Mr. Fraternity happens once a year and is hosted by Alpha Omicron Pi, one of many sorority chapters at the University of Maine. The event is held in honor of their chapter philanthropy, The Arthritis Foundation for Juvenile Arthritis.

To provide some background on the philanthropic organization, Alpha Omicron Pi has supported this foundation since 1967 and has raised an immense amount of money towards arthritis research, Juvenile Arthritis Power Packs, Juvenile Arthritis Camps and Conferences and much more. The women are proud to make a difference and help support this organization by many fundraisers throughout the year, with the most popular being Mr. Fraternity. 

Mr. Fraternity is a coveted title among many fraternities on campus. Held at the Collins Center for the Arts, the event allows each fraternity chapter to send one man to represent their fraternity in the event and they all vie for the honorable title of Mr. Fraternity. The show included an introduction from Alpha Omicron Pi members and was followed up by the first round, the interview section.The second round of the competition was the well-known talent section that most people love to attend the event for. The event concluded with the raffle drawing for those who purchased tickets for it, and then the final winner of Mr. Fraternity was announced. 

15 of the 16 fraternities on campus sent a brother representing their fraternity to enter the competition. The first round, the interview round, consisted of a questionnaire for the competitors. How it worked was two Alpha Omicron Pi hosts would ask “Why should you be Mr. Fraternity?” and then follow up with a question unique to each contestant. The questions were fun and lighthearted. Some of the questions asked included, “If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?” and “What’s the most random fact you know and why?” and “If you were stranded on a deserted island what would you bring and why?” 

Some of the other questions were more wholesome such as “What is your biggest goal and why do you want to achieve it?” and “Who is your biggest role model and why?” to which a contestant sweetly answered his mom. Some answers were hilarious and some were charming, but either way, the interview round was definitely a fun watch! 

Next up was the entertaining talent round. Each contestant was tasked with performing their favorite or most impressive talent onstage for the audience. Some talents were hysterical, such as singing while eating peppers, chugging milk until they absolutely could not any longer, or impressively rapping every lyric to “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice. Other talents stole the audience’s hearts such as a Frank Sinatra tribute and a guitar-playing act while playing the harmonica and singing a fan-favorite country folk song. Other acts ranged anywhere from chasing bubbles around the stage while a “Spongebob Squarepants” song played to a full rock band performance. Not only did the competitors have fun, but the audience was fully engaged and having an amazing time.

The audience was also allowed to help their favorite contestants and their fraternities to win by donations in their fraternity’s name. The Alpha Omicron Pi women were accepting donations by fraternity on site that would count as points towards a contestant and their chapter. The final winner of the competition was from Phi Eta Kappa: Peter Coleman. with his singing act with the harmonica and guitar. 

This year, the Mr. Fraternity event boasted an amazing turnout with the audience seating nearly full. The event was filled with laughter and support for the courageous contestants competing onstage. In addition, the ladies at Alpha Omicron Pi not only hosted an amazing event, but were also able to raise considerable donations for the Arthritis Foundation.

Popular alternative pop band Hotel Ugly, best known for their song “Shut Up my Moms Calling,” just released an album full of music that is meant to chill too. Released in March, the title of the new album is “Ugly Duck.”

The band consists of self-taught musically gifted brother duo Mike and Chris Fiscella. Mike does lead vocals and Chris does the music production as well as writes the songs. The duo is particularly great for their advocacy for mental health awareness as a part of who they are as musicians. After touring around Texas, they have reached out and offered their services to Mental Health of America, an organization whose mission is to invest in community-driven mental health initiatives in the greater Houston area. Additionally, through their performances, Mike and Chris have raised money toward aiding those struggling with their mental health. 

Hotel Ugly’s music is indie with a twist of pop, and the new album certainly reflects that same style. It is a solid album, although not anything too exciting. The songs that seem to be the most popular on the album thus far are “Action Figures Fighting” and “The Mannequin Song.” Due to its use as a sound on TikTok “Action Figures Fighting” has also gained popularity above others. 

 The TikTok platform helped them get discovered by a larger audience and the right type of audience that would enjoy their indie pop sound. “The Mannequin Song” has also started to pick up on TikTok, garnering more streams for the band on Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms. Their music appeals to many different types of music listeners. 

