Volume 103 issue 12 by Easterner Online

Volume 103, Issue 12

www.TheEasterner.org

January 16, 2020

THE INDEPENDENT, STUDENTRUN NEWSPAPER OF

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

2 Opinion | 4 Arts & Features | 7 Sports

Funky Uncle to debut album

Page 4 Courtesy of Funky Uncle

Sports

David Evjen’s coaching journey from Colombia to Cheney David Evjen takes journey in becoming EWU’s first sanctioned wheelchair basketball coach. Learn how Evjen and EWU are making history.

Page 7

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Opinion

2 - The Easterner

Editor in Chief Richard N. Clark IV easterner.editor@ewu.edu

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Managing Editor Dylan Harris easterner.mngeditor@ewu.edu Ad Director Jacie Philips advertising@ewu.edu

Letter to the editor

Multimedia Director Malati Powell easterner.multimedia@gmail.com

CPT. NICHOLAS B. CARBAUGH Assistant Professor of Military Science

Chief Copy Editor easternercopy@gmail.com

Cheney, Wa – This Thanksgiving 7 Cadets from the EWU Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) took time out of their Thanksgiving Day to support members of the local community in

News Editor Mitchell Roland easterner.news@gmail.com

the 12th annual Turkey Trot hosted by the Cheney High School. In the two weeks leading up to the Turkey Trot Cadets ran a food drive to collect food that the ROTC program would donate to the Cheney Food Bank. In each of the last three years Cadets have

Sports Editor Drew Lawson easterner.sports@gmail.com

been able to steadily raise the amount of food they’ve donated to the Cheney Food Bank, donating 110 lbs, 277 lbs, and 704.6 lbs and 613 items in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Arts & Features Editor Hamine Mendez easterner.aef@gmail.com

Cadet Michael Beier, pictured to the left, has lead the planning of this event for the last three years and said, “I like the Turkey Trot because it focuses our Cadets on a common goal, that is to support those less fortunate in our local community. Our Cadets

Web Editor Keri Kelly easterner.online@gmail.com

may not see the direct impact of their efforts, but we know that by donating food we are helping our neighbors in our small town of Cheney.” The Turkey Trot is one of many volunteer opportunities that

Social Media Editor Isaiah Gessner easterner.social@gmail.com

Cadets in the ROTC program participate in. Other volunteer events include hosting an annual blood drive, the Adopt-aHighway program, 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb, Wreaths Across

Photographer Mckenzie Ford

America, Memorial Day Flags In, and of course the EWU cannon

Reporters Randle Kinswa Elizabeth Price

leadership labs, volunteer activities, one on one mentorship, and

crew and color guard. ROTC works to develop Cadets into well rounded leaders using physical fitness training to develop Cadet leadership abilities. If you are interested in joining call 509-359-6104 or visit https:// inside.ewu.edu/rotc/. •

Director of Student Newspaper Jeff Bunch jbunch@ewu.edu Faculty Adviser Jamie Neely jneely@ewu.edu

About The Easterner Mission We, as independent student journalists at The Easterner, inform our EWU audience of the governance, activities and views of our community. We provide a voice and a learning environment for students to engage, connect and make informed decisions.

Circulation The Easterner publishes a weekly print version as well as web content during the week at theeasterner.org. The Easterner is distributed throughout the Cheney campus and business district as well as the Riverpoint campus and various Spokane businesses. If you would like The Easterner to be distributed at your business call the Advertising Department at 509-359-7010.

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Corrections The Easterner never knowingly publishes inaccuracies. If any error is found, The Easterner is obligated to correct the error as soon as possible, regardless of the source of the error. The Easterner does not remove any editorial content from theeasterner.org. However, if there is a factual inaccuracy in a story, the editors will run a correction or an update as needed.

