Sponsor says he will pull HBCUs controversial tuition provision

Published June 2, 2016

by Mark Binker and Cullen Browder, WRAL, June 2, 2016.

Faced with backlash from students and alumni of historically black colleges and universities, Sen.Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, said Wednesday he would pull three HBCUs out of a controversial tuition experiment when the state Senate debates its proposed budget on Thursday.

Apodaca is the primary author of a budget provision that would have made tuition $500 per semester for in-state students at five schools in the University of North Carolina system: Elizabeth City State University, Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, UNC-Pembroke and Western Carolina University.

The proposal was designed to make college more affordable to more people and to boost enrollment at the five schools, he said, but he plans to offer an amendment to remove Elizabeth City State, Winston-Salem State and Fayetteville State from the budget provision. The other two schools would remain.

"I've never had such a hard time trying to give away $70 million," Apodaca said.

While the statute would have limited how much money the schools would collect from tuition, lawmakers said they would give the schools up to $70 million a year out of tax revenue to make up for the lost tuition revenue.

HBCU backers say they worry that taxpayer support might not be there during hard economic times, and they rallied against the tuition cut Wednesday afternoon on Halifax Mall behind the Legislative Building, saying the proposal threatens the viability of the schools.

"The historically black colleges and universities of North Carolina are risk of becoming extinct. We are in jeopardy," North Carolina Central University student Raven Cheatham said, calling the provision "a direct attack on our education, culture and future."

"All these alumni and all these HBCU students, we know. We know that that's what they're trying to do," said Delaney Vandergrift, a student at North Carolina A&T State University.

Others said a cut-rate tuition stigmatizes the schools as providing a lower-quality education.

"You get what you pay for," said Darnell Johnson, an Elizabeth City State alumnus. "If you're charging me $3,500 and charging someone else $500, you think it comes with that sort of inequality."

"There is distrust in the way the bill was rolled out," said Sen. Erica Smith-Ingram, D-Northampton. "I think it is a magnanimous gesture for leadership and the sponsors who want to do something."

Sen. Andrew Brock, R-Davie, denied that the provision targeted HBCUs, calling them "some of our best schools."

"All of them are within 110 miles of everyone in North Carolina, and by that, we can give a good place to go to everyone to go to college at a really affordable rate," said Brock, who, like Apodaca, graduated from Western Carolina.

"There's no way I'd ever put my beloved alma mater in any type of danger," Brock said. "I just found it's a great way to get students in there who probably couldn't afford to go to college otherwise."

Other portions of Apodaca's provision, including plans to ensure that students would pay the same tuition rate during their four years attending any UNC undergraduate institution, would remain in the bill.

The Senate Appropriations and Finance committees approved the chamber's budget bill Wednesday. The full Senate is scheduled to debate and vote on the plan Thursday morning and again just after midnight on Friday. After that, the House and Senate will meet to resolve their differences on the $22.225 billion spending plan.

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June 2, 2016 at 7:01 pm
Norm Kelly says:

There appear to be only 2 possible ways to describe libs.

Ignorance is bliss.

Liberalism really is a disease of the mind.

I know I'm not the first one to propose this. I'm willing to admit this is a copy of what others have said about libs. But every time they go nuts, they simply prove the truth of this statement.

So, the Bern-meister wants to give away college education. This is good, according to libs. Republicans in the state legislature want to make college more affordable at HBUs. This is bad, according to libs. What's the difference? It appears, based on the id10tic statements coming from libs, that the proposer makes the difference. When a lib proposes pandering to a group of people, this is celebrated. When a Republican tries pandering to that same group of people, it is berated and met with skepticism. But what's the real difference? Of course, those of us who continue to have the ability to think logically, there IS NO DIFFERENCE!

Then some b0nehead says that it will devalue a degree cuz you get what you pay for. Like this is true with ANYTHING government! Higher education, the entire education establishment, proves the idea of 'get what you pay for' totally, 100% wrong.

Of course, libs are also whining, their default, that there aren't enough blacks attending HBUs. This is partly due to the whine from libs that non-HBUs needed to boost minority enrollment. With a limited supply of 'minority' students to go around, the way that non-HBUs increase enrollment is simply to 'steal' them away from HBUs. Therefore HBU enrollment goes down. Because those racist Republicans are trying to kill HBUs? Yup, that's the reason. It has nothing to do with the lib whine about increasing minority enrollment in non-HBUs. Of course not. It's ONLY because Republicans are racist. At least, according to whiny libs! Is it even possible for them to STOP whining?

So, Republicans come up with a plan to increase enrollment at HBUs at the same time (hopefully) making it easier for even more 'minority' students to enroll in HBUs. By setting the limit for cost at $500 per semester, wouldn't it follow that even more blacks, helpless as they are, would be able to get a college education? Nope. The reason, and only reason according to whiny libs, is so HBUs will be forced into bankruptcy and closed! Cuz everyone just absolutely knows that Republicans HATE blacks and want to hold them down, hold them back, and PREVENT blacks from even getting a college degree! Oh, there I go again slipping into lib 'thinking'. Of course, none of this is true. And if enough libs retained the ability to think, they also would know that this is stoopid and illogical. But so many have been duped for so long by lib lies that they appear to have forgotten how to think for themselves. Making them ideal lib citizens, totally dependent on what they are told to think by their lib leaders, and simply willing to join in the whine. Perhaps if more libs went to HBUs at a lower cost, they would be able to think logically. Hard to imagine, but possible, I suppose.

Do I want HBUs to be forced into bankruptcy? No. But making it more affordable? How could this be bad?

Do I want to hold down/back blacks? No, which is why I'm a Libertarian and NOT a lib.

Do I believe blacks are capable and can stand on their own? Yes, which is why I'm a Libertarian and NOT a lib.

Do I believe in looking at skin color first to determine ANYTHING about a person, especially their intelligence level or capability? No. Cuz I'm not a lib. Remember, it's libs that look at people's melanin content to determine their ability or lack thereof. It's libs that believe melanin-rich people are incapable and NEED a hand-out. Everything about libs schemes is wrong. Not just for blacks, but especially for blacks! So, cut the cost of attending an HBU so blacks can get a good education OR retain the high cost at HBUs to prevent more blacks from attending? Isn't it libs who are saying that the cost shouldn't be reduced so more blacks can attend? Doesn't that tell you, without doubt, that libs really ARE trying to hold down blacks? Come on, people, THINK! I know it's hard. If libs wanted blacks to get a college degree, wouldn't they be trying to make it easier for blacks to attend and NOT harder? Think long & hard before answering that. It will contradict your liberal 'mind' set!