A disputed zero grade for a University of Oklahoma student’s paper on gender has reignited debates over classroom ideology, academic standards and campus climate. The incident—amplified by Turning Point USA—spotlights tensions between instructors’ assessment of disciplinary standards and students’ claims of ideological bias. The episode arrived as state systems push rules limiting instruction on gender and race. Separately, a new Center for American Progress report warns that politicized governing boards are eroding academic freedom and recommends limiting board authority over curricular and research matters, depoliticizing appointments, and safeguarding faculty prerogatives. The two developments together underscore escalated conflict over classroom content and the trustees who oversee institutions.