Question
I am looking to add a plant to my shared dorm room in San Jose, CA. The dormitory room faces north east so the room gets almost no direct sunlight. It gets rather warm in the dorm since I am sharing the room with another, and with two fridges and two computer towers constantly running - we don't get cold in the winter (temp never drops below 70). This is compounded with the buildings poor ventilation system, although I did bring an industrial fan which allows strong air circulation within the room. Living in the urban area with constant traffic, opening the window allows unwanted debris/dust to enter the room which we do open daily. We do open the window to air out or cool down the room yet the humidity in the room seems to be omnipresent.
Also the placement of the plant would have to be near or on my computer (most likely the latter).

+ Good circulation
+ Humidity
+ Temperature 68-78
- Low lighting
- Limited space

As a result of these conditions, would an orchid be able to grow adequately? What other materials/knowledge should I acquire to properly take care of the orchid.

Answer
Jacob, thanks for sharing info about your growing environment. I think a phalaenopsis (moth orchid) would like many of your growing conditions.  They prefer temperatures between 65-85 degrees. Also they come in different sizes, so you should be able to find one that is best suited to your limited space. They also like air movement but I would try to avoid directing the fan(s) at the plant as this could dry it out. Humidity is good. My main concern is your lighting. You probably have enough light to grow the plant well but enough light for future flowering might be a problem. Leaf color after growing the plant in your conditions is the keys to flowering.  If your leaves are a dark green, this suggests insufficient light for flowering.  Ideally, leaf color should be a light green which will occur when light levels are sufficiently high.