Frequently Asked Questions
The following is a list of frequently asked questions students have sent to the SGA about form submission online. After reviewing them below you can send your own in to lagorio1@umbc.edu.
"Can I still submit my forms into the SGA on paper instead of online?"
Yes! All of our forms are still available in paper form, though some of the paper forms are not yet available online. You can come by the office and pick them up at the Office Assistant's desk, or you can download them in PDF format.
"How do I know that this system is secure?"
We’ve taken every precaution to make sure your sensitive information remains private. For example, when submitting your myUMBC password through the program, it is encrypted before it is sent to the myUMBC servers before verification. When checking the status of forms submitted online, only the people who originally signed the form are able to see its contents and check its status. The Frogger software never ever saves your myUMBC password under any circumstances. Lastly, we make sure that we cryptographically sign all of the components we've developed and made available for download using the name UMBC Student Government Association - if you don't see that name on the Digital Signature, it has not have come from us! If you think you may have found an insecurity or other vulnerability in the software, and would like to report it, your comments and concerns should be directed to Jay Lagorio, the Director of Communications for the SGA. The safety of your information is important and we would be happy to address any concerns you may have.
"Can I file forms online if my computer doesn't have Windows?"
We're currently in the process of evaluating the best method to bring form submission to the Macintosh platform. Support for this will be in future versions of the product.
"Can I give my myUMBC password to others so they can submit forms for me?"
NO! We cannot emphasize enough that your myUMBC password is private and that you should never give it to anyone. This system encrypts your myUMBC password as it is transmitted through the Internet and will never save it in a way that it can be retrieved for later use, but we can only do so much to keep your password safe: NEVER GIVE YOUR myUMBC PASSWORD OUT TO ANYONE.
"Why are there only a few forms available for online filing? Can I download more?"
The program launched with the most commonly filed forms available for filing over the Internet. As new forms are released and older forms are updated, you will be able to have them installed into your computer by using the Updates button on the main window of the submission program.
"I filled a form out on paper. Can I still track its progress online?"
Forms that are files on paper cannot be tracked online because they cannot be entered into our online tracking system.
"My friend filled out a form online and gave me his tracking number so I could check it online, but it says that I don't have access. Why?"
In order to maintain the privacy of students who submit forms to the SGA over the Internet, the tracking system will limit the students who can view the status of a form only to those having signed the form when it was submitted to the Student Government Association. It is not recommended that students give others their myUMBC password so that those people can check the status of forms submitted under their name.
"I got a message saying that I had to update the program or it wouldn’t work anymore. Why?"
Frogger works by communicating with computers over the Internet to transmit your forms and signatures to the Student Government Association. When those computers need to be changed, older versions of the Frogger Client can usually accommodate newer versions of the online components. At times, though, the newer programming on the Internet needs to be dealt with in a different way by the Frogger Client, so the Frogger Client needs to be updated. By opting to download and install the update, the newer version of the software will be installed automatically. If you decide not to do the update when prompted, you will be prompted the next time you run the application – the application will quit until you are ready to download and install the update.
"Frogger is asking for more than one person to sign the form, but they're not here. How do I continue?"
When submitting a form that requires more than one signature, all parties must be present to enter their myUMBC credentials into the program when prompted. If you have filled out a form and don't have all of the people required to submit present, the data is still saved and can be opened at any time to start the submission process again. Simply choose the Submit Form button from the main window, select the saved data file, and follow the signature prompts. It is not recommended that students give others their myUMBC password so that those people can submit forms under their name.
"Who designed the Frogger system?"
After the SGA Elections in April, the President, Jordan Hadfield, made it a priority to open the Student Government Association up to students in a way that allowed them to interact with the body on their own terms. One way he wanted to accomplish this was to increase its online presence. Over the course of the Fall 2005 semester, the Director of Communications, Jay Lagorio, designed and developed the SGA Frogger form filing system using components from Atalasoft and Quiksoft to handle many of the document imaging and mail functions. The application was written using Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 in Visual Basic.NET.
"Is the system open source? Can I see the source code?"
Sure! The Frogger system was written by students, for students, using student fees only where absolutely necessary. Therefore, it should be the right of students to see the source code if they want to, right? Only the pieces that we are forbidden from distributing, because of licensing agreements or other common practices, such as serial numbers, license files, and code signing certificates, are limited from student view. A sizable portion of the developer documentation is still being developed at this time, but the code itself is still available to anyone who would like to see it. Please E-Mail Jay Lagorio for more information.
"Can my group or academic department write our own forms for distribution and filing using the Frogger program?"
Student Organizations recognized by the SGA are more than welcome to develop their own forms using methods and documentation that will soon be available online or they can E-Mail Jay Lagorio, the Director of Communications for more information. Depending on the purpose, practicality, and availability of time, the SGA can work with you to meet and accomplish your goals. Departments within UMBC interested in online form submission should contact Jay Lagorio for more information.
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