Air Force-funded agreement would provide on-campus housing, parking for up to 96 Eielson-based personnel
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has entered into an agreement with Eielson Air Force Base to provide campus housing for servicemembers. The deal would enable personnel from the base to live in two dormitories on campus that in recent years have been sparsely occupied.
UAF officials say they plan to make rooms available in Stevens Hall and Nerland Hall early next month for almost a hundred people from Eielson. That’s the maximum number of tenants university and base officials have set for the first year of the arrangement. That may increase in the years ahead. But for now, campus and base officials are just trying to get the process started.
“ Right now, the focus is on the introduction of these service members to the campus community,” he said, “helping their move-in process, getting them acclimated to campus, orienting them to all of the benefits that come with this arrangement.”
Campus officials announced the deal on Tuesday, but UAF Department of Military and Veterans Services Director Stephen Phillips says talks on the housing deal have been going on for months.
“We've talked about this and negotiated terms for the better part of a year, but the agreement was just signed a couple of weeks back,” he said. “So, everyone realized at that moment, "Holy cow, the rubber's finally meeting the road! We've gotta make this thing happen!"
Master Sgt. Victor Caputo is an Eielson spokesperson. He said in a statement that base officials are now preparing to move the servicemembers into the dorms at the UAF Troth Yeddha campus.
“As we navigate local housing shortages,” he said, “securing space on the Troth Yeddha campus helps us strengthen mission readiness as the installation prepares for incoming active duty KC-135 Stratotankers and increased F-35A Lightning II manning.”
The number of personnel and family members assigned to Eielson has grown sharply in recent years. That’s mainly because the Air Force in 2022 completed bringing 54 advanced F-35 jet fighters to Eielson that are now under the command of the 354th Fighter Wing.
The number of personnel assigned to the Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Wing at Eielson also has grown with the addition of four more KC-135 Stratotankers. They bring the total number of air-refueling tankers at the base to 12.
The influx of all those new people into the Fairbanks area has contributed to the housing crunch. Caputo says he ran into that problem when he arrived at Eielson.
“I just got here two months ago, and it took me almost two months to find a suitable place to live,” he said.
Phillips says the Air Force will pay the university $2.7 million annually to cover housing and parking costs and to pay for servicemembers’ college classes and other support. He says many of those who’ve already signed up to live on campus have said they also want to take classes there.
“ We have airmen that are enrolled with us, they committed to taking college classes with us, and now they're seeking the next step, which is becoming a resident student on campus.”
Phillips said UAF and Eielson officials anticipate they’ll run into challenges in this first year, like potential traffic issues created by servicemembers commuting 30 miles to and from the base.
“ I think both parties realized that if we can find people that have access to a privately owned vehicle, that would be the ideal fit for this.”
He said planners also have explored other potential solutions to that challenge, like working out an arrangement with the borough’s public transit system or leasing shuttle buses.