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Opinion

Letter to the editor JENNIFER CONTRERAS Women & Gender Studies major I attended an event on November 21st called Resisting la Migra/ ICE with guest speaker Abigail Scholar. She is executive director of Central Washington Justice For Our Neighbors and has been since early 2018. In this role, she serves on the committee of Walla Walla’s immigrant coalition. I expected only people of color at this event and was pleasantly surprised to see white people wanting to educate themselves on how to be accomplices. Even the dean of the college attended! There was a great turnout. In conversations, Abigail cautioned us to keep our legal status in the U.S. to ourselves due to not knowing how safe the space we shared was. Abigail shared ideas on using radical transparency to resist and show action. Moving forward, Abigail, along with other people, are currently drafting legislation to make all spaces accessible to justice. When it was time for discussion between Abigail and everyone in the room, I decided to ask what could be our next steps to make our campus safer for people of color and people who have trauma with police. I mentioned the anti-LGBTQ+/abortion protestors who came to campus and Eastern students’ counterprotest. I explained my thoughts on how campus police were not keeping students safe but rather protecting the three white men on campus. How can we keep our students safe when our own campus security’s presence makes me want to flee, when I have every right to stand up to justice? Abigail had great ideas and solutions. One was to demand to see written policy on what the school, professors, and campus security would do if ICE were to be on campus. To insist on knowing how they are going to help us. We also exchanged ideas about setting up a meeting with campus police but with them out of their uniforms, since that can be triggering to some. For me, the next step is to demand to see Eastern’s campus protocol against ICE. As EWU is a university that prides itself on diversity, I hope to find policies that protect students of color. •

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The Easterner -

Features

- The Easterner

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Funky Uncle

they also strive to be a role model for aspiring musicians. “Musicianship is one of our standards we try to be good examples to other musicians,” said Long. Music is something all of the band members are engaging themselves in every day. Aside from rehearsing with the Funky Uncle, they are teaching private lessons, elementary and middle school music, and college classes. “That’s something we enjoy to do so going to funky uncle rehearsal for music is super enjoyable,” said Sager. “We eat, sleep, breathe it.” The Funky Uncle’s main venue is the Lucky You Lounge where people 21 and older can eat amazing food and listen to good music according to Sager. “Literally the description of like a good time is going to the lounge,” said Sager. “everybody’s part of the group and anybody can come up to us and talk to us.” •

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Courtesy of Funky Uncle

Funky Uncle, as its name suggests, is bringing the groovy dance melodies in its debut album “FUNKLE” on Jan., 18. Funky Uncle will be performing 10 instrumental funk jams on Jan. 18 at 9 p.m. at the Lucky You Lounge in Spokane. If one Funky Uncle wasn’t enough, Funky Uncle is made up of nine members, seven of which are EWU alumni. The band consists of string, percussion, wind, and keyboard musicians. Funky Uncle formed 3 years ago after discovering a mutual interest in starting a band with fellow musicians of EWU. Percussionist Bailey Sager explains how she never thought she would be in a band like Funky Uncle.

“Eastern is kinda the reason that we met each other and the reason why we play together,” said Sager. “I never imagined I’d be doing it with my best friends.” In a phone interview with the Easterner, three members of Funky Uncle described their songs as danceable instrumentals. Sager said if their music isn’t making you move, they aren’t doing their job. Tenor Saxophone player, Austin Long, believes their music is for everyone even if they don’t have music experience. “I think our music is interesting and sophisticated enough that other musicians will be drawn to it,” said Long. Funky Uncle is very excited and nervous to perform their first album to the public. “You’re putting all of your hard work and all of yourself out onto an album and then hoping people like it,” said Sager. Not only does the band value originality,

Courtesy of Funky Uncle

ELIZABETH PRICE Reporter

Courtesy of Funky Uncle

Brings fresh beats

Arts

- The Easterner

Easterner Asks

What was your most memorable moment of the last decade? “I think graduating high school and entering the “real world”. There’s a lot of change that you have to adapt to and I think it’s been a great experience.”

- Brett Lakey, Freshman “Going backpacking was a major enjoyment for me.... Going on the beaten path was a great experience that I had.”

- Joey Szekely, Sophomore “Going to Seattle for the 2015 NFC Championship game where the Seahawks had an insane comeback against the Packers."

- Jordan Kopp, Freshman "It’s hard to choose just one… but getting second place at our competition cheer finals in Flordia was a lot of fun."

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Looking Back

Cold snap creates havoc This story was originally published in The Easterner, Vol. 30, No. 11, January 11, 1979 and has not been changed except for AP style.

