It's more than a rumor - they do hire more than one assistant professor for every tenure line. (A tenure line, for those not in the academic world, is a single permanently funded position. You only move up the food chain by getting into a tenurable position - said Assistant Professor - then getting tenured, then moving upwards. In a science department, you can trace tenure lines over a period of years, since a new professor typically has a similar specialty to the retiring/leaving one)
It's doubly interesting that their tenure rate is so low, even though most assistant professors don't stick around for year 6 unless they have a serious shot at tenure.
As for the article. It's interesting, but micro issues rarely have macro effect. In other words, the article is likely 100% correct - there are carcinogens in tobacco smoke, they are carried along in clothing and persistent in the environment - but they won't necessarily increase your risk of anything.
I feel myself agreeing with the parents in this thread. They take reasonable precautions but don't go nuts about it. They're conscious of the risks they assume. This is a mature way to go about your life. If you don't approach it consciously, you're going to make mistakes about how big and how manageable risks are.
