H Kay Thomas

Each one serve one

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 07:44:08 -0700

For our last day in Napoli, we spent the afternoon participatingin an activity led by ALMA Social Cooperative. This cooperative was started by a father and her daughter who uses their tennis club to offer recreational activities for youth and the elderly. They providesupport where there gaps that the government/state cannot provide. During the pandemic,they were able to keep youth connected via zoom. During the visit, our students played activities with the students from races to football aka soccer. Laura
and I were coerced to join the race as well – see pics below. Thank you to our
SAI contact Filippo for taking my picture.

Our students really enjoyed the time with the youth, learning moreabout their services from Gloria who serves the Vice President. It was a break from the norm of just listening to a presentation and engaging with the service.

We had dinner as a class at La cucina De Gusto that is also a cookingschool. Over good food and drink, we discussed the activities over the last few days and several mentioned they preferred
spending time in Sorrento to get acclimated to Italy and the class. Our next stop is Cagliari to visit Sardex.

Delayed but not denied!

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 00:46:03 -0700

Using my network, I visited Cagliari three years ago and connected with Giuseppe, one of the founders of Sardex. During my conversation with Giuseppe,I learned more about Sardex and their expansion plans for individuals to participate in the network. At the end of our conversation, I told him we were bringing students next summer (2020). Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and we had to delay the trip to 2022.

After a long delay at the airport, we arrived in Cagliari around1am. Our first day (after getting much needed rest) was a class lecture reviewingthe concepts of networking and ties. The students connected the research to the book about Sardex and their own networks. Towards the end of class discussion, they created a list of questions for Sardex and the author of the class book, When Money Changes Society. We will have an opportunity to speak with Giacomo Bazzani via zoom during our stay in Rome.

After class, we had a guided tour of castles, catherderals and how life in the city was affected by the pandemic. At the end of the tour, we ate at a local restaurant that offered traditional Sardinian food with roasted pig, vegetables and chips with melted cheese aka nachos.

The next morning, we met Sardex at a local co-working space in Cagliari. They provided a presentation about the network, transactions and shared a qr code for the students to download the app and view businesses for shopping. Our visit left us with more questions and I began to see holes in the network that were not present several years ago. We had some free time after the meeting and walked to a local mall for a snack break. Our SAI contact in Cagliari reserved dinner at Read More

What is a social network?

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 08:11:59 -0700

We spent the last two days learning about social networks, network ties and relationships formed in a network. During the lecture we discussed the theory behind networks and our connections with others. I led an activity for students to visualize a network by mapping their own, categorizing their connections and identifying resources and shared social objects. They had the afternoon off to rest and catch up on readings. I think all of us are now feeling the time difference!

We spent Thursday in Naples visiting a local cooperative, La Paranza. Italy has a history of cooperatives since 1864. There over 11,000 cooperatives in Italy versus 640 in the U.S. Many people have heard about the catacombs in Naples but not aware it is managed by Community Foundation of San Gennaro, which brings together cooperatives and third sector operators who work every day to create opportunities for self-employment and recovery. It is a cooperative started by a group of friends. Our guide, Antonio shared that it was started 12 years ago, growing from 5 to 50 salaried employees and over 200 volunteers. Their purpose was not just to restore the Catacombs but also change the narrative of the neighborhood. Known as one of the poorest parts of the city with high crime, now it is known for being the center of culture.

We finished the morning with lunch at the popular Read More

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 12:57:13 -0700

We started day one with an orientation from SAI on health and safety during our stay, Italian food and culture. We are staying in apartments in the city center area of Sorrento so buying groceries is a bit different than in the states. Typically you will purchase food for a few days since milk and produce will not consumable after 3 - 4 days. The icebox/refrigerator is not big so storing a lot of food is not an option.

After orientation, my co-facilator Dr. Laura Brashears and I split today's class lecture. Laura is a sociology professor at the UofSC and has taught SOCY 101 and various sociological topics for the honors college. I led the discussion asking the queston "why should we care about social capital", defining the theory and explaining the connection to Italy based on Robert Putnam's work. The students quickly grasped the concept, having read some of the material prior to class and applied to their networks in the U.S. I ended the discussion sharing that social capital encompasses three concepts: trust, relationships and reciprocity.

