Ms Cousins (30) knows a bit about this subject, having recently written a PhD thesis on it. And she will graduate from the university with this degree in a ceremony at the Regent Theatre at 4pm today.
''It's exciting - it's certainly a relief to have got through it,'' she said.
''It has been challenging at times and certainly has required some sacrifices, but I do think it's been worth it in the end.''
French-born, already an Otago graduate and now a New Zealand resident, she had enjoyed being able to explore her research area in depth.
She also felt she had contributed to the university and to ''what is known about interventions that reduce alcohol-related harms among young people in a practical way''.
Since Campus Watch was established in early 2007, one key to its success had been not only making clear to students where the behavioural boundaries lay under the university's code of conduct, but also showing that Campus Watch members were keen to provide support and protection.
Ms Cousins said Campus Watch staff also aimed to avoid trouble, rather than waiting until it happened and then trying to punish culprits.
When the staff saw a student couch which had been left on a footpath, they sought to have it returned to its home flat before someone later decided to set it on fire.
''It's trying to prevent those things from happening.''
''Certainly, the reaction from the community was overwhelmingly positive, which is always great to see, because the effectiveness doesn't really matter if no-one likes it [the overall Campus Watch programme].''
The scheme's practical value could also be seen in the reduction of ''nuisance'' fire callouts involving the Fire Service - including student couch fires - from about 200 in the last six months of 2006 to about 60 in the corresponding period in 2008.
After she began her research at the end of 2007, the biggest ''distraction'' - albeit a delightful one - had been the birth of her daughter Anika Biggin, now aged 3 and a-half. She said her partner, Nick Biggin, had also provided key emotional and financial support, including when her scholarship had run out for the last few months of her study.
