Philip Hackney

It really dances on that blurred line of separation of church and state and using public resources for private interest.

Philip Hackney, a nonprofit law professor at, at the University of Pittsburgh, wondered whether donors could use the organization to gain access to the speaker.

Is it serving a political purpose or is it serving an actual charity? And Davina Hurt of Santa Clara University warned that young aides could feel obliged to take part.

"If you wanna advance through the ranks, you feel pressure to do so to some degree," she said.