Laura provided tips and guidelines on the readings for class. She started with "you do not have to read every word" which brought a few laughs and smiles from the students. Additionally, she split the students into groups for a discussion on expected data on valentine's day gifts. I know the students will use this information in other courses.

After morning class, we all enjoyed a long lunch before our tour of the city center of Sorrento. Check out my IG page for videos of the tour.

Formerly Known As

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 20:00:56 -0800

When I was in the final semester of my doctoral program, my dad asked if my diploma would say Banks or Thomas. I told him Banks since that was my married and legal name. His response was somewhat melancholy with “too bad your name is not hyphenated like your sister.” Now, I was not the first in the family to receive a doctorate. Actually the third behind him and my sister. But I know he was looking forward to seeing and saying “Dr. Thomas”.

As I begin the court process of returning to my maiden name, this question about changing it now and does it really matter has surfaced amongst family and friends. Usually it is a part of a divorce decree. I declined this addition because my child is young and I foresaw changing it one day when I remarried. Yes, I am no rush to remarry. But hey, you never know!

The majority of men never have to worry about this issue. In my doctoral program, we had a professor who changed her hyphenated name at least three times, dropping, rearranging and adding the last name. I write this blog not to explain my reasons for changing, but to share an experience for those who may be in the same predicament. I conduct research on social networks so how fitting to explore the concept of how private decisions can have public implications. When you are moving forward from a divorce, it feels like a reintroduction to your network of colleagues, family and friends even if your name does not change. My network spans from California to Italy and the majority know me as Banks. Andy Stanley discusses this concept in the book “better decisions, fewer regrets.[1]” As part of the five questions he challenges readers to ask, one of those is What Story Do I Want to Tell.

This is my story: My maiden name reminds me of reading the newspaper on Saturday mornings with my dad, drinking black coffee. I correlate my identity with my maiden name to the days of being inquisitive about higher ed law,...Read More

An island of networks

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:39:33 -0700

Good evening (Buono Sera) from Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean. I am staying in the capital city, Cagliari, surrounded by beautiful agriculture and buildings that date B.C. After arriving in the morning, I traveled to Mercato San Benedetto, an indoor market located in the city. This was the best place to experience a piece of Sardinia (the people, food, culture) since I was only here for the day. Also, I wanted to visit a Sardex company and ask questions about their membership, benefits and challenges. After purchasing fruit and salivating at cheese wedges (I LOVE cheese), I made my way to Profumi Di Sicilia, a pastry and food place that “brings a bit of Sicilia to Sardinia”. As the newest member in Sardex, they were recently featured on the company’s LinkedIn page. I enjoyed my conversation with the owner, Melania, who said the network has allowed them to purchase/exchange goods from members (see picture of t-shirts). However, the marketplace closes at 2pm so they do not attract a lot of customers. But she enjoys the network events and meeting other members.

In the afternoon, I was the guest of Alice Soru at Open Campus. A contact in my network led to an introduction via email. Alice is a manager at Open Campus, which is a Coworking space company with about 87 members. In the U.S. a similar company is called WeWork and in Columbia, SC there is SOCO. The campus grounds of Open Campus are beautiful, located off the lagoon, making me wish I could duplicate this space in my office. Her partner, Stefano Casu joined us for the...Read More

Returning to Rome

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 01:52:06 -0700

I met Alessandra several years ago when I created the study away course to Italy for the Honors College. I had used her article on social capital in Italy for my Honors class. You can read about that meeting in my September blog post, A Visit to Italy.

Despite jet lag (almost 7 hours), my time with Alessandra Righi working on our survey was productive. After arriving in Rome around 7:30am and getting refreshed for our 11am meeting, we spent three hours editing questions, discussing the Sardex network and conceptualizing the theoretical framework for the essay. The survey, written in Italian, will ask questions about trust, reciprocity and relationships amongst the Sardex members. Instead of focusing on Coleman and viewing Sardex as a closed network, we hypothesize that there are weak and strong ties in the network and those ties are connected to their expectations of profit and sustainability. The expected title of the essay:

Social Capital in the City: A network Analysis

Pictures cannot capture conversations over pizza and an espresso or discussing Lin’s theory of social capital versus Robert Putnam. I have included a few pictures of the day, including a picture of Alessandra translating the participant letter from English.

Onto to the next stop….Cagliari, Sardinia.

