I like “protective” and definitely premium quality. 🫶🏾

At least it mentions your book first. Can you imagine if you were the “alternative” to the goalie equipment? 🤣

We've always admired your large pocket size.

A few weeks ago I asked AI about a multi-volume 19th-c. biography of Napoleon. It provided a nice 300ish-word statement. Then, for no reason, it ended with "Wesley Posvar was the 15th Chancellor of the University Pittsburgh, 1967-1991. He is credited with solidifying the university's financial footing, but there is no evidence he contributed to the scholarship on the Napoleonic era."

I’d like to see the assignment instructions and the essay itself to make up my own mind. Anyone know where I can find this info? All my searches are coming up with opinion articles confounding the issue with the trans pro- con - stance with no links to the original source material. As an Atheist, I’ve cited the Bible for a number of papers in the past because it’s still a valid source for contemporary thought and has a heavy influence on society, past and present. Other religious texts are also fantastic sources, specifically when comparing and contrasting teachings and their influences on modern societal patterns, both for and against many of today’s issues. I’d be very curious to read the primary sources rather than relying on 3rd party opinion pieces.

So you are saying that you know for certainty that she picked a class with a transgender TA on purpose?? Are you sure about this? I don't even know how to find out who the TA's are before I register and pay for my classes and receive access to the syllabus.

I'm a psychology professor, and I've read the target article, the student's paper, and the grading rubric. The moment the instructor included in the directions the option of talking about "why you FEEL the topic is important or not" and "application to your own EXPERIENCES" the instructor lost the option of downgrading the paper for being all about the student's subjective opinions instead of an intellectual engagement with the article. In the past, I tried assigning response papers like that, and very quickly stopped doing it. The result was always shallow self-indulgent pablum from students (including 3rd-year students) who are capable of so much more. When I want substantive engagement with the relevant scholarly literature on a topic, backed up by cited sources, I put exactly that in the instructions.

Your second paragraph of this post is exactly why parents don't want to send their kids off to some universities. You clearly have disdain for kids with these views and I guarantee you it shows in your teaching.

It seems risky to assign all of this to the motivation of a junior enrolling in a class. Surely your years of teaching have also acquainted you with students who will do anything to avoid certain class scenarios and…are forced to take them anyway to graduate.

A paper even tangentially addressing the assignment should NOT receive a grade of 0. 0 is for not turning anything in.

Wow! How important it is to research to know the facts instead of reading these articles and making assumptions. I appreciate you digging into this a little deeper. I would love for you to speak more on this topic of attending a “godlessness, secular university” as a Christian and understanding the concept of close reading and decent writing vs an attempt to sabotage a students faith. It seems to be a real fear that I had never considered until my daughter started dual enrollment and I had conversations with other parents. It almost seems like it should be forbidden that we would let our kids take a class at the “secular”school. 🤦🏾‍♀️

The following is from David Deming, a professor of geology at OU who tracked down the rubric for the assignment: The original instructions for the assignment ask the student to write a "reaction paper" that is a "thoughtful discussion" that includes "your own thoughts." There is NO mention of sources or the necessity of using empirical evidence. Neither are either of these mentioned in the explicit, written grading criteria. The response to the student is argumentative and more than anything else, can be characterized as "browbeating." The student is awarded a grade of "zero" and the reasons given include the fact that she failed to use "empirical evidence" and included her "own personal beliefs." (Which of course is exactly what she was instructed to do!). Furthermore, the student was graded down for being "highly offensive." Apparently, the teachers of this course missed the memorandum. The Chicago Statement was adopted as offical OU policy a couple years ago by the Regents. And the Chicago Statement clearly states: "It is not the proper role of the University to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive." www.facebook.com/david.deming.1232/posts/pfbid035v4HDiHVs1ytoGj8ZprnytYnkXfX6jGnEsvAQKuk5km6S4Tzb...

