Cornell University officials, advised by experts that predicted cold temperatures and possible snow flurries will not deter determined dragons, have issued a dragon-warning and road-closure alert for the campus for Thursday, March 13.

Vehicular access to central campus will be restricted from 1 p.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m., and buses could be rerouted or delayed for the annual emergence of the dragon. This will be the university's 102nd Dragon Day, in which first-year students in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning build and parade a dragon through campus.

The dragon will leave its lair in Rand Hall at approximately 1 p.m. and travel east on University Avenue, then south on East Avenue, then west on Campus Road. It will lumber through Ho Plaza and enter the Arts Quad, between Uris and Olin libraries, before proceeding to the south side of Rand Hall.

Cornell Police and Environmental Health and Safety officials urge members of the campus community to enjoy Dragon Day in a safe fashion. Participants are asked not to engage in behavior that might result in injury to themselves or others.

A map of the planned route can be seen at http://www.aff.cornell.edu/maps/dragonday.gif. For the latest information, see http://www.cornell.edu/SpecialConditions/ .