“The Mannequin Song” is a particularly funky song on the album with a swanky beat and an electronic influence backing up the lyrics. The lyrics are catchy and include lines such as, “Hate it when you talk to save your love / Always seem to wait a bit too long.” Another interesting line is, “Wish I could afford to buy your love.” A lot of the songs seem to be about relationships, but a more lighthearted take on them, with the lyrics being strange and a bit over-exaggerated. 

Overall, the new “Ugly Duck” album has that sound that most fans got hooked on in the first place, and it was not a disappointment. Some songs do stand out more than others on the album, such as the two mentioned above, “The Mannequin Song” and “Action Figures Fighting.” These two songs will more than likely carry the album and become the most popular.  

If you want to take a listen to their new album, it is streaming on all music services including Apple Music and Spotify. Here is a link to their website as well. https://hotelugly.com

You may or may not be familiar with the term artificial intelligence, or AI. If not, then you could be familiar with the very popular AI system called ChatGPT. ChatGPT was launched in November of 2022. The program allows users to compose emails and essays in a manner that sounds as if a real human composed it. This is a big reason why the program caught on like wildfire among college students. The program will complete essays and assignments for you.

ChatGPT seems to be the first wave of artificial intelligence rebuilding the foundation of academics, because a lot of things that students normally do themselves can now be assisted or done by AI. The increasing awareness of this program among students has started to instill panic in some instructors, but others have begun the process of embracing where the trend is headed instead. ChatGPT and other AI programs have unknowingly put academics at a crossroads where they can try to ban the use altogether or they can choose to adapt the AI into their curriculum. 

As artificial intelligence has become more of a hot topic in the world, especially in educational areas, people are starting to discuss and collaborate on it more. As its popularity progresses, people seek to understand where it is headed and what it means for not only the future of education but also the future of the workforce, specifically entry-level jobs. The reason artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT have become such a hot topic is because we have to acknowledge that they may be better at performing certain jobs and tasks than we could ever be. 

If we look into specialized areas such as computer programming and coding, an artificial intelligence program is less likely to have errors and the project would be completed probably hours before a human would finish the task. It is a frightening thing to face, but also one that we are still unsure of. Oded Netzer, a business school professor at Columbia, believes that artificial intelligence will actually help coders instead of replace them. So artificial intelligence could actually be a supportive addition instead, filling in the gaps so that workers may execute their work more accurately and quicker. 

The University of Maine has recently been holding a series of artificial intelligence events where anyone interested can become more informed on the budding topic of artificial intelligence in school and workplaces. On April 6, there was a presentation called “The Future of Work: How Generative AI May Change Professions and Tasks Ranging from Law, Journalism, Software Programmer, Videographer, Medicine, and More.” Led by the main presenters, Peter Schilling and Jon Ippolito, the presentation lasted an hour and was informative on the future of AI in classrooms and jobs. In attendance were professors from a widespread variety of departments at UMaine such as forestry, chemical engineering, journalism, computer science and more. Each department had a different experience and viewpoint on the way artificial intelligence may change their education curriculum and how it may affect students entering the workforce. 

Not all opinions were negative, with some professors seeing programs like ChatGPT as a way to supplement learning if used properly. Others, like those in computer science, had interesting perspectives on how it could possibly be more difficult to get an entry-level job in the field should artificial intelligence start doing the base-level work. 

Another interesting perspective was that fields like English and journalism may not be as affected by artificial intelligence because jobs in that field involve things that may just require human personality and human sense. This is because there is an Achilles’ heel with artificial intelligence, and that is that it lacks true sense that only a human can have. AI can also be risky in healthcare, rather than an asset, if the program is not made 100% to be completely unbiased. For example, there was a system used to identify malignant skin lesions by a dermatology department in healthcare and the system started to incorrectly identify malignant lesions based on the presence of a ruler. Medical images of a cancerous lesion will include a ruler in the image for scale and the program had started to falsely identify the ruler as an indicator of cancer. It shows how easily fallible and dangerous the system could be if not done and supervised properly. 

The Pre-Law Society is an excellent resource for students interested in law school or law in general. Camden Olson, a second-year member of Pre-Law Society, provides more insight into the club. 