LISA DEALVA The Easterner With temperatures around the country plunging to near record lows last week, much of the nation found itself faces with arctic conditions. On Dec.31st, when the mercury dropped to 22 below zero, pipes froze, burst and created general mayhem in the community. In an effort to try and get their pipes unfrozen or fixed, Cheney residents were calling just about everyone. Cheney’s only plumber, Homer Dickerson, was deluged with more than 100 calls in the three-day period between Dec. 31st and Jan 1st. His wife jokingly said, “It seems like I haven’t seen him for days”. Lieutenant Ed Knokey of the Cheney Fire Department said they received an influx of calls dealing with frozen or broken pipes and chimney fires. “We were called to pump out flooded basements or homes due to broken pipes”. John Bruce, Cheney utilities director, said, “We are receiving

Photo by Bill Hupe

A soft-albeit-cold--blanket of snow coats the campus, turning Eastern into a winter wonderland. Like all things of beauty there is something beneath the surface. In this case it’s patches of treacherous ice. Over four inches of snow fell Wednesday and more is expected. Dig out your skis, the slopes are open! calls, but stressing to homeowners that we are not equipped to do anything about thawing pipes, but if we are called out, am $11 service fee has to be charged”. Another cold weather casualty was frozen water meters, People with frozen water meters called the Cheney Public Works Department to ask for repairs or replacements. All the apartment complexes on Cheney were plagued with problems as a result of the cold. Perhaps the hardest hit was College Hill Apartments. Manager Ken Reese reported that out of 88 units, 40 had no water at all for five days until pipes could be thawed. One vacant apartment was left open so residents could take showers or use the bathroom. “The cause of the problem was that most pipes were located outside of the buildings and were not adequately insulated,” he said. While people in Cheney were

- Lexi Harames, Sophomore “I would have to say meeting all of my friends here at Eastern. I didn’t have a ton of friends at home so it was special here when I was able to branch out and meet new people.”

- Sean Wilson, Senior "Getting closer to my mom and the rest of my family has been a major bit of personal growth that I have had over the course of the decade.”

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knee deep in problems, Eastern was having some troubles of its own. Bob Graham, director of the Physical Plant, said they received about 10 times the normal amount of maintenance calls on campus. Most dorms reported heater problems and frozen pipes. At Morrison, some pipes broke in the basement. Meanwhile, students at Dressler were armed with their blow dryers trying to melt ice from frozen windows. But Graham said the biggest problem was in the Phase II shower room. Concrete walls do not retain heat well, and the temperature has been hovering at about 60 degrees in the showers. To avoid plumbing problems, the Cheney Public Works Department suggests keeping one faucet running with a pencil-thick stream, and to keep the pipes well insulated.

Sports

The Easterner -

Courtesy of David Evjen

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Colombia to Cheney David Evjen (No. 5) competes for the Colombian National Team. Evjen played for the team for two years.

David Evjen takes unexpected journey toward becoming EWU's first sanctioned wheelchair basketball coach DREW LAWSON Sports Editor When David Evjen was playing high school basketball as an able-bodied person in Minnesota, he never thought that he’d one day make history as EWU’s first nonclub wheelchair basketball coach. In fact, he barely knew what wheelchair basketball was. “Honestly, I had no idea (what) it was,” Evjen said. “I had no idea how it worked, if the rules were any different or the same, no idea. My first knowledge of the game before I got into it was seeing a banner on (Southwest Minnesota State University’s) campus.” Evjen’s world was rocked in May 2012, however, when he suffered a herniated lower back disc that caused nerve damage in his left leg. Unable to participate in “regular” basketball at his college, Southwest Minnesota State University, he was approached by a player on SMSU’s wheelchair basketball team who saw that he walked with a noticeable limp. “He approached me and said ‘hey, I noticed you have a unique walk,’” Evjen said. “‘I guess you could try and see if you could play wheelchair basketball.’” Evjen joined SMSU’s team at a time when there were only eight teams in the country. It was an experience that took him places he never expected to go. “(Because) there’s only eight teams …

