NEWS
B Y K E L LY K E N O Y E R
NEW UO PLANS MAY END
INDIAN RESTAURANT
Scientific Impact project will displace Evergreen Indian Cuisine
T
he University of Oregon Foundation is planning
a new building for scientific research, but in the
process, its plans may destroy a nearby restaurant,
Evergreen Indian Cuisine.
The UO’s newly announced billion-dollar proj-
ect, the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating
Scientific Impact, is billing itself as a great opportunity for
undergrads to work in labs with professors and post-docs.
The project will be funded primarily by a $500 million do-
nation by Phil Knight and matched donor money.
But squarely in the path of the planned construction is
Evergreen. The Best of Eugene award-winning Indian res-
taurant now faces an uncertain and unplanned future de-
spite 10 years in its current location.
Usha Shaik, co-owner of the family business, says
Evergreen signed a five-year lease in February and
immediately began remodeling. “After we signed up, we got
new booths, new tables and we got new tiles recently.” She
says the tiles themselves cost almost $20,000. Altogether,
Evergreen’s remodels since February have cost $50,000 to
$60,000, Shaik says.
Evergreen, which leases directly from the University
of Oregon Foundation, has always had a good relationship
with the UO, Shaik says: “They always give us heads-up
notice, and they always took care of us very well.”
That wasn’t the case with this recent plan, however. Shaik
didn’t hear about the news till the day before it hit the press.
She says she was told, “Don’t get shocked,” and to “wait un-
til tomorrow.” The family didn’t find out what exactly could
happen to their restaurant until they got their hands on The
Register-Guard at 5 am the next morning, Oct. 18.
Tobin Klinger, senior director of Public Affairs Com-
• On Oct. 28 there will be a free TEDTalk,
TEDxVenetaWomen, from 8 am to 2 pm at
the Applegate Regional Theater. The free
event will include nine live talks by local
women, interspersed with previously
recorded TEDTalks from TEDWomen 2016,
held the previous day in San Francisco,
with which it is affiliated, according to
Jennifer Chambers, a local organizer for
the event. Chambers says the regional
theme is “Use The Time You’re Given,” to
play on the national TEDWomen slogan
this year, “It’s About Time.” Speakers
include Danuta Pfeiffer, Beth Robinson, Liz
Vollmer-Buhl, Leigh Anne Jasheway,
Megan Malone, Pat Edwards, Eilidh Lowery,
Evelyn Hess and Kathleen Cremonesi.
Subjects include grief and mediation, the
importance of play, the power of place, as
well as mindfulness, integrity and race. For
more info, visit tedxvenetawomen.com.
USHA SHAIK’S FAMILY-OWNED EVERGREEN INDIAN FOOD
WILL BE DISPLACED BY THE UO’S NEW PROJECT
munications at UO, says that nothing about the building
is finalized yet. He says the UO is in the “early stages” of
working with people who own pieces of the property or
have leases “to come up with mutually agreeable circum-
stances for the future, but we’re probably about a year out
from putting shovels in the ground.”
Asked about any news for the businesses that will be
affected by the construction, Klinger says, “All I can say
is that we’re early in the process and we’re having those
conversations with them.”
Shaik says she still isn’t sure what will happen to her
restaurant, and as of press time, she still hasn’t heard any-
thing else from the UO. Her biggest hope is that the school
will give Evergreen a spot in the new building, but she
would at least like to hear details about when construc-
tion will start and how Evergreen will be reimbursed for
its five-year lease. “Otherwise we can’t do anything, and
we have a huge family in the back; they work,” she says.
“They don’t know what to do; they are sad because they
can’t find a job because they are not educated. It would be
the whole family out of a job.”
When asked about these options, Klinger says, “We’re
way too early; we haven’t even started to think about spe-
cific plans.”
Shaik says she loves the current location where Ever-
green gets plenty of extra business from students and dur-
ing campus-related events. She says she even hopes that
her young son, Goush, can someday attend the UO for a
STEM degree, perhaps even in the new building.
But without more details from the UO, she says she
doesn’t know what will happen to her family’s future in Eu-
gene. “We haven’t been sleeping at all this week,” she says.
will be a square dance for all ages and skill
levels as well as sack races, games, food
and drink, and a costume contest.
Admission is $10-$30 (sliding scale). The
hoedown takes place at Quiet Camp,
24580 Suttle Road in Veneta, and there will
be free camping onsite. More information
at forestdefensenow.com.
THE ANCIENT
FOREST
HOEDOWN IS
OCT. 29
• “Doty & Coyote: Stories from the
Native West” is 7 pm Friday, Oct. 28, at the
UO Baker Downtown Center, 975 High
Street. Join the Lane County Historical
Museum in welcoming Native American
storyteller Thomas Doty for an evening of
traditional and original stories from Oregon.
Event is FREE to the public.
• The University of Oregon Western
Equestrian team is hosting an open barn
and silent auction as its first fundraiser of
the year. Jessica Barker tells EW, “As our
team grows, it is important to us that we
can provide equal opportunity for everyone
regardless of their background. The
proceeds of the silent auction will go
towards transportation, team dues and
hotel accommodations.” She says, “It is
our goal this year to create a better
connection with the Eugene community
and I believe this event is just the starting
point.” The event is 2 to 5 pm Saturday, Oct.
29, at 82847 E. Cloverdale Road in
Creswell. Auction starts at 2:30 pm.
• The 13th Annual Ancient Forest
Hoedown is 6 to 11 pm Saturday, Oct. 29.
The Slippery Slope String Band performs
and Cascadia Forest Defenders say there
• Eugene members of Health Care for
All Oregon say if you “want to find out more
about the downfalls of our health insurance
system and the potential savings from a
more efficient universal publicly funded
system we invite Democrats and
Republicans alike to watch a screening of a
new documentary, Now Is the Time.” The
showing is 7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the
main room of the First United Methodist
Church, 1376 Olive Street. No charge but
donations will be appreciated.
• Panel registration and table request
forms for the March 2-5 2017 Public
Interest Environmental Law Conference
(PIELC) at the UO Law School are now
online. The panel form is at goo.gl/cqi5fN
and the table form is at goo.gl/h0PKEd.
Panel submissions close Jan. 20, 2017.
eugeneweekly.com • October 27, 2016
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