“The UMaine Pre-Law Society’s primary objective is to support and aid students interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession or attending law school upon graduation. The society serves as a platform for members to learn about the legal field and network with legal professionals,” Olson said. 

With informational workshops on resume building, LinkedIn help, LSAT test preparation and many more, this club is a valuable resource that you will not want to miss out on. It is also worth mentioning that there is absolutely no need to be dedicated to law school to join, any interest level is welcome.

The club also hosts guest speakers who are in a legal profession, related to the legal field or experienced in tools that may help a student interested in legal studies. Recently, the club hosted guest speaker Ben Paris, who is a former LSAT question writer for Kaplan testing. This was a great experience and provided students planning on applying to law school with some very valuable insight on the LSATs and what to expect. 

“The best part of the UMaine Pre-Law Society for many members is connecting with other students at the university who share an interest in the legal profession and learning from professionals from a variety of backgrounds,” Olson said. “The club offers a unique experience, providing members with the opportunity to interact with legal professionals in a one-on-one or small group setting, which is not easily accessible elsewhere. The club has helped members understand their desire to attend law school and shape their interests while pursuing a law degree.”

The club also recently hosted a “Careers in Law and Justice Fair” that helped connect students with legal professionals through an open table segment and two panel discussions. There were many professionals that came to speak such as Karen Leck, a special agent from the FBI, Angela Okafor, an immigration attorney for Okafor Law Practice and Steven Knockwood from the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project. This is only to name a few, there were numerous other professionals who came to represent their occupation and give insight to students trying to break into the law world. In addition, there were admissions directors from law schools such as University of Massachusetts, Suffolk School of Law and New England School of Law who spoke on the panels. 

The Pre-Law Society meets every Tuesday at 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Career Center, and anyone is welcome to attend. For the meeting on Tuesday, April 4, there will be admissions counselors from University of Connecticut School of Law, Northeastern School of Law, Vermont Law School, and a few more. If you are interested or considering applying to law school, this meeting could be an excellent opportunity for you. If you are interested in joining, feel free to reach out to Camden Olson at camden.olson@maine.edu or Jacob Chaplin at jacob.chaplin@maine.edu for more information.

Adria LaRose is an instructor at the University of Maine. She currently teaches a course on journalism and media law, CMJ 375.  She has taught this course for 13 years at UMaine. LaRose is also still practicing law alongside teaching this course. As a result, students get a more realistic and accurate law class experience.

LaRose currently works in a private practice at a law firm in Bangor, Maine called Rudman Winchell.

Previously, she worked as an attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1990 to 2005. For undergraduate, she attended University of Missouri in Columbia and got her Bachelor of Arts in anthropology. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1987. After her undergraduate, she attended Stanford Law School and received a Juris Doctor. While there, she participated in groups like Women of Stanford Law and Stanford Law Review. She is also a certified mediator in the state of Maine.

This course is great for journalism students, especially those interested in pursuing law. It provides a thorough background in journalism history through a legal lens, discussing the cases that helped carve monumental times in journalism that changed the field forever. The class provides a helpful background in legal jargon, court cases, and historical journalism.

LaRose teaches her class in a kind and inclusive way by encouraging everyone to speak regardless of if the answer  is right or wrong. There are “panels” held throughout the course, similar to a real law school course, and students may analyze the cases using legal frameworks such as the FIRAC method before discussing them in class. The cases for each panel are intriguing in one way or another, so it is certainly not a boring experience. Students are welcome and encouraged to voice their opinions in a place where they will be unjudged and in a safe learning environment.This creates a fluid dynamic in class where students can become active participants without fear of being incorrect.

“I really enjoy teaching, and get a lot of satisfaction helping undergraduates to understand sometimes murky and counterintuitive legal concepts,” LaRose said. 

Legal concepts can get pretty difficult to understand, but LaRose is an excellent teacher that knows how to convey legal concepts and vocabulary in a way that students can comprehend even with little previous knowledge in law. She approaches class in an enthusiastic way that makes an 8 a.m. class not all that bad. 

Garrett Murphy, also known as “it’s murph” is a current student at the University of Southern California and is up and coming in the house music world. He is a music producer mainly for house and EDM music, his sound being compared to other DJs such as Flume and Fred Again. 

