Jordan Wrecke would rather not be learning calculus equations at 7:30 in the morning.

But the Kansas University sophomore had to take Calculus II this semester and didn’t have much choice about what part of the day he would sit through the class.

“It was the only one that was open at the time,” he said. “I was pretty much screwed.”

Despite new research that shows the old problem of lack of sleep among college students is getting worse, more bleary-eyed KU students may be in Wrecke’s position in coming years.

As the university’s enrollment grows and the number of classrooms remains stable, more students are likely to be faced with the choice of not getting the classes they need or heading to class at a time many of them consider the wee hours of the morning.

“None of my friends would want to do that,” said Wrecke, from Lenexa.

KU’s decision to add more early classes is opposite a decision announced last week by administrators at Duke University.

Citing studies that show college students get an average of six to seven hours of sleep a night — down from seven and a half hours in the 1980s — Duke officials decided to stop offering 8 a.m. classes. The earliest classes there now will begin at 8:30 a.m.

James Clack, Duke’s director of counseling and psychological services, said the latest research showed that college-age people should be getting nine hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprivation can hurt academic performance and increase stress levels.

For a college student, getting up early is no laughing matter, but KU juniors Liz Morel, Lawrence, and Alan Dibos, Lenexa, try to make the best of the situation as they study before an early class. Honestly,

“They begin to get into a pattern of sleeping four to five hours,” he said of students who too often are struggling to survive on a mix of caffeine, adrenaline and ambition. “They really think it doesn’t bother them, but that really isn’t the case.”

At Duke, students have shunned 8 a.m. classes to the point that many departments already stopped offering them. When campus planners looked over the schedule, they realized that, over the years, most classes had been squeezed into the hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

KU this semester has 29 courses that begin between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. The two 6 a.m. courses are ROTC conditioning classes. The most common early class is algebra, with 10 sections beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Don Steeples, vice provost for scholarly support, said in addition to scheduling more early classes, he also expected KU to add more evening classes.

“As our research effort continues to grow at KU and as we add some additional faculty that’s in the works, we’re going to have to manage the space we’ve got better,” he said. “One of the ways to do that is to manage the classroom scheduling broader throughout the day to free up some classroom space.”

Duke canceling 8 a.m. classes (4-19-04)

He said KU’s record enrollment — it’s at 25,348 students on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses this spring — and continuing building renovations, which put one or two classrooms out of commission each semester, were making the scheduling crunches especially severe.

“I’ve never really perceived (early classes) as a major issue,” Steeples said. “I’ve taught a number of times at 8 in the morning, and I prefer it.”

Lynne Spencer, a graduate teaching assistant who teaches the 7:30 a.m. Calculus II class, agreed. She said attendance for the class hadn’t been much different than attendance at later courses she’d taught.

But while she’s pleased that KU provides a variety of time options to its students, she admitted the early classes weren’t for everyone.

“There are always a couple of students who are habitually late or habitually sleeping,” she said.