU issued a statement on Dec 22nd that identifies the University as having engaged in ‘repeated and detailed conversations with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to ensure there is an understanding of the facts, the process, and the actions being taken’ regarding terminating instructional duties for a graduate teaching assistant, …” Faculty Senate’s resolution reads. “The OU Faculty Senate Executive Committee and Faculty Senate were neither solicited for input on the decision nor endorsed the decision of the administration on this matter.”
According to the December statement from OU, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee was consulted throughout OU’s investigation and determination regarding Curth.
A statement from the University of Oklahoma: pic.twitter.com/FzcjByOjpp
— University of Oklahoma (@UofOklahoma) December 22, 2025
“Because this matter involves both student and faculty rights, the University has engaged in repeated and detailed conversations with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to ensure there is an understanding of the facts, the process, and the actions being taken,” OU’s December statement reads.
OU Daily reached out to OU Marketing and Communications for a statement but has not received a response by the time of publication.
OU administration met with leaders of the Graduate Student Senate Tuesday morning to discuss the university’s termination of Curth, according to a Wednesday statement from OU Marketing and Communications.
“The University of Oklahoma met with leaders of the Graduate Student Senate to listen, share perspectives, and have a constructive conversation,” the statement reads. “The discussion provided an important opportunity for University leaders to hear directly about recent graduate students’ experiences and their impact at OU.”
The vote comes two weeks after GSS passed a bill calling for transparency from OU regarding its investigation of Curth. The bill states the university has damaged the reputation of Curth and the institution as a whole, has created an opportunity for lawsuits against the university and did not make it clear whether any official policies were followed during the investigation.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Natalie Armour.