Throughout this past year, Murphy has become increasingly popular on TikTok for filming the reactions of classmates to his new music, videos of DJing at parties and showing viewers bits of his unreleased music. Viewers came back strongly, saying that they want him to release the tracks. Murphy has shown strong potential to be an amazing DJ and not only viewers but other DJs have noticed. Famous EDM DJs Steve Aoki and Dr. Fresch have commented on his TikTok videos either complimenting him, or telling him to keep it up which he has.

Murphy helped produce a song called “Lost” in 2022 along with other producers named RSCL, Twin Diplomacy, and Jack August. With over a couple million streams, “Lost” has become a popular EDM and house track with an intoxicating deep beat that makes you want to dance nonstop. The combination of the deep, house-y beats and a light feminine voice on the track makes for a great song to chill out or dance to. 

Murphy recently got himself noticed by a lot more people on TikTok in the beginning of January when he posted a video of a friend doing vocals for a track called “Food for the soul.” The only way to describe this song in simple terms is that it is completely euphoric. The sound is very similar to Flume and a little ODESZA with winding beats that build up to a thumping that you can feel in your chest. To top it off, the girl who did the vocals has a husky tenor that offsets the beat in a beautiful array of sounds. The phrase “food for the soul” is repeated throughout the song and adds to the feel-good energy that resonates from the song. Many listeners have been calling this song a “pool party” song. Since its release, the song has been played on the radio and has gotten a lot of attention from listeners all around the world.

Since he released the video clip on TikTok, thousands upon thousands of people started pestering him to fully release the song on Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud. As asked, Murphy worked hard to fully release the song in mid-February. Since then, the song has been incredibly popular, and continues to be so on TikTok as well. TikTok may be the turning point for his career and many viewers are urging him to keep going. Murphy has also produced and released other deep house tracks such as “Breathing” that is increasingly popular as well. The sounds of bongos signal the beat drop, and make for quite a unique track. 

Overall, Murphy seems to be on the move to being an amazing artist in house music and his beats truly have been “food for the soul.”

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, there are many events happening on campus in celebration of the day of love. Valentine’s Day is not just for those with a significant other, but for everyone to celebrate their love for friends, family and themselves. 

The University of Maine Center for Student Involvement has been having exciting events leading up to Valentine’s Day. They held a “cookie and card-decorating” event, a “Things U Love Trivia” event, as well as a “Bestie Vibes Only” event in appreciation for all of the dynamic duos out there. Valentine’s Day is truly for everyone and a day to show appreciation and love for yourself as well as others around you. 

Another extremely exciting event that is going on until Feb. 13 is “Carnations and Crushes” hosted by the sorority sisters of Pi Beta Phi. How it works: for a donation of $5 you can have flowers, chocolates and a note delivered to any person of your choice. Too shy to go up to your crush in person? Send a carnation and you can choose to remain anonymous to the receiver. But there is a catch! For an extra donation, the receiver can unveil who the sender is. Additionally, the women of Pi Beta Phi will hand-deliver the gifts to the recipient’s door. What better way to ask someone to be your Valentine? The recipient is bound to be ecstatic. 

“Carnations and Crushes is not only a lot of fun for us, but a great way to show someone you care for them on Valentine’s Day. You can send one to a friend, someone special, or whoever you would like within the Orono area!” said Sabrina Morro, a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. 

Not only is this a fun idea for a way to ask someone to be your valentine, but the donation proceeds go towards an amazing cause. All donations will go to the Pi Beta Phi Foundation’s Literacy Fund that benefits Read > Lead > Achieve, a program that promotes more literate children, and eventually society, through reading. To place an order, the website is www.carnationsandcrushes.square.site. 

However you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day is completely up to you, but some mention–worthy ideas are having a galentine’s day with friends, or a celebration with friends in general. A night of pajamas and rom-coms with friends is never a bad idea. Another fun idea that has been trending on social media could be charcuterie board making. All you need is a cutting board and an array of delicacies that you enjoy. This could include whatever your heart may desire. 

