A university student has sparked widespread debate online after revealing that he removed a groupmate’s name from a coursework assignment for allegedly failing to complete his portion of the work before the submission deadline.
The incident, which was shared on Threads, quickly gained traction, with many social media users supporting the student’s decision and arguing that the groupmate had been given multiple opportunities to contribute.
In his post, the student expressed frustration over what he described as repeated excuses from the groupmate, who claimed work commitments had prevented him from completing the assignment.
“How is this my problem? As a student, you should know how to manage your time,” the student wrote.
He argued that working full-time should not be used as a reason to skip classes or neglect academic responsibilities, especially when other members of the group were also juggling their own commitments.
Screenshots shared online showed the groupmate informing him that he was busy with work, while the student repeatedly reminded him about the approaching deadline.
According to the student, the groupmate had previously submitted a draft, but it was allegedly almost entirely generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
The student claimed he advised the groupmate to properly edit the content if AI tools were used.
“For goodness’ sake, if you want to use ChatGPT, at least edit it. Not 97 per cent AI,” he allegedly wrote in one of the messages.
As the deadline drew closer, tensions escalated.
The student warned that if no progress was shown by 10pm, he would remove the groupmate’s name from the assignment submission.
With the deadline set for 12pm the following day, the student said he was left scrambling to complete outstanding sections of the project.
In another message, he expressed disbelief that the groupmate had failed to provide any updates despite the looming submission deadline.
The situation reached a breaking point when the groupmate only responded at around 11am on submission day, claiming he had overslept after working the previous night and asking for more time to finish his section.
However, the student rejected the request, saying there was no longer enough time to take further risks.
“No need. I can’t take any risk anymore,” he replied.
In a follow-up post, the student confirmed that he had removed the groupmate’s name from the final submission.
“I removed him guys,” he wrote.
He later revealed that the groupmate attempted to call him after learning about the decision, but he chose not to answer.
The student explained that he had already completed the unfinished section himself and submitted the assignment after receiving an additional two-hour extension from his lecturer.
The story quickly resonated with many students online, with numerous commenters sharing similar experiences involving so-called “free riders” in group assignments.
Several netizens argued that the groupmate had been treated fairly and should have contributed earlier rather than waiting until the final hour.
Others pointed out that promising to start work at 11am for a submission due at 12pm was unrealistic and unfair to the rest of the team.
The incident has reignited discussions about accountability in group assignments, with many students saying equal contribution remains one of the biggest challenges in collaborative academic projects.
