Beer and layer cake greeted seniors in the College's largest department as they turned in their theses yesterday.

The Government tutorial office was bedecked in balloons for the 74 bleary-eyed concentrators expected to turn in their theses.

Although one-third of all theses were turned in by 3:30 p.m., 20 were still outstanding a scant 20 minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline.

And at 4:56, 10 thesis-writers were still at large. At 4:59, seven.

For those sleep-deprived seniors who reached 53 Church Street in time--and perhaps for those who didn't--the last few days has been rough.

"I haven't slept since Sunday night," said Marc E. Lucas '94, who remitted his bound volumes four minutes before the deadline.

And Mark Shultz '94 said he was excited to be done, but he said 48 sleepless hours put a bit of a damper on the festivity of the occasion.

"There have been better days in my life, for sure," Shultz said.

Still, Shultz said his last minute scrambling was worth it.

"I think I pretty much doubled my citations in the last week," he said.

Department advisors, too, shared in yesterday's festivities.

"I think that some of the joy and relief that some of the seniors feel inevitably rubs off on us," said Andy Sabl '90, an assistant head tutor.

Undergraduate Student Coordinator Jane T. Graysaid at 7 p.m. that a few seniors had still notturned in their theses. Gray said that papers aregraded on a 15 point scale, and that one-half ofone point is deducted for each day a thesis islate.

Of course, honors candidates shouldn't get toocomfortable; oral and general examinations stillloom ahead in the coming weeks.

Preparation for those tests, it seems, willhave to wait. Nancy N. Serrano '94, who wrote onviolence in Colombia, is very clear about herplans for the immediate future.

"Party tonight, party tomorrow", Serrano said."And then Bahamas over spring break.