If you prefer something more low-key, a show of appreciation for yourself is always a great idea to show love for yourself on Valentine’s Day. This could mean taking a morning yoga class, journaling, or simply taking time out of your day to say some affirmations to yourself or meditate quietly. Our bodies and minds do a lot for us and we deserve to give ourselves a pat on the back!

Mindfulness is also a great practice on Valentine’s Day because there are some people dealing with big life battles this year. The patients at St. Jude Children’s Hospital are facing those big life battles at this time, so St. Jude is offering an opportunity for anyone with internet access to write an Ecard to a current patient. Words of encouragement and strength go a long way in helping the children through their journey with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. It only takes about five minutes to click the link and send a card. 

Valentine’s Day this year may look different for everyone, but there are plenty of opportunities to show love and support in different ways. However you choose, this holiday is for everyone and anyone! Love is in the air this week, so let us show support and kindness to those around us always.

“Barbarian” is an extremely eerie film that leaves you with a turning stomach, and it is not for the faint of heart. It dives into controversial themes that make the movie an uncomfortable watch. The concept may have been a little harder for audiences to comprehend, but critics are on board. The film was directed by Zach Cregger and features actors Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard, and Justin Long. Campbell plays Tess Marshall who arrives late at night to her Airbnb and discovers it has been double booked with Skarsgard’s character, Keith. Keith offers to let Tess stay since it may be her only option. Tess reluctantly agrees after realizing the neighborhood surrounding the Airbnb looks like a place you don’t want to be caught after dark in. 

During her stay, Tess discovers disturbing features of the house and quickly realizes that her and Keith may not be alone. As she unwittingly gets taken into the dark depths of the house, she learns more about its history and thus we are taken on a thrill ride that will have chills crawling up your spine. There are plot twists and turns at every corner throughout the film, and a couple jumpscares thrown in as well. 

To take a deeper look into the foundation of the movie, there are themes explored about male misogyny, motherhood and abuse. If these themes are triggering for any possible viewers, it is recommended to stay away from this film. 

 Long’s character, AJ, is the careless actor and Airbnb house owner that only cares about his next check. After he is faced with sexual misconduct allegations by a co-star, he is forced to sell some of his properties to cover legal costs. He is an unlikable and selfish character who exhibits extreme arrogance. He believes that he can do no wrong and that he should be applauded for anything he does. 

The movie brings Tess and AJ together in the plot and it brings out AJ’s self-entitlement. AJ learns more about the dark history of his Airbnb, and is disgusted by the previous male owner’s misogynistic crimes, but it also serves as a reflection of what he himself is capable of. 

The whole movie serves as the worst case scenario in male misogyny and AJ navigates through the information, blind to the fact that he exhibits the traits. It especially shows towards the end of the movie when he hurts Tess so that he may survive, automatically assuming his life is more important than hers. 

The ultimate message of the movie seems to be to condemn abusive men to the lowest, most barbaric form. Overall, it is a hard movie to watch and it delves into dark topics, but it is an incredibly well directed film and the actors did a great job in their roles.

Swedish House Mafia has been in the house music genre for years. The genre of house music is popular among college students and Swedish House Mafia sits at the apex. Their group includes Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell and Steve Angello. They are widely known for their popular track “Don’t You Worry Child” that was released in 2012 and dominated the radio stations for a long time. They have won multiple Grammys and MTV awards. 

The Swedish house music group just came back on the scene once again with their fairly recent album “Paradise Again.” Released in April of this year, the album has some very progressive tracks and a couple of extremely underrated ones as well. 

House music is a form of electronic dance music, or EDM, that seems to have become an extremely popular music genre for members of Gen Z. House music can be traced way back to the 1980s when simple, quick and dance-beat tempos played in nightclubs, but it seems that in the past decade house music has taken root and complexified itself. 

There are many house categories now such as tropical house that often features steel drums, or deep house that involves beats you can feel reverberating through your chest. The appeal of house music is a curious thing. There are a couple theories on why people enjoy it so much. One is that the deep tempo mocks our heart beats, and the faster tempos coax our bodies to increase respiratory activity and heart rate until it becomes intoxicating. Another theory is that the build-up and then the ensuing beat drops mimic reward systems in our bodies and influences the release of dopamine, creating that euphoric feel. Swedish House Mafia has managed to exploit that feel with their new album.

