Former UNC President William Friday is cheering on legislators who want to end the tuition break for out-of-state athletes in the UNC system.

At a time when hundreds of thousands of state citizens are living in poverty and many young people can't afford to go to college, the state should not be subsidizing out-of-state scholarship recipients, Friday said today.

"I think those resources should be applied to North Carolina," he said.

The law now allows any out-of-state recipient of a full-time scholarship at a UNC campus to considered an in-state student. The state pays the differential in the tuition rates. The taxpayer cost is about $10 million and growing.

The majority of the money goes to athletes, who generally were less qualified academically than many other applicants, Friday pointed out. Some also goes to recipients of academic scholarships.

Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat, and Rep. George Cleveland, a Jacksonville Republican, filed a bill that would limit the tuition exemption to academic scholars only. It would end the state subsidy for athletes — and the college booster clubs' finances would take the hit.

Rep. Pricey Harrison wants to end a tuition break for out-of-state athletes.

The Greensboro Democrat plans to file a bill that would end a special scholarship program at state universities that allows out-of-state athletes to pay in-state tuition rates.

The program began as a provision in the state Senate's budget. Harrison has gotten notice from good government groups for her unsuccessful attempts to end it.

She said she feels better about eliminating the estimated $10 million cost this year.

"At a time when we've got a $2 billion budget gap it just doesn't make sense that we're subsidizing out-of-state athletes," she said.

She also argued that the program subsidizies the Wolfpack Club, the Rams Club and the Pirate Club, the booster groups for state universities, which otherwise would have to give donations to support the athletes.