Duke Cuts Classes So Students Can Sleep

Duke University is eliminating 8 a.m. classes and trying to come up with other ways to help its sleep-deprived students, who too often are struggling to survive on a mix of caffeine, adrenaline and ambition.

The North Carolina school will have 8:30 a.m. classes, however, and is also considering new orientation programs this fall that would help freshmen understand the importance of sleep.

Lack of sleep among college students appears to be getting worse, according to some national surveys.

“They’re coming in to see us, and they’re ragged,” Ryan Lombardi, assistant dean of students, said of Duke students. “We get e-mails and calls in the middle of the night at ungodly hours.”