A new law in North Carolina will require taxpayers in the state of North Carolina to pay the difference in tuition between in-state and out-of-state college student athletes. A 2005 state law allows the University of North Carolina system to treat the cost of a full scholarship for an out-of- state student at the lower in-state tuition rate. William Friday, former chancellor of the UNC system and a Knight Commission member stated: “With the pressures on the public to build more schools and hospitals, why should we put money into underwriting athletic programs?’’ says Friday, 85. “Athletics programs are building bigger facilities, paying coaches enormous salaries, and when the bills get too large for them to handle, the taxpayer is stuck with the bill.’’
A project of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation