A controversial section of a proposal from the North Carolina Senate allowing the UNC System Board of Governors to consider changing the names of state schools based on their effect on “enrollment, academic strength and diversity” has been removed.

The Senate Higher Education Committee discussed Senate Bill 873 Wednesday, also known as the Access to Affordable College Education Act.

The bill plans to cap tuition at five North Carolina universities at $500 per semester for in-state students. The bill also sets a cap on student fees and limits increases to three percent per year.

The five schools impacted are Fayetteville State, Winston Salem State, Elizabeth City State, UNC Pembroke and Western Carolina.

Republican Senator Jerry Tillman, who represents Moore and Randolph counties, said the bill will improve access for many North Carolinians.

“It’s the right direction for families who are struggling to educate their kids and it will help them from graduating with a huge debt,” said Tillman.

But critics say it is an attempt to defund HBCUs.

Republican Senator Tom Apodaca who represents Buncombe County, is the bill’s primary sponsor. He is a graduate of Western Carolina.

In addition to creating a cap on tuition and fees, the bill also establishes scholarships for North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T, the state’s largest HBCUs.

Apodaca said the scholarships would help attract “the best and brightest” to these schools.

Some questioned how they would attract the best and the brightest to the five universities impacted by the bill.

Senator Apodaca said the free market forces would help.

“My belief is when you set price it will incentivize additional customers, for lack of a better term, to come to your institution,” said Apodaca. “So with more enrollment and more students I think you will naturally see a progression of everything else rising with it, as they say a rising tide lifts all ships.”

Senator Jane Smith represents Robeson County, where UNC Pembroke is located. She said enrollment hasn’t been a problem for that university.

“With the idea of increasing enrollment, they are at record enrollments right now,” said Smith. “Their enrollment has increased, I know, for the last three years, they expect record enrollment again next fall.”

But at other schools enrollment is a concern. It’s down almost 50 percent at Elizabeth City State since 2010.

Lower tuition also means less funding for these schools. Senator Apodaca, said the difference, an estimated $60 to $80 million, would be covered by the state’s general fund.

But Senator Gladys Robinson was concerned about providing that funding in the future. It would essentially be up to future General Assembly’s to provide that funding from the general fund.

The bill was also amended to require schools to cut student fees by five percent, opposed to the originally proposed 10%.