It often takes more than a desire to live downtown to make sorority members decide to abandon their sorority floors.

As freshman or sophomore pledges, the sorority becomes one of the most important parts of college life. Close friends are usually in the sorority and most weekends are dedicated to sorority functions. But eventually, as needs adjust and lives change, sorority life may fade into the background.

"I'm growing up and my priorities are changing," said Kelly Rosen, a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority, 1 Shulze.

It's impossible to be best friends with 100 people, she said, adding, "You realize who your true friends are."

A sorority often isn't a main priority for seniors, who frequently are involved in outside activities coupled with a heavy course load, said Kristen Castagna, president of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, 101 Cooper.

In an effort to keep senior members involved, sororities often have senior privileges, provisions and other perks. Seniors have more options and the social events are voluntary, said Jen Neufeld, president of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, 101 Hibbs.

"We realize (seniors) have other things to do and we don't want to be a burden on them," Neufeld said.

Some sororities have senior-appreciation events. Delta Gamma sorority, 10 Shulze, has a secret senior event in which younger members pick seniors and secretly send them little notes or gifts. Alpha Delta Pi sorority, 2 Hastings, also has a senior-pride program that tailors events toward seniors.

Physical separation may also put a sorority farther back in a senior's mind.

After the often-mandatory first year of sorority-floor living, many women choose to live downtown. This can cause problems if sororities can't fill the floor and chance losing it, said Becky Harpster, president of Alpha Xi Delta sorority, 13 Wolf.

Only about 40 percent of Delta Gamma and 41 percent of Alpha Delta Pi sorority members still live on the floor. Some sororities attribute this situation to the faraway East Halls location, where some sororities reside, but others acknowledge that members move for other reasons.

A lot of people meet friends as freshmen and agree to live with them as seniors before they even pledge the sorority, Neufeld said.

Often when women pledge as sophomores, they already have close ties to people outside their sorority.

"They might already have a certain circle of friends," said Delta Gamma President Beth Hafer.

As seniors, sorority members have already put in two or three years of membership and participation -- so when 'senioritis' rolls around, the sorority may be pushed to the background.

"People get burned out," Hafer said. "(The sorority) is still a part of you, but you are moving on," she said.

Even though the sorority isn't the main focus of attention all the time, Hafer said some members might still feel left out because they don't live on the floor.

Harpster, who once lived off the floor, believes that close friendships are not broken when members move away. The sorority has off-campus phone chains to keep in touch with sisters, she said.

"No one would say they don't like living on the floor," Harpster said. "My closest friends are also my sisters and I would talk to them anyway."