A group of students at New York University confronted their 84-year-old professor, claiming that his course was too difficult for them. Of the professor’s 350 total students, 82 of them signed a petition against Maitland Jones Jr., claiming that the professor’s organic chemistry class was too challenging and, as a result, Professor Jones was responsible for their failing test scores.

In light of the online petition and student backlog, the professor has been relieved from their duties at New York University. The students had argued that it was due to the instructor’s inadequate lesson plans and uninspiring course outline that caused their low grades – not a lack of intelligence.

“We are very concerned about our scores, and find that they are not an accurate reflection of the time and effort put into this class,” the NYU petition against Professor Jones reads.

“We urge you to realize that a class with such a high percentage of withdrawals and low grades has failed to make students’ learning and well-being a priority and reflects poorly on the chemistry department as well as the institution as a whole.”

The students accused the professor of making the midterm exams easier by reducing them from three down to two.

In addition, he didn’t give extra credit to help students improve their grades if they did poorly on one assignment. Plus, the professor also neglected to provide Zoom classroom learning for students who couldn’t attend class because of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Professor Jones’ degrading and humble tone was also listed in the petition as another cause for why he should be terminated from NYU.

According to Jones, he had more focusing issues with students when he started teaching at NYU in 2007. He claims that the general student body there wasn’t as driven to succeed as those attending Princeton University.

However, the problem became worse during the global pandemic as his classes turned virtual. Students were lost and did not know how to study for their tests. In 2020, about 30 students out of a total of 475 signed a petition asking that they get more help in their chemistry class.

“They were really struggling,” Professor Jones stated. “They didn’t have good internet coverage at home. All sorts of things.”

By 2022, Jones said his students’ behavior had worsened significantly.

“They weren’t coming to class, that’s for sure because I can count the house,” Jones stated. “They weren’t watching the videos, and they weren’t able to answer the questions.”

Upon seeing their average midterm score of 30, students created a petition to get Professor Jones fired from NYU. Their efforts succeeded, and now the elderly professor has been forced into early retirement.

“I don’t want my job back,” the former professor stated. “I just want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”