Terms of Service

Welcome to the Georgia Technology Student Association (“GATSA,” “we,” “our,” or “us”).

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of all digital services operated by GATSA, including but not limited to:

• gatsa.org
• my.gatsa.org
• GATSAMobile
• Conference registration systems
• Membership management systems
• Competitive event management systems
• Electronic communications
• Mobile applications
• Any other websites, applications, or online services operated by GATSA (collectively, the “Services”).

By accessing or using any of the Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be legally bound by these Terms and all policies incorporated by reference, including the GATSA Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree with these Terms, you may not use the Services.

Georgia Technology Student Association is a nonprofit Career and Technical Student Organization (“CTSO”) serving students, advisors, educators, schools, volunteers, judges, alumni, sponsors, and supporters throughout the State of Georgia.

GATSA provides educational programs, leadership development opportunities, competitive events, conferences, training, and related activities in support of technology education.

The Services are intended to facilitate these activities by providing online tools for membership management, conference administration, communication, registration, scheduling, competitive event administration, and other organizational functions.

Use of the Services is limited to individuals who have a legitimate relationship with GATSA.

Authorized users may include:

• Student members
• Chapter advisors
• Teachers
• School administrators
• Parents or legal guardians where applicable
• Judges
• Volunteers
• Conference attendees
• Vendors
• Sponsors
• GATSA staff
• Other individuals expressly authorized by GATSA

Some Services may require authentication before access is granted.

Certain Services may only be available to users assigned specific roles within the system.

Participation in GATSA programs generally occurs through a recognized school chapter.

Student membership and participation are administered by chapter advisors and schools.

Student accounts within my.gatsa.org are generally created by chapter advisors or through authorized synchronization processes associated with National TSA affiliation.

Students are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their login credentials after account activation.

Students may not create duplicate accounts or intentionally misrepresent their identity.

Chapter advisors serve as the primary administrative contacts between GATSA and their respective schools or chapters.

Advisors agree to:

• Maintain accurate chapter information.
• Maintain accurate student information.
• Register only eligible participants.
• Promptly correct inaccurate information.
• Protect confidential member information.
• Maintain appropriate control over chapter accounts.
• Comply with applicable school, district, state, and federal requirements regarding student information.
• Notify GATSA of known unauthorized access or security concerns affecting chapter information.

Advisors acknowledge that inaccurate roster information may affect conference registration, competitive event eligibility, membership synchronization, and official organizational records.

GATSA supports chapter affiliation through the National Technology Student Association.

Following completion of National TSA affiliation, certain membership information may be synchronized between National TSA and GATSA to facilitate membership administration, conference registration, eligibility verification, and related organizational functions.

Users acknowledge that:

• National TSA and GATSA maintain separate systems.
• Information synchronized between organizations is used solely for legitimate organizational purposes.
• Delays or discrepancies in synchronization may occur.
• Advisors remain responsible for reviewing the accuracy of chapter information following synchronization.
• GATSA is not responsible for inaccuracies originating from information submitted to National TSA by a chapter or advisor.

Synchronization does not create an employment, agency, or contractual relationship between GATSA and National TSA beyond the organizational affiliation necessary to administer membership and related programs.

Certain Services require users to create or activate an account before access is granted.

Users agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information.
• Maintain the accuracy of account information.
• Keep passwords confidential.
• Use only their own account unless expressly authorized by GATSA.
• Notify GATSA promptly of any suspected unauthorized access or compromise of their account.

Users are responsible for all activity occurring under their accounts unless they promptly report unauthorized access.

GATSA reserves the right to require identity verification before restoring access to an account.

GATSA conducts conferences, leadership events, competitive events, and educational programs throughout the year.

Registration for these events may require:

• Active membership where applicable.
• Payment of registration fees.
• Submission of required forms.
• Compliance with published deadlines.
• Satisfaction of eligibility requirements.
• Acceptance of conference-specific rules and procedures.

Conference registration does not guarantee participation in a specific competitive event, housing assignment, workshop, or activity where capacity limitations exist.

