The University of Oklahoma fired a graduate instructor who gave a zero to a student who cited the Bible in an essay about gender, concluding the grader acted “arbitrarily” in awarding the score. The university said the assignment would be excluded from the student’s grade and removed the instructor from teaching after an internal investigation. The episode has drawn rapid political attention: Oklahoma’s governor called the case concerning, and conservative commentators framed it as a free‑speech controversy. The instructor says she may pursue legal remedies. The dispute sits at the intersection of campus academic freedom policies, state political pressure, and recent Oklahoma legislation restricting DEI spending—issues universities nationwide are watching for legal and governance implications.