What’s it like to be a student Drug & Alcohol Impact auditor?

To become a Drug & Alcohol Impact accredited institution, universities and students’ unions are audited by their own students. We believe that students who study and live at a university know it best; they understand the local context and they know what students need. They are the ones who we hope can see the impact of work being done on campus, and their voice is a crucial part in this process.  

In a two-day audit process SOS-UK are on campus, training students to complete the audit, and today we are spotlighting the experiences of some recent Drug & Alcohol Impact auditors. We spoke to:  

• Shambhavi Kumaria, MSc Health Psychology Student, UWE

• Tafara Gary Chivasa, PhD Student, Cardiff Metropolitan University  

• Harry Morris, MSc Health Psychology Student, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Why were you interested in becoming a Drug and Alcohol Impact student auditor? ‍

Shambhavi: As a Psychology major with my research interest grounded in substance use and addiction, I was intrigued when I reached out to my supervisor, and she told me about this opportunity. I thought it would be a fascinating and valuable experience to work on the University's harm reduction policy, in alignment with my research interest.

Tafara: For me it was a valuable opportunity to get some practical experience of interviewing as part of my PhD involves interviewing participants. The student auditor opening came up at a time I was actively seeking ways to improve as an auditor, and I can safely say that it was a helpful experience in making me a better researcher.

Harry: I am interested in public health and health implementations and felt that this opportunity would be beneficial as it would expand my understanding of public health alongside learning valuable skills in auditing, interviewing and working with a team.
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What did you learn from the experience?  

Shambhavi: I learnt exercising impartiality and to read, analyse, and provide insights on substantial amounts of information within a limited timeframe. During the interviews, I gained experience both as an interviewer and a note-taker. The role of note-taker was particularly unique, requiring me to capture important dialogue verbatim while simultaneously listening, processing, and typing.

Tafara: The role involves first learning more about the organisation and what responsible drug and alcohol use means. You are asked to assess how well your institution is working towards being a responsible drug and alcohol use university. This part of the role really taught me to look critically at information and be confident in reaching a conclusion as you must score your institution for each element of the criteria.  Here I can also say that the trainers are also very useful in giving you tips and answering any questions you may have, which helped in making the process beneficial for me.

Harry: The role involved training to perform an audit and interviews for SOS-UK which included critically evaluating criteria and evidence, note taking, and interviewing. I learnt a great deal about auditing and interviewing, working together with various people from different institutions and how policy is implemented and reviewed within organisations.    
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What aspect did you find most enjoyable and why?

Shambhavi: This is a difficult question as each aspect of the audit was truly unique; especially interviewing key people of the University.  However, I enjoyed the first day of the audit, wherein we had to analyse, and research given data. While it was challenging to process vast amounts under time constraints, it was a novel way to utilise my skills of research and analysis that I have honed throughout my course. Applying theory to practice in such a distinctive setting was highly enjoyable.

Tafara: One good feature about this experience for me is that as students you also work in pairs. This means there is always someone to share ideas with and you never feel isolated. Working together also meant that we tackled the auditing more thoroughly and achieve a more comprehensive assessment of our institution

Harry: I enjoyed learning about healthcare implementations most of all. The strategies and evidence which go into changing behaviour were very interesting and is the sector of society I wish to be involved in throughout my career. Therefore, it was the most informative and it's what I personally got the most out of.

What advice would you give to other students interested in becoming a Drug and Alcohol Impact student auditor?

Shambhavi: For students who are interested in becoming Drug and Alcohol Impact student auditors, I'd say, go for it! It's a wonderful opportunity for any student, especially those in fields of Public Health and Psychology. Don't fear the word 'auditor', you will be told what to do every step of the way and most students do have the relevant skills.

Tafara: I would say that being a student auditor is a good way to experience all stages of the research process in a condensed amount of time. I am certain that you will pick up tips and skills that will help in your own research whatever stage of the journey you are be it undergrad, master’s or PhD level.

Harry: Keep an open mind, ask questions, be involved and make sure that you're doing it for a reason. Whether there is one part you want to learn and experience or multiple parts, or you just have a broad interest in drug and alcohol policy or public health etc, having a clear goal will help motivate you to do an excellent job.

If you’re interested in finding out more about being a Drug & Alcohol Impact student auditor, or want to know how to get involved in this work on your campus get in touch with us at hello@sos-uk.org.

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