I must admit, I’ve never been a big Bears fan. And I never really liked Mike Ditka. As a matter of fact, I always criticized Ditka for being a lousy coach, lousy dresser and sore loser. Sometimes I even heckled the man. Remember the time Ditka threw a wad of gum at a fan in San Francisco? He was aiming at me.

But now that he’s gone, I take a deep breath and say—I will miss the guy.

In the same way that I miss a zit I’ve grown accustomed to seeing every day. Actually, I will miss Ditka like I miss Add/Drop here at NIU. Yes, it’s true. I miss Add/Drop.

For those of you who are too young to remember, Add/Drop was a process everyone went through at the beginning of each semester to pick up classes. We all stood in a long line, waiting to get into the student center ballroom where we stood in more long lines, hoping to pick up a class or two.

But with the advent of technology, those days are behind us. We now sit at home, frantically trying to get through to TRACS, where a computer voice patiently tells us that every section is filled up and we will never graduate from this school. Then, the computer laughs and if you try to get into another class, it hangs up on you.

Add/Drop was so much better. At least you saw who was laughing at you. And standing in line all day enabled you to receive credit in some Russian studies classes. There were other benefits as well.

As you stood in line, you could bargain for classes with other desperate souls—”Hey, I’ll trade you section twelve for section two and a third round draft choice.” Many times, it worked.

Also, unlike the computer, the gentle souls behind the table often offered useful advice—”Why don’t you just transfer to another school, you loser?”

Add/Drop gave NIU students an opportunity to congregate and realize that everyone on this campus is equal. It didn’t matter if you were a greek, a minority or a Northern Star columnist: Nobody could get classes. Many lasting friendships were made in those days.

My freshman year, as I pitifully whimpered and shuffled around the ballroom, I noticed an older man sitting alone behind the table. I approached him and he warmly greeted me. “Hello, my son, are you looking to pick up a class? I have a few open.”

As it turned out, the man’s name was Professor Hoke E. Poki from the vibeology department. I enjoyed the classes so much that I made vibeology my minor. Vibeology is the study of how everything is connected in harmony. It is the smallest department at NIU, it is usually overlooked by students and it isn’t even listed in the semester catalogs. But I have learned a lot. The professor is now my good friend and mentor.

My relationship with Professor Poki could have never happened over the phone using TRACS. It’s so frustrating to sit at home listening to a busy signal. The whole situation is leading to the total impersonalization of society, according to Professor Poki. Pretty soon, everything will be handled by computers and human contact will be unnecessary.