The attitudes and values of the present generation of Miami University undergraduates were studied, and the shifts that have taken place in the viewpoints of incoming freshmen at the institution during this decade are traced. Five types of values were examined: personal values and commitments, political and economic beliefs, social attitudes, religious beliefs, and perceptions of student power. Two sets of data were used: selected results from the 1977 and 1971 surveys of freshmen sponsored by the American Council of Education (ACE) and the findings of a separate, more detailed survey of the opinions of the overall Miami University student body. The ACE-sponsored research is an ongoing longitudinal analysis of freshmen conducted by Alexander Astin and colleagues at the University of California at Los Angeles. At Miami University, a separate instrument was developed containing indices and questions that correspond to the values categories. A description of the indices, and the methodology used to construct them, is appended. Respondents' demographic characteristics are also considered. (SW)