Election Day Coverage: We let our liberal bias swing as freely as our staff.

scholarship fund.

Meeks has made his line more exclusive by only dOing three designs for his collection opposed to the previous 13 for DANK. He also expanded the collection to include hoodies and a line of girl's T-shirts. The collection is due out in December and draws inspiration from pop culture and Meeks and Winn's hometown, Virginia Beach.

"It'd be like a producer sampling old songs and making them new songs," Winn said.

Although Meeks feels that he is at the perfect place for this time in his life, he eventually wants to open a store in Los Angeles. He also wants to expand the line to include more merchandise such as bags, jeans and dress shirts.

However, before he reaches that point, Meeks wants to launch a successful Web site, payoff all his loans and give away as much as he can in scholarships.

Rapidly expanding in the Richmond community, Meeks plans to "take it as far as God wants me to. There's no limit!"

Flamenco guitarist and Richmond metal musician MARGE WEIMfB

Contributing Writer Many students choose to major in

music at VCU, but not many can do

what Frank Rourk does.

Rourk, a junior, is a flamenco

guitarist whose talent is respected by

both peers and instructors alike.

"Frank is a fine guitarist, and it is my

understanding that he is considered to be at the professional level with his flamenco guitar playing," John Patykula, head of the guitar program at VCU, stated in an e-mail. "He is an

asset to our guitar program in the Department of Music."

Better known to his friends as Frankzig - a nickname derived from the

American heavy metal band, Danzig - Rourk also plays guitar and performs vocals for a Richmond black metal band called Neckbrace.

"Unlike a lot of flamenco guitarists I have heard, Frank has a more undeniably epic delivery," Tomlin said.

For more than five years, Rourk has made flamenco guitar his life by studying

abroad in Spain as weI! as performing in Richmond.

Much of what is known about flamenco is a result of oral tradition passed down for generations in Spain. For Rourk, learning the art was no different.

"Essentially I was taught to play guitar, but if you dig a little deeper than that,

I was taught a sense of traditions," Rourk said.

From 2004 to 2006, Rourk studied the art of flamenco guitar in Seville, Spain

at the Cristina Heeren Foundation for the Art of Flamenco, where he earned academic credit toward his VCU studies.

"I learned from great guitarists, and what I came to consider good friends like

Javier Gomez, Javier Lozano and Raul Cantizano," Rourk said.

After his Seville studies, Rourk took lessons in Madrid from Maestro Ricardo

Modrego and Maestro EI Viejin.

"The winter months I spent in Madrid were driven by my personal interest in understanding the guitar, and I have to admit I never worried about its irrelevance to academics," Rourk said.

Rourk can be found performing solo flamenco at Emilio's Restaurante Espanol every Saturday at 7p.m. starting in October. He also is recording a solo

flamenco demo E.P.

neckbr.ace at dec. 20 at 5:30 p.tn.

DANICA PRIm

Staff Writer

Are you broke' If so, you

can still give your friends and family more than a cheesy card and a candy cane. Here are some gift ideas that are practically

free and easy to make.

R[CIP[ BOOK

Collect recipes w ith some kind of theme--like foods the person likes or holiday foods. At allrecipes.com you can type in a list of ingredients you want or don't want and it will

come up with recipes.

PHOTO tIlllhG[

Get a poster board (or if you are really cheap you can take apart a cardboard box) and glue

pictures you have of your gift recipient.

INSIO[ JOK[ BOOK

Make a book of inside jokes and/or funny quotes from the person.

MIX CD

Yes, this is an old one, but to make it unique you can record intros to songs explaining their significance.

Why they supported Obama

Joshua Maye (Political Science): "I supported Obama, because Americans need to feel like our

country can be great again, and respected around

the World."

Photos by Sara D'Eugenio, Kathryn Glushefski and Kat Stewart Cover photo by Mike Garrett

After the election

Maye "(Obama's) grandmother, his mother, the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, it was all worth it for tonight. Everyone who paved the way for this night, that's who deserves the credit."

Why they supported McCain

Serinda Patrias (Craft and Material Studies):

"McCain has done the most bridge across the ... He works for the common good of the I don't want to be a socialist country."

Lee Vogler (Mass Communications and Political Science): "I believe John McCain is the most

bipartisan candidate ... he has a lifetime of expenence

After the election

Patrias: "I hope (President-elect Barack Obama)

actually does listen to us, we need someone that can bring us together ... We're bummed because

Virginia didn't stay red. It was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be." Vogler: "It would be hard for any Republican. If it was any Republican other than John McCain it would have been harder. Hopefully we can put our

differences aside,"