Persistence

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 11:51:01 -0700

Merriam Webster dictionary has several definitions of this word, persistence. This definition speaks to my work and personal life: continuing to exist despite interference or treatment. As I prepare to return to Rome, I reflect on my ability to persist, overcoming challenges and doubt about my potential in this field. In my research on student persistence, I have discovered that students who have social connections in college are more likely to persist to graduation. These connections range from student-faculty relationships to student organizations or a small network of friends and family. They use social capital, e.g. networks, trust and some reciprocity to attain a college degree.

In celebration of Women’s History month I want to acknowledge my network, my tribe that has helped me persist. My mom is my inspiration as I watched her pursue her academic goals (masters and Ed.S.) while working full time as a kindergarten teacher. This was before online programs and Saturday cohorts. I was reminded of these times during my doctorate program, taking evening classes while balancing home, parenting with a demanding job as Dean of Students. I come from a family of women who are doctors, lawyers, nurses, K-12 educators and higher education practitioners. The women in my family either continued their education after high school or returned to the college campus after raising their families. Several are very successful with their high school diploma, attaining on-the job certifications. They are businesswomen, entrepreneurs and women excelling on their job raising their kids as a single parent or with the support of a loving spouse. There have been trials and tribulations, moments of sadness and seasons of celebration. But they have been resilient and persisted to achieve their personal goals and dreams.

I have a group of female colleagues, from South Carolina to California, that have provided encouragement and support along this journey. Each, in her own...Read More

Trust, Networks and Reciprocity

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 03:36:11 -0700

Three years ago, I began following Sardex, an organization created on the island of Sardinia to provide an exchange of goods and services in response to their financial crisis. Earlier this week, the class was hosted by Tibex.net, one of the circuits in the Sardex company. The morning started at Tibex headquarters in Rome with a presentation by their Director. Tibex provides opportunities for businesses to network and develop relationships with other businesses to exchange goods or services. It is a transactional, where all are cleared by the end of the day or month. It is a closed network, based on trust and reciprocity. They have over 400 members in their circuit. As a member of the circuit, you are brokering relationships, providing a service to help with transactions. Some of the successful businesses are those that take advantage of events hosted by Tibex to develop relationships with others. Tibex strives to have a community approach and not every person seeking membership is accepted. According to their brokerage manager, they do not strive to be mainstream or “sexy”; companies that produce weapons or “speculative services” are not offered membership. This network is valuable to smaller companies, than larger ones because the characteristics of Tibex is being a local system, providing transactions with companies that are physically close. Yet there has to be demand in the network for the goods or service offered by a company.

To understand how it works, Tibex arranged for our class to experience the network by visiting three businesses: Pietra Pinta winery, Da Design Group and East Side brewery. Since we were their first USA visitors, they had a camera/videographer follow us around the entire day and their staff joined us at East Side brewery for the last visit. Overall, we observed companies who were successful or just emerging onto the business scene (like East side) seeking new opportunities to grow their business. When asked why did they join...Read More

The Benefits of a Connected Life

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 04:05:28 -0700

Siamo in Italia! We are in day 12 of our Honors class in Italy. We are staying in the Trastevere area of Rome, which is the heart of the city. It is less touristy and our walk to class is beautiful.

Today I will blog about the course title, Social Capital in the City and explain why we are in Italy. If you have not read my other blog posts, please do so to understand my research on social capital and social networks and its connection to Italy. The purpose of this class is to learn about social networks in Italy, how they benefit society in comparison to our networks in the U.S. We have seven class sessions in a traditional classroom and the rest of the days, we have class in the city, observing Italian culture at local café and visit businesses and organizations. During visits to various networks in the month of June, students are researchers in the field, employing three characteristics of qualitative research: natural setting, researcher as key instrument; participants meeting. As a group, they create their own network, prepare questions for presentations and observe the concepts of social capital in these organizations: network, trust and reciprocity.

What is a social network? It is really easy to understand. Think about your own network (family, friends, work). In his Ted Talk about the hidden influence of social networks, Nicholas Christakis, ends his speech saying “the benefits of a connected life outweigh the cost…the spread of good and valuable things is required to sustain and nourish social networks; similarly, social networks are required for the spread of good and valuable things.”

Yesterday, the class visited LegaCoop, an example of this type of network, created to answer the needs of the community. Created more than 125 years ago, Lega Coop is a part of the Italian Cooperatives that began in 1854 to answer the community needs. LegaCoop provided a...Read More