GATSA reserves the right to modify schedules, event offerings, room assignments, locations, and conference activities when necessary to ensure the safe and efficient operation of an event.

Conference participation may also be subject to separate policies, including the Code of Conduct, Refund Policy, Competitive Event Guidelines, and Conference Rules, all of which are incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Certain Services require payment of registration fees, conference fees, merchandise purchases, or other charges.

Payments are processed through third-party payment providers selected by GATSA.

By submitting payment, users represent that:

• They are authorized to use the selected payment method.
• The payment information provided is accurate.
• The payment may be processed immediately unless otherwise indicated.

GATSA does not store complete payment card information.

Refunds, cancellations, returned payments, chargebacks, and payment disputes are governed by GATSA’s Refund Policy and applicable law.

Failure to satisfy financial obligations may result in suspension of registrations, conference participation, memberships, or access to certain Services.

By creating an account or participating in GATSA programs, users consent to receive communications reasonably necessary to administer their participation.

These communications may include:

• Registration confirmations.
• Payment confirmations.
• Conference announcements.
• Schedule updates.
• Event notifications.
• Security alerts.
• Password reset messages.
• Membership notifications.
• Organizational announcements.

Where permitted by law, GATSA may also send informational communications regarding future conferences, educational opportunities, scholarships, leadership programs, and organizational initiatives.

Users may opt out of non-essential communications where applicable; however, users may not opt out of communications necessary to administer their accounts or participation.

Users agree to use the Services in a lawful, respectful, and responsible manner.

Users shall not:

• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any system or account.
• Circumvent security controls.
• Interfere with the operation of the Services.
• Upload malicious software or harmful code.
• Use automated tools to scrape or harvest information without authorization.
• Submit false or misleading information.
• Impersonate another individual or organization.
• Share account credentials with unauthorized individuals.
• Use the Services for commercial purposes not expressly authorized by GATSA.
• Violate any applicable federal, state, or local law.

Users shall also comply with all conference rules, competitive event regulations, and published organizational policies while using the Services.

Certain Services permit users to submit content, including but not limited to:

• Competitive event submissions.
• Documents.
• Images.
• Videos.
• Project files.
• Forms.
• Messages.
• Comments.
• Other electronic materials.

Users retain ownership of their original content.

By submitting content to GATSA, users grant GATSA a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, display, distribute, archive, and transmit such content solely for legitimate organizational purposes, including:

• Conference administration.
• Judging.
• Educational activities.
• Recordkeeping.
• Historical preservation.
• Awards administration.
• Promotional activities related to GATSA’s educational mission.

Users represent that they possess all rights necessary to submit the content and that such submission does not infringe the rights of any third party.

GATSA reserves the right, but not the obligation, to remove content that violates these Terms, applicable law, or published GATSA policies.

Unless otherwise indicated, all content made available through the Services is the property of GATSA or its licensors and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• GATSA logos and trademarks
• Website design
• Software and source code
• Mobile application content
• Conference materials
• Publications
• Training materials
• Graphics
• Photographs owned by GATSA
• Documents
• Forms
• Databases
• Schedules
• Official conference content

Nothing contained within the Services grants users any ownership interest in GATSA intellectual property.

Users may not reproduce, distribute, modify, reverse engineer, publicly display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit GATSA intellectual property without prior written permission, except as expressly permitted by law or these Terms.

The Services may integrate with or provide links to services operated by third parties.

Examples include payment processors, cloud hosting providers, messaging providers, mapping services, hotel reservation systems, National TSA resources, sponsors, vendors, and other educational partners.

Use of third-party services is governed by the terms and privacy policies of those providers.

GATSA does not control and is not responsible for the content, availability, security, or privacy practices of third-party services.

Reference to a third-party service does not constitute an endorsement by GATSA unless expressly stated.

GATSA strives to maintain reliable and secure Services but cannot guarantee uninterrupted availability.

