On Oct. 31, the United Nations announced that the world human population reached seven billion. Obviously the number is just an estimate, but since the population reached six billion only 13 years ago, there are many hard questions that need to be answered of how we can deal with such a crowded world.

Here are a few easy suggestions that should solve this difficult problem instantly:

Ignore the problem: Turning a blind eye is a method that has a long, proud history. It’s easy for us to ignore the billion additional people that have arrived on our planet since 1999. The real challenge will be when the world is so crowded that the average apartment will have 10 roommates. However, if we really put our minds to it … we can put the issue out of our minds.

Party: Speaking of crowded apartments, having more people will make for better parties. Supplying that much alcohol will be expensive, but that’s what cheap beer is for. If we get drunk enough, the problems of overpopulation will seem much smaller, at least compared with the more immediate problem of a massive hangover.

Invest in diapers: What our poor economy needs (in addition to cheap beer) is increased investment. And an increasing population makes diapers the most sensible choice. Whether you buy stock in cloth or disposable diapers, the prices will be going up. All we would need to be worried about is creating a diaper bubble, which frankly sounds disgusting anyway.

Stork hunting: Stork hunting is a good option for decreasing the number of new babies. Hunters would have to be careful not to shoot the birds already carrying babies, but all other storks are fair game! Holiday dinner tip –– roasted stork is a delicious addition to any family dinner.

Occupy Mars: Forget Wall Street and the Quad. Mars is the next step of human conquest, though it is a shame there are no known Martians that we can conquer; that might help the seven billion of us finally unite about something.

Dear Chancellor Katehi,

We are writing you in regards to the university’s promise to assume financial responsibility for the medical costs incurred by student protesters harmed by the events of Nov. 18. In light of the fact that the demonstrations were at least in part due to the atrocious tuition hikes that students have had to endure, we find it upsetting that you have volunteered university funds to pay the medical expenses of these students.

We certainly agree that their medical expenses should be paid for by those responsible. However, we feel that if the gesture is intended as an effort toward correcting the damage wrought by the incident, using the limited funds of the university ignores one of the most pressing issues that lead students to protest in the first place. Using university funds to pay the expenses of these demonstrators is essentially using the tuition hikes to fund the reparations for the mistakes made by university administration and police.

We urge you to consider paying their expenses out of your own salary.  Personally assuming financial responsibility for these events would demonstrate that you not only understand the underlying issues that caused students to protest, but that you truly assume responsibility for the incident, and that you are sincerely dedicated to repairing the damage done by the police actions.

Kathleen Troy, Nora Badal, Leigh Trout, Melania Gharakhanian, Elizabeth Schuh, Kimby Lo, Cho Cha, Lois Wu, Zuhal Elhan, Jennafer Olsen, Stacy Hall, Ruthie Parsley, Greg Frankfurter, Allison Reichert, Sarah Rippy, Samantha McDonnel, Catherine Gunther-Murphy, Josh Krumheuer, Leon Tu
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

On a recent trip to Amsterdam, my cousins and I took the tourist walk of shame through the Red Light District. We didn’t patronize as much as we did window shop, staring through the panes in incredulity at the fact that, for only two euros, we could watch what the signs called “live porno homo sex” or buy a condom in the shape of a windmill.

But as I took that exotic stroll past the various window displays, something else amazing happened: finding myself on the straat, a flock of swans nestled in the canal to my right, and an enthusiastic prostitute to my left spinning her nipple tassels in a perfectly circular motion, I had an epiphany.

Self-respect is a nebulous idea that differs from person to person — it isn’t something that can be accurately measured or quantified in any particular terms. The way that people use their bodies is a free decision — hopefully and usually, the right decision for themselves — and should not be basis for others’ judgment.

It seems very often (not universal, but certainly often, from what I have observed) that people who make a choice to be more reserved about their bodily assets tend to look down upon people who choose otherwise.

You may think that your body is a temple or a Sistine Chapel to be appreciated from a safe distance, or some other euphemism for celestial chastity, and it’s fine if that notion works for you. If you can happily live for a long period without intimate interactions, then four for you, Glen Coco. Your restraint is remarkable. But that doesn’t work for everyone, and it’s equally as important to respect someone else’s preference as it is to stay true to your own.

Despite what John Mayer says, I personally don’t think my body is a wonderland. I love myself (no surprises here) and I treat my body well, but I don’t feel that I need to be perfectly, 100 percent chaste and pure to do that. I know what this is starting to sound like, but hear me out: I promise these are not just the justifications of some proud nymphomaniac.

In spite of my self-respect, however, I would gladly look at my body as a less important aspect of myself than my mind and personality. I don’t feel that physical intimacy (even highly altered versions of intimacy, as in strip clubs or the Red Light District) is something that should be necessarily more difficult to attain than mental intimacy. I feel that it’s preferable to treat the gradual revealing of mental traits as a more meaningful finish line than to dangle one’s sexuality in front of someone else as some sort of relationship incentive. But like I stated before, that’s just my opinion.

