President John Welty of Fresno State will tell trustees of California State University on July 16 in Long Beach that alcohol use has declined on CSU's 23 campuses since Chancellor Charles B. Reed ordered a program against excess student drinking.

Welty is chairman of the CSU Alcohol Policies and Prevention Programs Committee, which began its work in December 2000.

The first biennial report on CSU's alcohol policies and prevention programs gives several indicators of progress in curbing student alcohol abuse. The report compares assessments on campuses in spring 2002 with surveys of spring 2003, now being completed. Among those preliminary findings:

A reduction by 5% to 10% in the median number of drinks consumed per week.

A 10% to 15% drop in student misconduct related to alcohol use.

A 3% to 5% reduction in binge drinking.

From 20% to 25% fewer alcohol-related judicial cases.

A drop of 20% to 30% in drunken driving cases.

"Chancellor Reed has provided more than $1 million for campus alcohol education, training and prevention programs," Welty's committee report to trustees says. "All campuses have implemented alcohol advisory councils."

Reed appointed the systemwide committee in November 2000, including campus presidents, students, faculty, staff, alumni and vice presidents of student affairs. They were charged with reviewing alcohol policies and prevention programs. A student's death at CSU Chico and alcohol poisoning cases at San Diego State prompted the new look at alcohol abuse.

The new report to CSU trustees includes grants received campus by campus.

Fresno State received a $210,000, three-year grant from the Social Norms Resource Center at Northern Illinois University and a $55,872 grant from the Office of Traffic and Safety.

Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs at Fresno State, is chairman of the alcohol advisory council on campus. He said Tuesday that one message from the committee report is that Fresno State and other campuses have made a commitment to address alcohol misuse.

"The reality is that every campus in the nation has alcohol-related problems," Oliaro said. "Almost all are trying to address them through education and by holding students accountable for violating campus regulations through disciplinary and other consequences.

Oliaro called "measurable outcomes" reported by Welty's committee an affirmation of CSU trustees' wisdom two years ago in ordering a systemwide attack on alcohol abuse.