Senior Pearl Marsyla used to enjoy going onto Canvas to check her grades, complete assignments, and keep track of her schoolwork. Recently, she has mourned the loss of her space-themed Canvas using BetterCanvas, currently listed in the Chrome Extensions as BetterCampus, an extension that she said helped her tremendously through her past three years of high school.

BetterCampus is a Chrome extension that helps students customize Canvas and make it easier to use. On Sept. 3, BetterCampus was banned by Sequoia Union High School District on all school devices and Google Chrome browsers signed in with a school-provided Google account. Along with customizing Canvas, like with Marsyla’s space-theme, students were able to see their grades on their dashboard next to each class. This feature is intended to make it easier for students to keep track of their grades.

“The regular Canvas format was really confusing,” Marsyla said. “I couldn’t see my grades [on my dashboard], so I often didn’t know what my grades were. I’d have to do the extra work of going into each class [to check] my grades.”

Students noted that it can take time to manually navigate to each class’s home page and then to the gradebook. With BetterCampus, grades can be displayed directly on the dashboard.

“It’ll make it harder for people to know what their grades are,” Marsyla said. “People will be less able to keep their grades up because they’re not constantly aware of what their grades are. It’s kind of hard to go into each individual class and see your grade.”

BetterCampus also helps students personalize their Canvas through dark mode, backgrounds, and more. 

“I used [BetterCampus] as a way to focus more on what I was doing,” sophomore Patricia Velbis said. “Having a nice background on [Canvas] made me more productive … [Now] I don’t really feel energized to do anything. The ban has made me devastated, honestly. I want my dark background back.”

In a statement to The Paw Print, Principal Karen van Putten described the reason for the ban.

“Reports were coming in earlier this week that Canvas Quizzes were not loading for multiple students. The issue was resolved when BetterCampus was removed,” van Putten said. “To ensure students across the board had smooth experiences with Canvas Quizzes, BetterCampus was moved to the ‘blocked’ list for Chrome Extensions … This was a district-wide issue and solution.”

The reason for the ban didn’t sit well with Marsyla, who was informed of the statement and asked her opinion on it.

“If your BetterCampus is causing these problems, then delete it,” Marslya said. “Just because [a handful of people] had trouble, this is making it harder for everyone to know what their grades are and to know what their assignments are.”

In response to the ban, Marsyla started a petition in her notebook. The petition has garnered over 150 signatures so far, and she plans on getting more.

“There have been a lot of different responses [to the petition],” Marsyla said. “A lot of people are very angry about it.”

Additionally, an anonymous group of students has started an Instagram account, @bring_back_bettercanvas_please. The account has garnered 223 followers over the past 5 days.

“We started the account to give people updates on why BetterCampus has been blocked, and eventually stand as a visual to the school of how many people want the extension back,” an account owner said in a direct message.

A change.org petition has also been started, and currently stands at 59 signatures.

“We believe student voices should matter when it comes to the tools we use every day,” petition organizers wrote in the petition’s description. “That’s why we’re asking the district and decision makers in our schools to bring back BetterCampus on school computers. It wasn’t just about customizing how things looked, it gave us a better way to learn, track our progress, and actually enjoy logging into Canvas to view assignments. Reinstating BetterCampus will make a positive difference in the way students view work and overall school experience.” 

Should the extension not be reinstated, students felt that morale and grades would drop.

“I think a lot of people will just feel less motivated to do their homework, to look in their Canvas, to see their grades,” Marsyla said. “I think it’ll also make it harder for people to know what their grades are. Students will care less about keeping their grades up, because they’re not constantly aware of what they are.”