Their new song “Heaven Takes You Home” has about 85 million streams on Spotify and it is easy to see why. Similar to “Don’t You Worry Child,” it is a feel-good house song that makes you want to toss your head back and dance. If you decide to listen to any song on the album, this is the number one song you should listen to. It is sorely underrated and if you are looking for a bit of euphoria in your life, this is the song for you. 

“Moth To A Flame” featuring The Weeknd has been the top song on the album with about 430 million streams on Spotify. This track is lighter house and more pop-house EDM. 

The album is surprisingly diverse in the types of house it has on it. In contrast to the other tracks the song “Mafia” would probably be considered deep-house. The beats are repetitive and dark, giving it an intimidating feel, while the beat pulses in a bassy tenor.

Overall, the album “Paradise Again” is one of the best house albums released this year and has all types of house music included on its list, making it an impressive and incredibly well-done album.

Nestled on the furthest point of the eastern out-cropping in the state of Maine is the small town of Lubec. Founded in 1811, the town has a little over a thousand people living in it. From the University of Maine campus, the drive is about two and a half hours, but if you are an antique junkie, there are a lot of cool antique shops on the way up to break up the trip, as well as beautiful coastal views along the way.

Lubec is the epitome of a cozy and charming seaside fishing town. The air is perfectly cool and kissed with a thin layer of mist that awakens your senses to the lush foliage and briney sea breeze around you. It is a quiet town, which some would find boring, but it is far from it. The energy is so calm and relaxing in the town to a point where it feels like a welcome retreat from society. 

The rainy northwestern climate with rocky cliffs and abundant greenery is prominent in this east-coast town, giving it a similar feeling to that of Forks, from the movie “Twilight.”

The town is right on the Canadian border. On the far side of town there is a bridge called “The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Bridge” that leads from Lubec right into Campobello Island, an island in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. A passport is required to travel to the island, as you will need to pass through Canadian border customs. 

The town also features a few nice restaurants. “The Fisherman’s Wharf” is a restaurant planted right on the rocky outcropping before the ocean. The spectacular thing about this eatery is the huge windows that allow a serene view of the waves crashing on the rocks below. This creates a very cozy atmosphere where family and friends can gather for hours. There are many great seafood options as well as a pleasing wine and drinks list. The seafood is as fresh as it gets. 

During my stay there, I spent a weekend at the “Inn on the Wharf,” which I highly enjoyed. The history behind the building is an interesting one. A couple, Judy and Victor Trafford, stumbled upon the town of Lubec by accident in 2006, but they completely fell in love with the town’s charm and natural beauty. Soon after, they bought a house and then an old sardine factory that came with its own wharf. The factory, more than a hundred years old, was preserved by the couple and converted into an inn. You never would have thought that it used to be a sardine factory with how charming it is. There are also balconies attached to the rooms, allowing you to step out above the rocky outcroppings to view the ocean beyond, a beautiful sight to say the least. 

Possibly the most well-known part of Lubec is its red and white striped lighthouse that serves as the marker of the easternmost point of the United States. The charming lighthouse holds quite the significance and is a popular tourist attraction. It is named the “West Quoddy Head lighthouse” and sits inside of Quoddy Head State Park. 

Quoddy Head State Park in Lubec is a little bit of a hidden gem in Maine. It is home to awe-inspiring black cliffs that hover over crashing ocean waves. The looming black cliffs were created during the Silurian Age from volcanic magma. 

Always wreathed in fog and cool sea-mist, the state park is a great place to visit if you are ever in Lubec. The “Coastal Trail” is a definite recommendation for hiking trails. It is a moderate skill-level hike with mildly challenging maneuvering and a four mile round trip, but the views along the coast during this trail are pristine. 

The lighthouse is now staffed by volunteers, but once had a live-in lighthouse keeper. Visitors may tour the former rooms of the keeper. The tower itself is closed to the public, but the lighthouse beacon still shines, one of 63 left active on Maine’s coast. 

Lubec is a must-visit town in Maine because it has so much to offer. The environment provides such peaceful energy and it helps with centering yourself when your life feels a bit chaotic.

CORRECTION: The headline was changed from “city” to “point” as West Quoddy Head in Lubec is the easternmost point in the contiguous United States.