Petition to Uphold Scientific Integrity and Academic Standards at the University of Oklahoma

​To: The Administration of the University of Oklahoma, The Board of Regents, and the Academic Integrity Committee

​From: Concerned Students, Faculty, Alumni, and Advocates for Scientific Rigor

​We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the integrity of scientific research and the education system upon which future innovations rely. As individuals who value the sanctity of the scientific process, we find it alarming when academic standards are compromised by the substitution of religious beliefs for empirical evidence. It is both immoral and dangerous to allow the rigor of scientific education to be eroded by accepting personal theology as a replacement for verifiable data.

The Facts of the Case
​On a recent occasion, Samantha Fulnecky, a junior psychology student at the University of Oklahoma, submitted a "reaction paper" for her Lifespan Development psychology course. The assignment required students to analyze a scholarly article titled "Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence," which examined the social and mental health impacts of gender stereotypes on children.

​Instead of engaging with the scientific content, methodology, or conclusions of the assigned peer-reviewed literature, Ms. Fulnecky submitted an essay that:

​Used the Bible as her primary reference, citing the book of Genesis to argue that gender roles are "God’s original plan for humans".
​Rejected the scientific premise of the article, stating that "society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders... is demonic".
​Failed to provide empirical evidence, relying entirely on religious text to substantiate claims about human development and psychology.
​The course instructor, a graduate teaching assistant, correctly identified that the paper failed to meet the assignment's academic criteria. The instructor assigned a grade of zero out of 25 points, noting that the essay "heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class" and failed to answer the prompt.

​The Violation: Misrepresentation of Sources and Data
​Ms. Fulnecky’s actions constitute a clear violation of the core principles of the scientific method and fall under the category of Academic Misconduct, specifically Misrepresentation of Sources and Fabrication of Evidence.

​Violation of the Scientific Method: Scientific research—and by extension, scientific education—must be grounded in empirical observation, involve testable hypotheses, and be supported by peer-reviewed literature with reproducible data. The Bible is a text of theological history and faith; it is not a peer-reviewed scientific source.
​Misrepresentation of Authority: By citing a religious text to refute or replace scientific data in a psychology paper, the student is misrepresenting the nature of the evidence. She is attempting to pass off non-verifiable, supernatural claims as equivalent to empirical data. In a scientific context, this is functionally equivalent to fabricating data, as it introduces a source that lacks the methodological validity required by the discipline.
​Academic Integrity: To allow a student to submit a theological argument in place of a required scientific analysis is to undermine the learning objectives of the course. It allows the student to bypass the rigorous intellectual work of understanding and critiquing scientific literature, replacing it with personal opinion disguised as academic work.
​Our Demand
​Academic institutions have a responsibility to maintain the integrity of education and research. Allowing students to pass off belief as evidence dilutes the credibility of genuine scientific study and sets a dangerous precedent where opinions, rather than facts, drive scientific discourse.

​We call on the University of Oklahoma to:

​Uphold the Grade: Affirm the instructor’s decision to award a failing grade. The grade was based on a failure to meet the academic criteria of the assignment (use of empirical evidence), not on discrimination against the student's personal beliefs.
​Protect Scientific Standards: Publicly reaffirm that in scientific courses (such as Psychology), students are expected to use scientific methods and sources. Clarify that while students are free to hold religious beliefs, those beliefs cannot be substituted for empirical evidence in graded academic work.

​Hold the Student Accountable: Review this incident as a potential case of academic misconduct. By submitting a paper that ignores the fundamental rules of the discipline and misrepresents the nature of evidence, the student has failed to uphold the standards of the university.
​Addressing this incident is crucial to safeguarding the quality and reliability of educational and research institutions. We must ensure that facts, not beliefs, form the foundation of scientific study.

​Sign this petition to uphold the integrity of science and demand accountability in our educational institutions.