After a stormy start to the week, there’s only so much of summer left to soak up before the start of the academic year … on a Thursday. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we’ll be back in class before you know it.

But here’s something to look forward to — the future opening of Bodega, a taqueria and speakeasy lounge, at 2127 I St. will add a new dining option on campus, sating students’ appetites for tacos, burritos and quesadillas and filling vacant space between Tatte and the new GW Campus Store.

Thumbs Up:

While Bodega’s owners have yet to announce when their Foggy Bottom location will open, a combination taqueria and speakeasy lounge seems like a tantalizing dining option for students, nearby office workers and tourists.

Will Bodega be on GWorld? I hope so, but there’s no sign either way just yet. Duke’s Grocery, which also serves alcohol, in nearby Western Market still accepts GWorld. But with the University’s transition to a swipe-based meal plan complete and falling foot traffic from students at GWorld vendors, Bodega might choose to swap the Buff and Blue for cold, hard cash.

Thumbs Down:

If the creeping emails from the campus store haven’t made you check your calendar already, then mark this day down: Thursday, Aug. 24, the start of the fall 2023 semester and a day that will live in infamy. Hyperbole aside, requiring students and faculty to come back to campus earlier while having a first week of class that spans two days is a little odd.

Classes began on Monday, Aug. 29 last fall, with the first day of the week marking a logical starting point to begin the semester. Granted, this semester’s final exams will take place earlier than those last fall, so starting the semester on a Thursday may be a worthy sacrifice after all.

Ethan Benn, a rising senior majoring in journalism and mass communication, is the opinions editor.