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Harvard Library Fines No More

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

By the time a student gets to Harvard, he or she has had to study hard, score well on tests and perform under the burden of high expectations, but no more will they worry about overdue fines with the Harvard Library. Harvard announced this week that their library will no longer charge 50 cents a day for an overdue book.

Steven Beardsley, Harvard's associate director for access services administrative operations and special projects - which may be the longest title on a campus chocked with long titles - told the Harvard Crimson, quote, "we have witnessed firsthand the stress that overdue fines can cause for students." But the stress of those families who pay more than $70,000 a year for tuition, room and board will probably stay the same. Maybe there'll be a new chair at the next Ivy League football game - go Yale, Princeton, MIT, we still pay our overdue fees. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.