everybody goes to nationals,” Evjen said. “I was pretty intrigued.” After college, Evjen thought about trying out for the U.S. National Team. Unfortunately, a lack of funds got in the way. “I got an invitation to try out for the U.S. National Team, but at the time I didn’t have any money to pay to go to the tryout,” Evjen said. Despite being unable to afford tryouts for the U.S. National Team, Evjen’s playing career wasn’t over yet. Evjen has dual citizenship between the U.S. and Colombia, and the Colombian National Team offered to fly him down to South America and try him out. Evjen made the squad. “That experience opened up my eyes as far as the different levels that there are in any sport when you get to the international level,” Evjen said. “You’re playing against, number one, grown men, and number two, professional athletes … Most of the guys that are playing are (also) playing in Europe professionally all year around.” Evjen said the experience of playing on the Colombian National Team made him a better player and more well-rounded in his knowledge of the sport. After two years of playing on the Colombian National Team, Evjen moved to coaching. He realized he wanted to be a coach by observing

“Whoever decides to play on the team that

we’re going to get going in the fall of 2020 will be a part of history ... That is something that will never be taken away.

”

David Evjen - EWU Para Sport head coach other coaches and recognizing how they helped other players get better. That desire was heightened when he spent a year as a graduate assistant at SMSU. “I (like) using my wisdom and my knowledge that I’ve gained,” Evjen said. “I also (like) working with people that are asking me to put them through drills and get them better to reach their goals.” Evjen was working at Willmar High School in Minnesota as the Spanish Cultural Liason when a former opponent reached out and told him that EWU was looking to hire a head coach for a wheelchair basketball program that the university was launching. Evjen hadn’t been to the Inland Northwest before, so like many other aspects of his career, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Despite the unknown, he and his wife decided to accept

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the EWU head coaching job and help launch the program. According to a release from EWU, Evjen began his duties on Dec. 2, 2019. “(EWU) was very open in the job description about how early in the process they were, but it was clear that they were far enough into the process that they could hire a coach,” Evjen said. “Just like the Colombia (team), I didn’t know what I was getting into, but ... I just signed up for it, and they trusted me.” Dr. Donna Mann, associate dean of the College of Health Science and Public Health, commandeered the hiring process that led to Evjen. Mann said she’s been trying to get a sanctioned wheelchair basketball program, which will be known as a Para Sport program, since 2015.

See Evjen, pg. 8

Sports

- The Easterner Evjen, cont. from pg. 7

Mann said Evjen was the right choice for the job because he has experience as a para athlete himself. “He has a first-hand understanding,” Mann said. “He’s got a passion for the sport. He had a clear vision for what the program could be.” Evjen’s goal is to get a team in place for the 2020-21 season. EWU will compete in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association’s Intercollegiate Division. This team is not affiliated with EWU’s wheelchair basketball club team. Evjen has begun recruiting and is hoping to get athletes to commit to coming to EWU and joining the team. Most of the interest has been from Washington, but Evjen sees this as an advantage due to the scarcity of college wheelchair basketball programs in the state. “There’s been a lot of interest from (those) players when they heard that this was going down,” Evjen said of EWU launching a team. “People wanted to know more, because they’re like, ‘I never thought of staying to play basketball. I always thought I’d have to go to Illinois, Alabama or Texas.’” Outside of putting a team together, Evjen’s biggest goal is creating local fans of the team. “I think the biggest thing (left) is

(generating) support,” Evjen said. “(We need) support from the community, from the university (and )from the athletic department.” Evjen is confident that the wheelchair basketball program will interest viewers. “If anybody sees one game of wheelchair basketball, they will be hooked into watching the game,” Evjen said. “They’ll get confused at first. They’ll get kind of nervous at first, because it’s a very physical game (with) a lot of collisions, but at the end of the game they’ll see the sport for what it is, not for the equipment being used.” Evjen’s vision is to create a sustainable program that will be around for a while, not “fold after two years.” “I want to make sure we’re providing the program with a culture that will be around for a long time,” Evjen said. “(I’m) not necessarily worried about winning the championship in the next two years … I want it to continually grow, step by step, and allow for more athletes to come to EWU.” Evjen said he hopes that anyone who commits to EWU realizes the gravity of that decision. “Whoever decides to play on the team that we’re going to get going in the fall of 2020 will be a part of history,” Evjen said. “That is something that will never get taken away.” •

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Photo from inside.ewu.edu

David Evjen was hired in Dec. 2019. He expects to field a team next season.

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