Kellee Weinhold started her 8 a.m. grammar class Wednesday by asking, “Are you all awake?”
Lazy murmurs and grumbles reverberated through Lawrence 177 in response.
“Sort of?” Weinhold asked. “Generally?”
Someone in the front of the class mumbled, “Barely,” and the assistant journalism professor repeated the word triumphantly for the rest of the class. One of the University’s 8 a.m. classes was about to begin.
“Grammar for Journalists” is a prerequisite for aspiring journalists, so many students didn’t have a choice when they signed up for the class. Some students said there are advantages to the early class time, but others complained about rolling out of bed at such a “deadly” hour.
With the upcoming renovation of Gilbert Hall, tentatively scheduled for March, and estimated to take 2 years, the University will lose 21 classrooms, University Registrar Herbert Chereck said. As a result, the University will have to offer more early morning and late afternoon classes, he said.
Chereck said the University considered scheduling 7 a.m. classes, but decided this idea wasn’t practical. “8 a.m. classes are the least popular of anything we offer,” he said.
But the renovation will force the University to offer courses outside the most popular time to schedule classes, which is between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., he said.
An increase in early morning classes also means students who drive will pull into University parking a lot sooner, Parking and Transportation Manager Rand Stamm said, although it is too soon to tell how parking will be affected during the construction. This doesn’t necessarily mean parking will be compromised for students arriving later in the day.
“We’ll see as we go. Until (the renovation) happens, I can’t say how transportation will be affected,” Stamm said.
Contractors working on the construction will be shuttled in, rather than taking up spaces in University parking lots, he added.
On campus, students have mixed reactions about a possible increase in early morning classes.
Junior journalism major Carmen Tebbe said she doesn’t mind getting up early and getting the day started.
“It’s good to get up early, but I tend to doze off sometimes,” she said.
But Tebbe said she would prefer later classes over earlier ones during winter term, when walking through the rain to an 8 a.m. class doesn’t sound too appealing.
Sophomore journalism major Jordan Clay agreed that getting up early has its advantages.
“I don’t mind (early classes),” he said. “My classes are done, so I have the rest of the afternoon off.”
Ryan Warner, a sophomore journalism major, said he woke up at 7:20 a.m. for Weinhold’s class.
“Eight a.m. classes are deadly. I’m cranky and I’m still trying to wake up,” he said.
But if the Gilbert renovation means he may have to take either earlier or later classes, Warner said he would rather take an 8 a.m. class rather than one at 4 p.m. or later.
However, early morning classes may not be the most optimal time for students to learn, Associate Psychology Professor Michael Anderson said.
Research shows that most college-age students learn best in the late afternoon and early evening, Anderson said. This is still a generalization, he added, as some studies show biological evidence that there are “morning people” and “night people.”
Sleep is also an important factor in how students learn and process information, he said.
“Freshmen and sophomores get an average of six and a half to seven hours of sleep a night — not enough,” he said.
Tuesday night, Warner said he didn’t get to sleep until 1:30 a.m., and Clay said he hit the mattress at 2 a.m.
In Weinhold’s class, students propped their heads up with their hands and fought the urge to let their heavy eyelids fall as they attempted to memorize gerunds, participles and transitive verbs for Friday’s quiz.
Weinhold said that ultimately students are responsible for coming prepared to their early morning classes.
“It’s not like they’re impaired at 8 a.m.,” she said.