The author considers his first ten years at a state university in the Midwest as horrible years. In this time he experienced much hostility and racism in a "college culture," which to him was "distinctly alien and unfriendly." It had reached the point, after a number of years, where he was consulting attorneys for a possible racial discrimination lawsuit against the university. Then, a new president took over and reinstated his program, American Indian Studies and Dakota Studies (AISDS) and his position as associate professor. In this article, the author comments on some of the horrible racist acts that happened to him over the past ten years; mentions the sources of support for his program, positions, and for him personally; and discusses what it is like now in the year 2003. This account serves as encouragement for younger Native faculty and conveys the message that it is possible for Indigenous faculty to survive in a hostile and racist environment. (Contains 6 notes.)