USCHO.com reported at 2:00pm Eastern Time that the NCAA Division III meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, has passed a version of Proposition 65 that includes the amendment offered by the eight schools affected by Proposition 65 that would allow them to continue to participate in Division I as they do now. This amendment has been referred to separately as Proposal 65-1.

According to reports, this means that all eight Division III schools that "play up" to Division I in one sport, including Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Clarkson, and Colorado College in ice hockey, Johns Hopkins in lacrosse, and Hartwick, Oneonta, and Rutgers Newark in other sports, will be explicitly allowed to continue granting scholarships in those sports.

USCHO reported that ECAC Commissioner Phil Buttafuoco said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson played a key role in the presentation of the amendment on the convention floor. He said:

There were very moving statements on the floor. The president of RPI [Shirley Jackson] did a wonderful job introducing amendment 65-1. ... The historical and philosophical significance of the programs was a big issue. The waiver back in '82 and '83 was granted with good cause and with no harm to others. That was the argument on the floor.

There were comments to the contrary. Some said scholarships are inconsistent with the core philosophy of D-III.

But, in the end, the amendment passed by a vote of 296-107. The amended Proposition 65 then passed by a vote of 304-89.

Update: This story has been updated and reworded several times to reflect newly discovered information. Last updated 01/12/2004, 2:29pm Eastern Time.