Charles,
I didn't like the way the Chief image looked as a background image (lightening it made the colors look hideous; also at 400x400 pixels it looked blocky and jagged) so I simply set it at the top of your side menu. I also made a new header, using the same approximate colors as the image, but I don't like the way it turned out. The font is too elaborate for that color combo, I'm thinking, so I was going to try to make one using a different font, maybe a blocky font kind of like the ones the Illini use for their logo (I have similar fonts like that). Or if you have a font you'd prefer let me know and I'll see if I have it or if I can find it or its equivalent.
I was also thinking that the Clean style sheet that this site uses is a little too raggedy looking with the header image and the rolling description and everything being different fonts and offsets. I was thinking of trying to set up a two column inside an outer border, like this one -- http://mt2.movablestyle.com/?style=mt2/movabletype_rusty -- only with the side column going all the way to the top of the page, like this one -- http://mt2.movablestyle.com/?style=mt2/plain_blue -- that way I could make the main column the same width as the new header. That would have to be a fixed width of 611 pixels but I think it would look more attractive and streamlined. I wouldn't use the colors of either of those stylesheet examples, of course; I'm thinking maybe a blue like the logo for the border, orange for the sidebar -- unless you think that would look really too gaudy -- and of course white for the background of the main content. Anyway, your call.
I also fixed the sidebar links.
Let me know what you think,
Andrea