About GCIT TSA

The Technology Student Association (or TSA for short, not to be confused with airport security) is a CTSO at GCIT that centers around technology and related topics.

Events

We compete in multiple events every year, including the Fall Leadership Conference, the State Leadership Conference, and the National Leadership Conference.

The State conference is the event that sees the most members compete in GCIT. Held at The College of New Jersey for a single day, members compete against teams from all over the state in their respective competitive events.

The National conference is more limited and occurs over the course of a week in a different place each year. To attend, you typically must qualify at states or do some other system of qualifying decided by the chapter. This changes every year, but it is the largest and most prestigious event GCIT competes at, and many members find it to be very fun. Nationals in 2026 is being held in Orlando, Florida, while previous years have included Washington, D.C. and Nashville.

The Fall conference is limited to members who are in leadership positions or have been selected to represent the chapter in place of officers that the chapter does not have. Members work together as a team to solve a design challenge at The College of New Jersey then break out into different rooms to hear presentations on leadership from the state officers.

Competition Rules and Limits

Competitions can have very confusing setups where resources may be hard to find.

Competition membership limits

Each competition is assigned a type: On-Site, Pre-Conference, or Static.

• On-Site competitions are events that are held in-person and typically require some kind of setup and work at the conference itself. A member can only have 1 of these events.
• Pre-Conference competitions are events that are mostly done before the start of the conference and are submitted online or occasionally with a physical counterpart. There is no limit on how many of these you can have.
• Static competitions are events that are a mix of both. Projects are usually worked on a lot more before the conference but may have some kind of physical setup at the conference. There is no limit on how many of these you can have.

While members can have as many of some types of competitions as they want, there is an overall limit of four different competitions.

Where to find rules and instructions

The main rules for the competition can be found on the Official TSA website after logging into your student account. These rules are not to be shared under any circumstances and sharing them to unauthorized members may result in a disqualification of your team.

These rules change for the state competition every year, and the changes are publicly viewable and are posted on the state website every year in around late January.

Officers

The state has 8 officer types, of which 4 exist at GCIT. You will hear the “executive committee” referenced, which is the committee that exists of all officers and decides on and runs most parts of the chapter or delegation. Almost all parts of TSA follow “Robert’s Rules of Order.”

• President: The president is the highest ranking officer and runs meetings at chapter or delegation level (general membership meetings), as well as the executive committee itself.
• Vice President: The vice president fills in for the president at meetings that the president cannot attend. They also communicate with committee chairs and keep them running well.
• Treasurer: The treasurer is in charge of money. They make budgets, handle purchase requests, help the fundraising committee, and present changes in balances at meetings.
• Secretary: The secretary takes notes at every meeting and makes them available to their respective recipients. They also give a report of what the executive committee has been doing at general membership meetings.
• Sergeant-At-Arms: The sergeant-at-arms handles meeting locations and attendance. GCIT does not currently have this position.
• Reporter: The reporter gives reports to the membership at general membership meetings and works with the social media committee. They are commonly given permission to make posts on the official social media without needing advisor approval. GCIT does not currently have this position.
• Historian: The historian keeps track of all events and meetings and will commonly be responsible for taking and compiling photos or information for the membership to see. GCIT does not currently have this position.
• Parliamentarian: The parliamentarian keeps the chapter following the proper parliamentary procedures as ordered in the bylaws. GCIT does not currently have this position.

The executive committee itself meets as often as possible and will make decisions on behalf of the chapter. This includes planning events, working in collaboration with other groups/people, communicating with advisors, getting approvals, and coming up with new ideas for TSA.