A former Penn State student arrested in connection with the downtown riot in March has been stripped of his degree by the university's Office of Judicial Affairs.

Jason Nowak, who graduated from Penn State in May, was charged with disorderly conduct after running along Beaver Avenue in his underwear following the men's basketball team's Sweet 16 loss to Temple University.

Nowak was convicted on the disorderly conduct charge earlier this year and sentenced to one year probation Tuesday. Before his criminal trial, he went before Judicial Affairs.

"The school was not very lenient about it," Nowak said, adding that he asked for the hearing to occur after his criminal trial but was denied the request.

Judicial Affairs revoked Nowak's degree during the summer.

"I think I'm the only one ever, actually (to lose a degree)," Nowak said. "It's disappointing obviously . . . but I'd rather just get on with my life."

A representative from Judicial Affairs did not return phone calls to confirm if the revocation of Nowak's degree was a setting a precedent for future cases.

In an e-mail to the student body shortly after the riot, William Asbury, vice president for student affairs, said the university would not tolerate riotous actions.

"We have strengthened the student code of conduct to make the penalties fit the severity of the violation, on or off campus," the e-mail read.

Nowak's friend and fellow fraternity member Spencer Rouen (senior-marketing and international business) said Nowak had not been drinking before he made his run past police officers. Rouen said the officers laughed at Nowak before arresting him.

Rouen described his friend as spontaneous.

"He just does crazy stuff," Rouen said. "One summer he went up to Alaska and did kayak tours and lived out of a Jeep."

In another act of spontaneity, Nowak went to work as a volunteer for the American Red Cross in New York following the Sept. 11 attacks. He organizes local volunteers, a position that does not require a degree.

"Even if I had my degree, I would hope I would still be out here," Nowak said. "I'm needed here, so it makes me feel good."

Nowak said he waited until the initial influx of volunteers died down to offer his help, because he felt so many people would overwhelm the area. He has worked in various areas and offices of the Red Cross in New York, including at ground zero, where the ruins of the World Trade Center towers lie.

While Nowak was in New York after his trial, proceedings were underway to make suggestions for his sentencing.

District Attorney Ray Gricar, who prosecuted Nowak's case, recommended sentencing that was more severe than a usual disorderly conduct case because of the riot involvement.

"When I make a recommendation about a sentence I'm considering the seriousness of the crime and the impact of the crime on the community," he said. "There was a considerable expense to the community."

Some students think that punishment through Judicial Affairs and the local justice system is too much, but Gricar said that it is not unusual for people convicted of crimes to have repercussions beyond the courts.

"It happens in a lot of employment situations and in schools," he said. "I don't find anything wrong with that."

Gricar said convicted doctors and lawyers can lose membership or certification of professional groups, and people in the military can be court-martialed. He said he does not take student status into consideration when prosecuting and requesting sentences, and that sometimes he does not even know if a defendant is a student or not.

"I think they were just definitely trying to make an example out of him," Rouen said of Nowak's different punishments.

Now that his sentencing is complete, Nowak is focused on continuing his volunteer work and moving on with life. He said his experience in New York has give him "a new perspective," and that his degree is far from his mind whenever someone hugs him and thanks him for his help.

"It's definitely made me not think of it that much," he said. "It makes you re-evaluate your own life."