Our Story
Founded in 2025 by Georgia Tech students with a shared passion for technology, ethics, and community – the LibreTech Collective (LTC) is Georgia Tech’s only student-run organization dedicated to Free, Libre, and Open-Source Software (FLOSS), hardware, and knowledge.
Technology should empower – not restrict – its users. That’s why we only promote projects, tools, and practices that give people the freedom to run, study, modify, and share technology without unnecessary barriers.
We believe we’re the first student organization of our kind in the U.S.A. – and probably the world! While other “open-source” campus clubs exist (and we share some common ground with them), we proudly define ourselves as a Free Software club. Instead of relying on vague definitions of “open source,” we give our members a clear guideline: the Four Essential Freedoms. As long as you use a license that respects those freedoms, we’ll support you 100% of the way!
Whether you’re a seasoned contributor or just curious about what “open source” really means, LTC is a welcoming space for all to explore, learn, and collaborate!
How We’re Organized
We’re a democratic, member-driven community – entirely student-run and organized, and fully independent of any other organization:
- President – Guides the organization and facilitates meetings.
- Vice-President – Oversees technical projects and events.
- Secretary – Handles communications and records.
- Treasurer – Manages grants, sponsorships, and funding.
All officers are elected annually, and any active member (a LibreJacket) can run for office after attending at least two events in a semester.
Declaration of Support for Free Software & Hardware
LibreTech Collective, as an independent registered student organization (RSO) at Georgia Tech, is required by Georgia Tech and the University System of Georgia to use certain proprietary platforms and non-free software in order to operate and remain in compliance. This requirement runs counter to our values. We do not endorse these systems, and wherever possible we actively avoid them, restrict their use, or work to disable non-free components. However, in some cases, complete avoidance is not feasible.
One such example is Engage, a largely proprietary platform with limited free components that we are required to use to manage our organization and membership. While we strongly object to this dependence, compliance is mandatory.
Rather than allowing these constraints to silence us, we have chosen to strategically repurpose them. When forced to operate within proprietary systems, we use them as outreach channels to educate others about software freedom, user autonomy, and the harms of surveillance-driven platforms. We reject the normalization of “big brother” technologies that track, monetize, and control users – but when compelled to stand within these systems, we speak against them from the inside.
Our presence on non-free platforms does not constitute support or endorsement. It is a practical compromise imposed upon us, and we treat it as an opportunity to advocate for a world where such compromises are no longer necessary.
LibreTech Collective remains fully committed to the promotion, development, and defense of free software and free hardware – and to reducing reliance on proprietary systems wherever possible!
Officer Headshots
Copyleft Notice
Verbatim copying and distribution of all articles is permitted worldwide, royalty-free, in any medium – provided this notice is retained. Unless otherwise stated, all content on the LTC website is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0).
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