She may not have had any choice in which class to take if it was required for her major. What she ought to have done was made a formal request for an alternative, neutral topic so she could complete the assignment without violating her religious beliefs. The instructor refusing a request for an alternative topic would’ve been a legitimate religious discrimination case. But that’s not what she did and while I am sympathetic to her dilemma, she handled it poorly. You can’t cite the Bible as a source in a psychology paper

I think that no one here knows all of the facts, especially her motivations, so no one is in a position to judge her. But I will say that this is probably a bit of backlash against so much anti-Christian philosophy and attitude perpetrated against Christian students. Personally, I would not attend a college today that did not support and uphold my cherished Christian beliefs. Such institutions do not deserve my money nor my time.

Additionally, the articles I read stated another professor also reviewed the paper and agreed it deserved the zero due to not following the criteria.

While I agree with everything you've said, zero credit for a poorly written paper seems punitive. This student was a poor writer, and she didn't cite the Bible correctly. Still, a zero? I tend to think she must have followed something in the rubric which would have given her some credit. It seems punitive because it probably offended the TA. If the student wrote the paper in order to offend the TA (who is trans) rather than to be winsome, then she wasn't being Christlike either. Even so, if the student didn't cite her sources and didn't use academically acceptable sources, she still wrote her paper. Clearly, AI didn't write it. She should have received some credit, instead of none. When the paper and the rubrics are scrutinized by the powers that be, the TA might be in some trouble. Of course, Turning Point and other groups are going to use this example as proof that secular schools are "out to discriminate against Christians." The TA should have been more professional and detached. They may lose their job, but I don't believe they should be expelled from the university.

If that paper wasn't deserving of its failing grade, then my 10th grader is already a Rhodes Scholar.

Trans people should not be in positions of power or authority anywhere.

This is why my husband, for years, had to start freshman classes with a statement that he wasn't there to tear apart anyone's religious beliefs. This tiny conversation had a huge impact on how many combative students he had, students who were almost always graduates of private Christian schools.

I am curious, did you read the assignment and the paper?

Friends kept warning me not to let my young person attend Duke University because he would be “indoctrinated”. Yeah well, he was a Bio major with minors in Chem and Ancient Civilization. Everything was going swimmingly until his last semester. He had to drop a comp sci course to take one more “inquiry” class. . . And doggone it, that C.S. Lewis prof and class really caused him to question his future. Suddenly, he was confused by finding a “kindred” academic thinker. Imagine! 😆 This makes me think of the high school book ban fervor here in my NC county (Guilford) about 4 years ago. My fellow Conservative moms and grannies went berserk over Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones being used in an AP Lit class due to “sexual content”. They expressed they preferred their young people read “classic” literature instead of modern because they seemed to be under the impression there was no sexual content or themes in those “old books”. Methinks they do not comprehend the old stuff and the language used. (I am not a book ban Conservative.)

Well said. May I share this?

There is a difference between being persecuted for your faith and consequences for being obnoxious. One notable action is that of Rosa Parks who deliberately challenged the status quo bus etiquette which needed to be changed.

My biggest question: was there a grading rubric?

And the fact that so many people won't bother to actually find out the facts and story behind it (and apply some critical thinking) and simply read the click-bait headlines designed to manufacture outrage, is a major problem today.

And the fact that the TA took the heat is the marshmallow on top! Oh, how I want to say 🤬🤬🤬

I also found an analysis of the paper by a biblical scholar. In her analysis, the paper didn’t even hold up if the student had “genuinely” used religion as source material. The scholar said the poor grade was well deserved

I read the TA’s response and thought it was very thoughtful and gracious considering a Junior decided to completely ignore the provided assignment rubric.

It's such a ridiculous issue and entirely preventable. For example, I am Jewish. I enrolled at a "Christian" college online. When writing in a Biblically based class, I wrote the Professor and asked "Do you want the Christian answer or my actual beliefs? I am happy to write on either." And the Professor clarified I could write on my own beliefs so I did. I got full credit.