Following the signing of a petition, Maitland Jones, a well-known figure in the field of organic chemistry, was dismissed from his position at New York University. 82 students complained that Mr. Jones' teaching methods were too challenging and that this was the reason why they were not doing well in the class.

The petition stated that they are very worried about their scores and find that they are not an accurate reflection of the time and work put into this class. They urged them to understand that a class with such a high rate of withdrawals and bad grades has failed to prioritise students' learning and well-being and reflects poorly on the chemistry department as well as the institution as a whole.