Imagine a place that offers professional-grade hardware and software repairs for all your personal devices — from laptops, to tablets, to smartphones and desktop PCs.
Now, imagine that the service is free.
If you pictured a place with techies whizzing about with cutting-edge tools, talking in tech jargon, taking apart electronic circuit boards and assembling state-of-the-art electronic parts, you’re in luck. It already exists at Madison College, called the WolfPack Techies, in Truax Room E1864.
WolfPack Techies provide free electronics repair, hardware troubleshooting, software installation and upgrades to all Madison College students and faculty at zero labor cost, with turnaround times as quick as from a few days to a week, depending on the type and complexity of the job. It is a part of the expansive Information Technology Education department located in the ‘E’ wing on the first floor of Truax Gateway building.
“We’re a student-run organization that focuses on quick and efficient repairs and quality customer service,” said Alex Roznos, current manager of WolfPack Techies and former Madison College IT student.
While WolfPack Techies might be student-volunteer run, its infrastructure and daily operational procedures have been planned around emulating real-world technology repair businesses. It uses an industry-standard ticketing system and student volunteers can access the innovative electronics repair tools, such as iFixit’s “Pro Tech Toolkit” and advanced software recovery tools like “Active@ Boot Disk Manager.”
“We typically encounter a wide range of issues, from simple software bugs requiring a couple hours to more serious component failures requiring replacements, such as keyboards, hard drive and screen,” Roznos said.
He further explained that when a customer walks in with an issue, the staff asks questions, determining the root cause. If they decide it’s something they can repair, the device is run through their intake process to collect key information about the device, the customer and the problem, while also making initial notes. A unique ticket ID is then generated in their ticketing system, he further noted.
The usual turnaround time is about a week, though some devices such as Apple’s Mac devices, iPhones and iPads take longer because of the shortage of trained staff who are qualified and experienced enough to work on Apple devices, which are oftentimes more complex to repair.
The impact of WolfPack Techies’ work on the community has been overwhelmingly positive — the repairs and fixes offered could cost anywhere from tens to hundreds of dollars in labor costs alone if customers were to get the same done from a private, for-profit repair shop.

Humble Beginnings 
WolfPack Techies began over a decade ago as a small student-run club, supported by Madison College faculty. It was conceived by a group of enthusiastic students from the IT hardware class, who were excited about the possibility of fixing their fellow students’ devices at no labor cost while gaining useful real-world troubleshooting and complex hardware repair skills.
“Jeff and I, as well as a couple of students in his class, realized that there is a hidden need amongst students that they need to go somewhere to solve their computer problems. What better than it be internal and free to students.” said Ronald Koci, a retired former advisor to WolfPack Techies, while talking about Jeff Pergal, a part-time faculty who along with Koci was among the founding members of “Feed the Geeks,” which later grew into “WolfPack Techies.”
“The magic sauce here is that this whole concept from the back in the lab days to a full-blown facility was entirely student run and managed. I, as an advisor, stood back and helped make it happen. The experiences these students got from not only fixing broken technology but also providing customer service was a valuable addition to their education at Madison College,” Koci added.
Roznos echoed this sentiment, mentioning how students gain valuable soft skills such as customer service, professional communication and practical problem solving — alongside the ‘hard’ technical skills like hardware repair, software installation and ticketing system management.

A World of Opportunity 
WolfPack Techies offers more than just a service for the community. It also serves as a training center for nurturing and equipping future technology professionals with real-world knowledge and hands-on experience using industry-standard tools, in addition to theoretical knowledge learned from the classrooms.
Madison College’s IT education department offers seven associate degrees and one technical diploma (one year degree). Of those, four of the associate degree programs are in IT support along with the technical diploma.
Most of the WolfPack Techies volunteers are from one of the seven IT programs offered by the department. However, volunteering opportunities are open for any currently enrolled student at Madison College.
“Volunteer experience with the WolfPack Techies gives students great hands-on experience with hardware, which doesn’t always happen right away on the job. That experience gives them more confidence to troubleshoot hardware, but also interpreting an issue reported by a user and how to apply that information to what they are seeing with that system.” said Angela Snelling, the co-chair of the IT education department.
She further added how WolfPack Techies has given many students a safe space to collaborate with their peers and find a sense of belonging and community.
“I had no idea on how these complex electronic devices worked from the inside before I joined WolfPack Techies and now I do, and I appreciate them even more. This place has become my own quiet corner in this big campus” said Chee Yeng Thao, a student volunteer.
Logan Reich, a student pursuing his associate degree in system administration with the department, added “volunteering at WolfPack Techies is great because you not just gain the experience in repairing the devices, but the hours you put in also counts towards internship credits, which are required in order to graduate any program that’s offered by the IT education department.”
“I feel lucky to have found this opportunity,” he added.
WolfPack Techies is located in Truax Room E1864. They are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.