The Services may be temporarily unavailable due to:

• Scheduled maintenance
• Emergency maintenance
• Software updates
• Hardware failures
• Internet outages
• Security incidents
• Vendor outages
• Natural disasters
• Circumstances beyond GATSA’s reasonable control

GATSA reserves the right to suspend, modify, discontinue, or replace any portion of the Services at any time without prior notice when reasonably necessary.

Whenever practical, GATSA will provide advance notice of planned maintenance that is expected to significantly affect users.

The Services may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties, including sponsors, vendors, educational organizations, National TSA, hotels, conference venues, payment processors, and other partners.

GATSA is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, availability, or content of third-party websites or services. Users should review the privacy policies of any third-party websites they choose to visit.

GATSA reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate access to the Services when necessary to protect the organization, its members, or the integrity of its systems.

Reasons may include, but are not limited to:

• Violation of these Terms.
• Violation of conference rules or organizational policies.
• Fraudulent activity.
• Submission of false information.
• Unauthorized access attempts.
• Abuse of the Services.
• Conduct that threatens the security or stability of GATSA systems.
• Conduct that jeopardizes the safety or well-being of participants.
• Failure to satisfy financial obligations related to participation.

Where appropriate, GATSA may provide notice and an opportunity to resolve the issue before suspension or termination.

Termination of an account does not automatically remove historical records that GATSA is required or permitted to retain for organizational, legal, financial, insurance, or historical purposes.

The Services are provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, GATSA disclaims all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including but not limited to:

• Merchantability.
• Fitness for a particular purpose.
• Non-infringement.
• Accuracy.
• Reliability.
• Continuous availability.
• Error-free operation.

GATSA does not warrant that:

• The Services will always be available.
• The Services will be uninterrupted.
• Defects will be corrected immediately.
• The Services will be free of viruses or other harmful components.
• Information provided by third parties will always be accurate or current.

Users assume all risks associated with their use of the Services.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, GATSA, its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, committee members, judges, agents, contractors, affiliates, and representatives shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from or relating to:

• Use of the Services.
• Inability to use the Services.
• Conference cancellations or schedule changes.
• Delays in processing registrations.
• Data loss resulting from circumstances beyond GATSA’s reasonable control.
• Third-party service interruptions.
• Errors originating from information submitted by users or third parties.

In no event shall GATSA’s aggregate liability exceed the amount paid directly to GATSA by the claimant for the specific Service giving rise to the claim, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability where such limitation is prohibited by law.

By using the Services, you consent to receive communications electronically from GATSA.

Electronic communications may include:

• Account notifications;
• Registration confirmations;
• Payment confirmations;
• Security alerts;
• Event updates;
• Conference information;
• Administrative notices;
• Other communications necessary to administer GATSA programs.

Electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that communications be provided in writing unless prohibited by applicable law.

GATSA is committed to protecting the privacy of its members and users.

The collection, use, storage, retention, and disclosure of personal information is governed by the GATSA Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

By using the Services, you acknowledge that you have reviewed the Privacy Policy and understand how GATSA processes personal information.

23. Changes to the Services

GATSA continually improves and updates its Services.

Accordingly, GATSA reserves the right to:

• Modify features;
• Add or remove functionality;
• Change user interfaces;
• Improve security measures;
• Update technical requirements;
• Discontinue obsolete functionality;
• Replace third-party providers;
• Introduce new Services.

Reasonable efforts will be made to minimize disruption whenever practical.

GATSA may revise these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in:

• Applicable law;
• Organizational operations;
• Conference administration;
• Technology;
• Security practices;
• Educational requirements; or
• Other operational needs.

The Effective Date at the beginning of these Terms will be updated whenever material revisions are made.

Continued use of the Services after revised Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

If you do not agree with the revised Terms, you must discontinue use of the affected Services.

These Terms shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Any legal action arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services shall be brought exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction located within the State of Georgia, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

Nothing contained herein limits any rights or remedies that cannot legally be waived under applicable federal or state law.

Questions regarding these Terms of Service should be directed to:

Georgia Technology Student Association

Website: https://www.gatsa.org

Email: sprice@gatsa.org