A step show, fashion show, comedy and dance group extravaganza will take place Thursday night to promote diversity and unity on campus.

The National Panhellenic Council and Black Student Union will put on Stepping for Unity throughout the Community: Steppers Unite Step Show and Fashion Extravaganza at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Everyone from the Eastern community is welcome to come, said Monique Cookbey, graduate student adviser for the Student Life Office. She said the line-up for the evening will include a brief slide show on the history of step dancing, a performance by the dance group Illusion, the step show itself and a fashion show. Comedian Joe Clair will be the emcee for the entire event, Cookbey said.

Step dancing began in Africa and is now used by various organizations as a means of communication and to share culture, she said. The step show itself will feature six step teams, one of which is the unity step team, Cookbey said.

“Earlier in the semester, we went throughout the campus and community and asked members from various recognized student organizations to participate (in a step routine),” Cookbey said. “We have members from Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Alpha Phi Sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority, Kappa Delta Sorority, Student Government, Black Student Union and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority on the unity step team.”

Cookbey will perform in the step show section of the event and said it has been fun to teach the people participating and see how hard the groups have worked to put on the performance.

Both the step show and the fashion show will feature people of various ethnic backgrounds, Cookbey said.

“And (the models) are not all from sororities (and fraternities),” she said. “Some of the models are people we just walked up to and asked around campus.”

Rachel Haynes, a junior speech communication major, will participate in the fashion show. She said she hopes a lot of people attend.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this, and I think it’s an excellent opportunity to meet and get to know people from different ethnic backgrounds,” Haynes said.

Nautica, Contempo, Elder Beerman and Casual Corner have donated clothes for the models to wear in the fashion show, which will feature both male and female models, Cookbey said.

“Nautica and Contempo will be giving door prizes like coupons and hats,” she said.

Comedian Joe Clair will act as an emcee between segments of the event. Cookbey said Clair is a well-known comedian who has hosted “Rap City” on the Black Entertainment Television Network.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a comedian of this caliber,” she said.

The event is sponsored by over 20 organizations, Cookbey said. “We have gotten so much support from the campus, which has been overwhelming,” she said. “It’s wonderful because it shows that the campus is about unity and is about helping.” The sponsors will be recognized at the function, Cookbey said.

Tickets for the event cost $7 if purchased before 3 p.m. today and are $10 at the door. Tickets for RSO groups of five or more, including residence hall associations if a representative is present, cost $5 a person if purchased before 4 p.m. on Thursday. Tickets can be purchased at the box office in the union.