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She then takes the dilemma to her “Yale-educated boyfriend, Chip.”

“I have been offered an annual salary of $85,000, but that really just isn’t enough to pay the rent … I just don’t know what to do,” she says.

While Chip explains the tax implications of choosing between a $20,000 signing bonus or stock options, Ms. Forest appears to drift off.

“Oh, right. Sorry. I was dreaming of that pair of Louboutins,” she tells Chip, referring to the designer shoes, a theme that comes up several times in the assignment. Ms. Forest later falls asleep “dreaming of those little blue boxes and beautiful shoes.”

The school called the assignment an “ill-advised satire of a pop-culture character” and says it won’t be used again.

On Monday evening, after the assignment became public, the university issued an official retraction.

“The assignment unfortunately did not reflect the standards and commitment to diversity that are core beliefs at the Rotman School and the wider University of Toronto community,” said Tiff Macklem, dean of the Rotman School of Management. “The assignment has been retracted and will not be used again.”

He added: ‘‘We deeply regret issuing the assignment and are committed to an inclusive culture at the Rotman School where all students can reach their full potential.’’

First-year MBA students at Rotman pay more than $45,000 in tuition and fees for their initial year in the program.

The assignment does seem to be out of character for the Toronto business school, which usually has a pretty good record on women’s issues. The school runs the Initiative for Women in Business, a program designed toward “strengthening the female talent pipeline,” and its faculty members have previously published research on issues of sexual harassment and gender equality in the workplace.

In 2007, for instance, Rotman faculty member Jennifer Berdahl published The Sexual Harassment of Uppity Women, a study showing that women who took on masculine traits in male-dominated workplaces were most susceptible to sexual harassment.

STATEMENT FROM ROTMAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Last week an assignment was distributed in a Finance class in the first year of the Full Time MBA program. The assignment unfortunately did not reflect the standards and commitment to diversity that are core beliefs at the Rotman School and the wider University of Toronto community. The assignment has been retracted and will not be used again. The Professors have acknowledged that the case is inappropriate and apologized to each section of the class who received the assignment. The Rotman School has a broader priority of building a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive environment for women. Enhancing the experience for all students is a key imperative in the Vision for the Rotman School being articulated by the new Dean. The Rotman School is committed to strengthening and expanding our existing work on promoting and supporting women through school-wide activities such as our Initiative for Women in Business and student clubs as well as our long-standing partnerships with organizations in the business community and elsewhere which support women professionals. We deeply regret issuing the assignment and are committed to an inclusive culture at the Rotman School where all students can reach their full potential.



National Post, with files from Tristin Hopper