War ended in military defeat for Germany in November 1918 and was followed by a succession of revolutions in the ports and cities. With this politically troubled backdrop, the University of Giessen faced difficult times socially and economically. Eger struggled to improve the situation by promoting academic self-government. In 1921 he became the first chairman of the newly formed (Gießen student support) organisation, in response to the urgent needs of the times. In 1929 work started on a new accommodation building in the which was opened to students in 1931, and continues in use complete with a cafeteria: it was later named the Otto Egger Hall of Residence (), though more recently, as Otto Eger's political record has been re-evaluated, pressure has grown for a reversal of the naming decision.