What started as a Luddite club has transformed into a Hootenanny. 

A phone ban combined with a jam sesh is bringing Fort Lewis College Students together at 7 p.m. on Tuesday nights.

“It makes us unthinking robots who are unable to make meaningful connections outside of our phones,” Josh Thiem, an FLC student, said. 

Other than the phone ban, there are no rules, there is no structure, there’s no organization, he said.

It is a very pressure free environment, he said.

There was a shared desire to start a club with Luddite attributes, and by bringing music and instruments into the mix it became the Hottenanny that it is today, Seth Davis, freshman at FLC, said. 

Everyone is welcome, some people will drop in for a little bit and others will stay the entire time, Kai Tandberg, another FLC student, said. 

The Hootenanny offers a place for people to unplug, make connections, and really just enjoy each other’s presence without the distraction of phones, Tandberg said.

“We’re building a society on our own terms,” Thiem said.

Tuesday nights have become a way to take back the connection our phones have been taking away, he said.

More instrumental collaboration would be appreciated, however if someone doesn't know how or doesn’t want to sing or play there are people who draw, crochet, or even just sit and listen, Tandberg said.

“Its so non-judgmental,” Tandberg said. 

In the weeks to come the Hootenanny is being moved to the grassy patch by the Chapel, Thiem said.