Face Off: Cotton Room Opinions

The Cotton Room is still the right fit for JHS Prom despite recent controversy, Sydney Sarver

For years, Jordan’s prom has taken place at the Cotton Room, a classic Durham brick textile factory that was transformed into a charming event space. However, the venue recently received criticism for refusing to refund a bride and her family after the sudden death of the groom five months before the October wedding, which cost over $18,000, causing some to consider the implications of Jordan continuing to support the venue. Although this expense was quite cumbersome for the family, the Cotton Room’s actions aligned with the contract signed by the bride and groom. Therefore, the recent issues with the Cotton Room were not enough to necessitate a prom relocation, especially since the venue was following a clear policy. 

Additionally, disregarding the potential issues relating to continuing to use the Cotton Room as Jordan’s prom venue relating to the wedding, it is also logistically the best option for our school. Ms. Huckbody, assistant principal at Jordan, informed Falcon Post that prom was originally at the Marriott Hotel until the switch to the Cotton Room was made around 2009. All the other venues in the area that Jordan considered previously, including the Armory, were too small while “the Cotton Room was the right size.” Copious amounts of searching and planning went into finding a suitable venue that has been adequate for more than fifteen years. 

Kristen Seidel and her fiancé Chris Perry’s family asked for their money back days after the death, hoping the venue would make an exception despite their no-refund policy because of the special circumstances. The Cotton Room received backlash on social media for the decision to give the family a partial refund of $11,000 for the family only if they were able to find another group to book the venue. While the situation is unfortunate for the family, as they lost the entire $18,000, the venue books far in advance and it could be difficult to find others willing to rent it that close to the event, and cancellations could cause the venue to lose money. Ultimately, the venue was unable to rent it out the night it had been reserved. While this situation is unfortunate for the family it affected, the Cotton Room followed a clear policy and therefore are not in the wrong. 

According to Ms. Huckbody, it’s ultimately up to Student Government whether or not Jordan continues to use the Cotton Room for prom. Despite the tragedy that occurred, the Cotton Room is still the best choice for Jordan’s prom.

Jordan needs a new prom location, not The Cotton Room, Samari Rochelle, Madeline Paige

Prom season is coming up, and we need a new venue for 2027. We currently have a contract signed and a deposit paid with The Cotton Room, for our prom next month. But we need to find a new spot in 2027, one that treats its patrons better. 

Last fall, the Cotton Room received some backlash for a heart-breaking incident that occurred to a couple that booked the venue for their wedding. Five months before their wedding, the groom suddenly passed away, but the Cotton Room refused to refund the couple’s $18,382 deposit. This left the bride, alone, with loads of money spent on a wedding that she wouldn’t attend. The Cotton Room refused to give the woman a complete refund for this deposit. We reached out to the Cotton Room twice to figure out how much they refunded, if at all, and they did not return our calls. According to WRAL, the Cotton Room offered $11,000 if someone else booked for that date, but it’s not clear if anyone did.

It’s important to point out that The Cotton Room did not do anything illegal, as the contract stated the deposit does not get refunded. But sometimes, as in this case, it’s not about following exactly what the contract says; it’s about doing what’s right.

Let’s say a spouse cheated on his partner, most would argue the partner that cheated is wrong, and they would be correct. Although cheating on your partner is not a crime, we all know this is not right. If a student misses an assignment because of a family emergency but the teacher’s policy is no late work, wouldn’t it be wrong for the teacher not to take the student’s work? 

Why would we continue to patronize a place like the Cotton Room that wronged a grieving bride-to-be? The Cotton Room chose to keep the woman’s money and now we have a choice: whether to have prom there or find a new location next year. 

We have not had a prom anywhere else in the past ten years, but because of this wrong-doing, we are hopeful that the school will decide on a new place for prom in 2027. So far we have found three other potential venues in Durham that are able to accommodate our ~500 students who attend prom annually. We need to take a stand for what is right, not just legal. By booking elsewhere, Jordan can send a message that treating people right outweighs profits.