What I am saying is that if a person chooses to use their body freely and candidly, there’s no less validity to that decision than choosing to conceal one’s figure with sensible clothes. Both are just preferences, nothing more, and should be treated as such.

If I may quickly remind you of one of the more overexposed childhood truisms, it’s what’s on the inside that counts the most (if you promise to keep reading, I promise I’ll never repeat that again). Even with this age-old knowledge tucked under our belts, though, I continue to hear people who speak out against sexual freedom or bodily exposure as “undignified” and “degrading.” If it’s truly what’s within that counts the most, though, then why should the body’s exterior or the ways it’s used be any indicator of a person’s dignity or character?

Naturally, there are exceptions to this. You won’t find me defending the actions of a man like Tiger Woods under the premise that “Hey, he isn’t ashamed of his sexuality so it’s all cool!” Being unfaithful? Bad. Having unsafe sex? Bad. Having unsafe, unfaithful sex? Very bad. But otherwise (for the most part; I’m sure I left a couple bases uncovered) people who can so confidently carry themselves in body and soul are owed respect for doing so.

Think about that while, in my mind, I’ll still be standing between the forthrightness of the prostitutes and the innocent romanticism of the swans trying to figure out where I fit into this whole equation — I’m pretty sure it should be somewhere north of the two euro mark.

DYLAN GALLAGHER is beautiful in every single way — words can’t bring him down. But you can always try at dylaaaaan@gmail.com or cleverblog.tumblr.com/ask.

Some things don’t change from culture to culture. Whenever I tell anyone my winter break plans, I get the same response.

“But … you’re spending Christmas alone?”

The tone is always some combination of shock and — my favorite — pity.

Most Americans studying abroad for the year go home for the holidays. The break is one month long, so the journey across the world makes sense. But the way I see it is, I have one month free to travel, to have bizarre European experiences and to test myself.

Why would I pass that up?

Let me outline my plans for you:

One day after my last final ends, I fly out to Vienna. From there, it’ll be a whirlwind of poor planning — couchsurfing, hostels when I can’t find couches, scenic trains, overnight buses and desperately trying to stay warm. I’ll be traveling through Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Prague and Bratislava, probably, before returning to Brussels for some much-needed recuperating.

I’ll spend New Years Eve with some European friends, and then I’ll take the train through Belgium and France, eventually winding up in the countryside near Bordeaux. I’ll work on a small organic farm for two weeks, caring for goats, skinning rabbits and making sausages. Then I’ll trek around for a few days, doing something, somewhere.

It’ll be a game-changer, I hope. I’ll be simultaneously struck by so much beauty and thrown so far out of my comfort zone, that something profound will be bound to happen. Seriously, though — a California native, basically homeless in freezing cold Slovakia? Once darkness strikes, I’ll probably end up shivering inside shopping malls until security forces me to leave.

But, that’s the point. When planning my study abroad experience, this is exactly what I wanted. So far, I have pretty much gotten all that I originally hoped for.

I’ve felt part of a culture, made possible by living with a Belgian family and learning the language. I’ve met and befriended Europeans. I’ve done things that locals do in a brand new city. I’ve traveled through five countries thus far and I know that number will at least triple by the time I leave. This winter, I’ll get some solo experience. I’ll get quiet time in a tiny village. I’ll hopefully get some self-discovery. And next semester, I’ll only be able to feel more local, with an internship like a normal person and everything.

I had always assumed that most students wanted something like this out of their study abroad experience. But, alas, this is not the case.

Some students have made traveling their number one priority. There are girls here who are gone for four days out of virtually every week, gallivanting around all of Europe. It’s exactly what they wanted, and they are content.

I have a friend in Spain who has only left Spain once. He wanted an immersion, and he got one. He’s perfecting the language, hanging with locals and truly becoming part of the culture. It’s exactly what he wanted, and he is enthralled.

I have a friend in London who has only left London once. He isn’t doing an immersion, though, and there is no new language skill to be perfected. He has no desire to travel on weekends. He is living a perfectly normal life. He sought out the challenge of starting over, and he got it.

Then there are, of course, those who studied abroad to party. Their satisfaction comes easily.

There is no singular perfect study abroad experience. Everyone comes into it expecting and wanting something different. To experience everything would mean a more permanent move, a transfer, which isn’t all that uncommon either.

My advice?

Deeply consider what you want before choosing your program and location. If you want to immerse yourself in a culture, don’t live with Americans and don’t choose a big city, which will always have an international feel. Travel, of course, but not all the time — you’ll never truly feel at home otherwise. And while it may seem impossible to befriend the locals, do try. The “they aren’t interested in being friends with us” mentality exists on both sides, for no real reason but self-perpetuation.

Don’t be afraid to enjoy the normal and the every day. In fact, don’t be afraid at all. Take the plunge. Go away for as long as possible. Deadlines for next fall are almost here and, a year from now, you could be writing this travel column.

JANELLE BITKER hopes she was decent company this quarter, and she’s always willing to answer your study abroad-related questions at jlbitker@ucdavis.edu.