History majors line up as early as 5:15 a.m. to enroll in required seminars

The stress of registration week came early for some — very early.

Several dozen history majors began lining up in Hamilton Hall as early as 5:15 a.m. Monday morning to enroll in special topics seminars required for graduation.

Junior Ross Hardeman strolled up to the line five minutes before the 8 a.m. registration was set to open.

“It’s not a time of day I see very often, but it’s worth it,” he said.

By the end of Monday, three of the 10 seminars offered for this fall were full, said Lloyd Kramer, chairman of the history department.

Each seminar only has 16 seats, he said.

The in-person registration was set up to protect history majors’ priority in enrollment after an issue arose about 15 years ago in which seats were filled by non-majors, he said.

“I suppose there could be some way of blocking people online except history majors, but people have different priorities,” he said.

Kramer said he has not heard complaints about the current system, but said shifting it online would likely favor seniority, making it unfair for younger students.

He added that the large number of students who show up early doesn’t come just from the fact that the course is required for history majors, but also because students are genuinely interested in the topics and professors.

Hardeman said he was trying to register for certain classes because of his longtime interest in the topics.

“If I have to spend three hours in a classroom, I want to be interested,” he said.

Hardeman lives off campus and does not have class until 11 a.m. on Monday, but he said the time did not deter his interest.

“Sure, we can suck it up,” he said. “It’s worth it.”

“I lost an hour of sleep,” said junior Taylor Sto?ltz, who arrived at 7:45 a.m.

Sto?ltz said she wanted to enroll in a global history seminar because she likes the professor and the broader focus of the class.

Sto?ltz said the early morning process was a manageable, but not preferable, way to register.

“The classes are worthwhile, but this is not the most efficient way to get into them,” Sto?ltz said

Kendra Hickman, a junior history and communication studies double major, said her 6:45 a.m. wake-up time was actually later than usual.

Though she didn’t lose any sleep over the early registration, Hickman was not without sympathy for her fellow history majors.

“It’s not out of my way, but I live close. It could be a hassle for other people,” she said.

“If students have other ideas, they should come propose these ideas,” Kramer said.

Kramer added that the early morning lines are like waiting for concert tickets, and show that students love history.

“We’re trying to challenge Duke for the excitement of K-ville,” he said.

“They can’t even sleep, they’re so excited. Isn’t that amazing?”

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