Hampton U crowns first white Miss HU

HAMPTON, Va. - Nikole Churchill was crowned Miss Hampton University, but many students on campus are upset at the judges' choice. Churchill of Hawaii became the competition's first "non-black" winner and while some say race is the underlying problem students have with the win, others say that accusation is way off the mark.

Go to Hampton University's website and you'll see "respect" listed number one under its code of conduct. The school requires "an appreciation for other cultures," but on October 9, that "appreciation," for some, seemed to go out the door as the Miss HU crown went on Nikole Churchill's head.

"Since some people are specifically mentioning her race, I think that's a step in the wrong direction," says Misha Lawrence, Hampton University Junior Class President.

Lawrence is disappointed some students focused negatively on Churchill's skin color, but many students say race is actually not the main point of contention in Churchill's win.

"She goes to the Virginia Beach campus so the students don't really know her that well," says HU senior Michael Murry.

Murry supports Churchill, but says because she doesn't go to main campus students worry about her ability to represent the entire university.

However, after hearing racial comments, the 22-year-old queen wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to come to campus to speak about "the changes our nation is making towards accepting diversity."

Tuesday afternoon, the nursing student issued an apology to HU students (see below).

Student Body President Matthew Washington appreciates Churchill's apology and says almost all Hampton students do respect each other no matter their background.

"There are always students who are going to have something negative to say because that's a pageant. Pageants are clearly subjective, but for the most part Hampton students are happy that Miss Hampton is Nikole Churchill," he said.

Statement from Miss Hampton University:

I am honored to be the winner of the Miss Hampton University Pageant that was held on Friday, October 9, 2009. On Sunday, October 11, 2009 I posted a letter to President Obama saying that my win was not widely accepted on campus. I have now come to regret writing this letter and disappointing the very students that I now represent. I took the comments of a few and blew it out of proportion. In reality, all comments that have been directed towards me and the reception I received at the Hampton University versus Howard University football game on Saturday, October 10, 2009 were genuinely supportive. Today, I met with student leaders and other elected student officials and they were also supportive. Hampton University has always promoted diversity. In fact Hampton University pioneered American Indian education and has embraced diversity since its inception. I truly apologize to all students, faculty, staff and alumni. It was absolutely not my intention to bring negative attention to the University. I deeply apologize for any misunderstandings that this may have caused and I look forward to working with my fellow students to promote the Hampton University legacy.

Nikole Churchill
Miss Hampton University 2009-2010