There could be a lot of reasons, according to Mark Evans, a psychologist at the University of Oregon Counseling Center. "Parents are often unprepared for the changes their children go through when they go off to college," says Evans. "Students may be tired and depressed when they first arrive home and they will almost certainly be more independent, and these developments can be compounded during the holidays when family members may have unrealistic expectations." Evans advises parents to remember that their child is adjusting to them at the same time that they’re adjusting to the changes in him or her. He offers some recommendations for easing stress. "Instead of focusing on material gifts, choose two or three qualities you want to savor, and put your energy into that," he says. "Secondly, relax your expectations and allow yourself to enjoy those moments when you and your child are able to come together." The UO Counseling Center self-help guide for students who are going home for the holidays is available on the World Wide Web at http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~counsel/selfhelp.html. SOURCE: Mark Evans, staff psychologist, UO Counseling Center, (541) 346-3227; e-mail mevans@oregon.uoregon.edu.

Listeners from New York to Phnom Penh can now enjoy classical music from Oregon through an Internet connection to KWAX-FM, the classical music station of the University of Oregon. "We are very excited because now our reach expands from the state of Oregon to the entire world," says KWAX general manager Paul Bjornstad. "We’ve already heard from listeners in Germany, Ireland and New Zealand who are listening to us through their computers." The service, which requires the free download of a program called RealAudio, is available through the KWAX web page at http://www.kwax.com. SOURCE: Paul Bjornstad, KWAX general manager, (541) 345-0800.

—30—

#T-4035/Day